Kenyon Floridian 120 volt Portable Grill review
Recently I was contacted by Kenyon International, Inc. to review their Floridian Portable Electric Grill on Cooking-Outdoors.com, something I enjoy doing from time to time, so I eagerly agreed. Electric grills are the large minority when it comes to grills in the marketplace and a portable version is even rarer. It's been a few years since I have had the pleasure to cook on one, I like the simplicity of an electric grill, plug it in and in a few minutes, start cooking. Portable electric grills fit a small but dedicated market perfect for RVers, Boaters and Patio grillers but often over looked by the solo grillers thinking that charcoal or gas grilling is the only heat options available.
Before I give you my thoughts on the Kenyon Floridian Electric grill, here are a few stats from Kenyon:
Kenyon Floridian Electric grill Model #: B70080 Specs
• 1 burner (1300 watts)
• Available in 120V (11 amp) & 240V (6 amp)
• 155 square inches of grilling surface
• Oval lid with rectangular flange
• L: 21″ / W: 12″ / H: 5.5″ (9.5″ with lid) (533.4mm x 304.8mm x 139.7mm (241.3mm with lid))
• Built-in GFCI power cord for ultimate protection (120V only)
• 3-year product replacement warranty$1,250 retail
Model #: B70082 & Model #: B70083
The Kenyon Floridian is a beauty of a grill to look at, featuring “Marine grade 304 stainless steel” stainless steal housing, unique ceramic glass touch control panel, European style handles and clean lines to look at. Kenyon calls the touch panel: “Waterproof digital touch control panel for precise heat control” and it is very simple to use. The easy to remove and clean grill grate is cast aluminum and double coated with a non stick surface that functions as expected.
Kenyon Floridian Electric grill Model #: B70080 Features
• Portable electric grill
• Pre-heats in less than 7 minutes
• Even heat across the entire grilling surface
• Waterproof digital touch control panel for precise heat control
• Visual indication for heat settings
• Automatic shut-down in 60 to 90 minutes
• Made of weather resistant & rust proof Marine grade 304 stainless steel
• Cooking grate exceeds 500F for food grilled to perfection
• Concealed electric element eliminates flare ups
• Fire-safe, flame-free, no-smoke cooking
• Double coated non-stick grilling surface is dishwasher safe
• Insulated lid prevents accidental burns & removes easily for quick clean up
• Handles on each end of enclosure for convenient transport
• Add flavor to your food by simply adding a variety of liquids to the disposable drip tray
• UL approved for indoor & outdoor use (120V only)
The grates are ridged to give you those beautiful grill marks everyone desires and the waterproof digital touch control panel operates flawlessly with simple touch controls – two actually, one for on and one for heat adjustment. The Kenyon digital control panel is easy to clean with a simple wipe of a cleaning cloth I was able to remove the grease from my first cook with zero marks left to scar the surface.
Safety is a feature we all appreciate and Kenyon took the steps to make sure the Floridian Electric Grill has an inline GFI installed on the 6′ cord to prevent accidental electric shocks. I also noticed that the handles on the grill did not get so hot they burned you when cooking, still be safe and use cooking gloves when you touch potentially hot surfaces.
Kenyon's Floridian Electric Grill digital touch control panel operates effectively and simply. One touch to turn on, you will hear a beep and the ceramic glass surface lights up indicating it is on, then simply touch the plus sign to control the heat settings up or the minus sign to control the heat down. Each touch of any symbol will result in an audible beep to let you know that your touch input has been received and completed.
There are no thermometers or temperature indicators on the grill, something I would like to see added. I use temperatures to cook by add use as a reference point during cooking, a temp gauge on the lid would help me catch temperature fluctuations in the cooking area and temps on the digital touch control panel would be helpful as many recipes give temp specs to cook by.
The control system is very intuitive with it's bar system letting you know how high the heat setting is: 1 bar, being the low setting to 8 bars being the high setting. According to Kenyon this exceeds 500F.
Kenyon Floridian Cooking Guidelines
- Preheat grill for 5 to 9 minutes on high (8 bars illuminated)
Adjust heat settings for type of food:
- Steak and hamburgers = 8 bars
- Chicken, pork and fish = 6 bars
- Vegetables = 5 bars
Fairly straightforward and easy to adapt to.
Cooking on the Kenyon Floridian Electric Grill – Quick Start Tips
- Remove grate and drip pan, clean both.
- Make sure the drip pan is inserted all the way into bottom of grill and burner brackets are not resting on it.
- Cover bottom of drip pan with water. Re-install cooking grate.
- Plug the Kenyon Custom All Seasons Grill directly into an outlet. Do not use an extension cord.
- Preheat grill for 5 to 9 minutes on high (8 bars illuminated) Adjust heat setting for type of food.
- Close lid and cook. Enjoy the vest grilled food you have ever tasted!
My results on my first grill with the Kenyon Floridian, a New York Steak, was simply fantastic. Following the simple steps outlined above, I was able to grill this New York steak with perfect grill marks, to a delicious medium.
Cleanup was a snap as the grate easily fit into my sink to clean with just soap and water.
According to Kenyon the grate and dome lid are dishwasher safe.
I will note that the Kenyon grill comes with a sample bottle of stainless steel cleaner – nice touch!
I was curious to see if the Kenyon Floridian could handle roasting a Turkey breast … and it could! I was able to cook to a perfect juicy 165F with a delicious crunchy skin. There were no leftover after my boys finished eating this Turkey Breast…
And again, cleanup was simple and easy.
The trays in the bottom are removable and you could and beer or juice instead of water to add additional flavor to your grilled foods.
Kenyon International, Inc offers additional accessories that will make grilling on the Floridian or any of their grills spectacular
- Coated drip tray
- Griddle
- Cutting board
- Cover
- Special cooking utensils
- Cookbook
- Side burner
- Side shelf
- Grill cart
and many more accessories to build your grill up and out.
In conclusion:
Pros
I would say that the Kenyon Floridian Portable Electric Grill is a great choice for anyone needing a compact, electric grill that can handle a variety of grilling scenarios. I really liked how easy this unit is to operate and grill with, cleanup was quick and easy. The instructions where easy to follow and I was grilling in a matter of a few minutes. Performance was flawless and the Floridian looks great on the patio, I can just imagine what it would look like on my yacht if I had one.
Cons
Really nothing to complain about, I would like to see temp settings on the digital touch control panel and a temp gauge in the cooking dome but neither of these prevented me for grilling up some tastee grub.
You can find Kenyon's complete line up at Cook with Kenyon website or find them on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and YouTube
or contact them via:
Kenyon
PO Box 925
8 Heritage Park Rd.
Clinton, CT 06413
Phone (860) 664-4906
Fax (860) 664-4907
Hello@CookWithKenyon.com