Lotusgrill Classic: barbecue party must-have or small-time sausage-sizzler?
With the Lotusgrill Classic, you’re promised an uncomplicated barbecue, all within a matter of minutes. But does this compact, smokeless charcoal grill stick to its word? My trial run at an office barbecue revealed the Lotus has its pros and cons.
I’m really into barbecues. Since I’d written an article showcasing 11 gadgets for your next BBQ extravaganza last year, our buyers got in touch to see if I fancied testing a grill this year. Namely, the Lotusgrill Classic, complete with a cooking grate measuring 32 centimetres in diameter. The grill also comes in a small version measuring around 26 centimetres in diameter, and an XXL version with a diameter of around 40 centimetres.
I agreed to the review and organised a little team event during our lunch break at work. A bunch of us got together for a BBQ on the balcony terrace at our Hamburg office. The charcoal grill comes in six colours. I got one in anthracite.
First impressions and barbecue test setting
I hadn’t heard of the Lotusgrill before being asked to review it, but it made a good first impression. In its product description, the manufacturer promises «BBQ fun in minutes: enjoy that typical charcoal grill taste without spending ages firing up, and almost entirely without smoke». Sounds good to me. According to the manufacturer, the grill’s particularly well suited to balcony barbecues. This is because you can position it on a table, meaning you don’t miss out on what’s going on with your guests while you’re tending to the BBQ.
Even so, I reckon there are a couple of issues with this. I, for one, opted not to test the grill at home because my rental contract strictly forbids balcony barbecues. As an alternative, I could’ve taken it to Hamburg’s City Park.
In hindsight, I’m happy I didn’t do that. I’ll explain why later on. Instead, I decided to organise a mini team event on the balcony terrace at our Hamburg office.
Source: Kim Muntinga
Set-up and ease of use
You can quickly put the Lotusgrill together. It only consists of a few parts, and a detailed instruction manual guides you through the process step by step. Even BBQ rookies shouldn’t have any problem with it.
Source: Kim Muntinga
As you’d imagine, loading the grill with charcoal and fire lighters is easy. But don’t overdo it. Naturally, I put too much charcoal into the container on my first attempt and later had to remove two pieces. The manufacturer says the container holds a maximum of 250 grammes, which probably equates to 6–8 charcoal briquettes. Within a few minutes, the grill was ready to rock.
Source: Kim Muntinga
The Lotusgrill’s star feature is its fan, which continuously blows fresh air into the embers, helping the charcoal to burn evenly. With air being directed upwards into the charcoal, the grill can be quickly fired up too. Not only that, but the continuous air supply significantly reduces how much smoke the grill gives off. The fan’s powered by either four AA batteries or a USB cable hooked up to a power outlet.
I went down the battery route for my review, and was able to operate the fan without a hitch. A knob on the side of the grill allows for fully adjustable fan power, so I was able to regulate the grill temperature to my liking. When the fan was on full power, we really noticed the sound of it working away.
Side note: the grill smouldered a lot when we fired it up. However, the manual says that’s typical for first-time use due to oil residue.
Source: Kim Muntinga
Heat distribution and temperature control
My first major criticism of the grill is its heat distribution. It’s uneven, which proved challenging for me as grill master. Food placed in the middle of the grill was done really quickly. The bread at the centre of the cooking grate actually burnt, while pieces positioned on the outside were grilled slowly and gently.
Source: Kim Muntinga
A big, long piece of veal steak proved to be another tricky example. Though one side and the middle were well cooked, I had to throw the meat back onto the grill because the other side was underdone. Too bad, considering it was a nice piece of meat. With this in mind, I’d recommend using the Lotusgrill for sausages or grilling cheese instead. Otherwise, you’ll be kicking yourself at the thought of ruining high-quality, expensive meat.
Source: Kim Muntinga
Grill performance
Otherwise, the grill performed surprisingly well – impressively, in fact. Using it for about an hour, I didn’t have any trouble cooking all my food. It managed to feed 8–10 of us in total. Mind you, we only cooked about two pieces of meat, two packs of sausages, two loaves of bread and about eight pieces of grilling cheese.
One of the grill’s downsides, however, is its small surface. The chances of that many people being able to eat at roughly the same time are slim to none. As for the medium-sized grill, it has a 32-centimetre-wide cooking grate and a grill surface of about 804 square centimetres.
Cleaning and maintenance
Cleaning the grill turned out to be a little more challenging than expected. Getting the grate clean was a real hassle. Despite cleaning the grill straight after use, soaking it time and time again and vigorously scrubbing it, there are still marks on it.
Source: Kim Muntinga
Source: Kim Muntinga
Although I made use of the option to stick the Lotusgrill’s components in the dishwasher afterwards, it didn’t make a difference – at least on the grate.
Source: Kim Muntinga
Safety and portability
To me, the grill seems very safe to use. As a result of its closed system comprising the charcoal container and integrated ventilation, the embers are efficiently supplied with oxygen. That means no more lengthy firing-up process, no open flames and, consequently, way less risk of burn injuries.
Source: Kim Muntinga
The Lotusgrill is compact and lightweight, so it can be taken anywhere. It also comes with a bag, making transporting it even more convenient. However, after using the Lotusgrill, you do need to take care that it’s cooled down completely. Before packing it back up for your journey home, you should also give the grill at least a cursory clean, getting rid of obvious stains such as grease deposits.
In a nutshell
Compact grill with some minor weaknesses
The Lotusgrill Classic is compact, ready to use within minutes and emits very little smoke when grilling. It’s ideal for impromptu barbecues for groups of 2-4 people, especially on a balcony or garden dining table. This means the person on BBQ duty isn’t kept away from their guests. However, it’s worth bearing in mind that barbecues aren’t always allowed on balconies. So, before you fire up the grill, you’d best take another look at your rental agreement to avoid getting into bother. The limited grill surface calls for careful planning, while its uneven heat distribution can cause issues, especially when cooking larger pieces of meat. Given how challenging it is to clean and how long it takes to cool down, I think the Lotusgrill loses points on portability. I’d advise against transporting it over long distances.
Pro
- Heats up fast: the grill’s ready for use within a few minutes
- Produces very little smoke: ideal for balconies or a garden dining table
Contra
- Uneven heat distribution: difficult to cook everything perfectly and serve it all at once
- Small grill surface: more suited to cooking for just a few people
- Tough to clean: even after thorough cleaning, you’re left with a lot of residue on the cooking grate
- Not portable: despite its compact size, the Lotusgrill is unsuited to being taken out on quick picnics
Header image: Kim Muntinga
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