Inevitably, people who first experience a TEC grill use the same or similar words to describe the difference – moist, juicy, tender. Of course, they are talking about the taste of the food, and there is a scientific reason why TEC grills preserve the maximum amount of moisture and natural flavor of food and other grills cannot.
Everything in nature is surrounded by a moisture boundary – a stagnate layer of air and water molecules. Infrared or radiant energy can penetrate this boundary without disturbing it, directly transferring its energy to the food with minimum moisture loss. Because food retains more of its own natural juices, it remains tender and juicy. Grills that use hot air to cook dry out food because hot air cannot penetrate food without disturbing the moisture boundary, and once this boundary layer is disturbed, the food is exposed to the drying effects of the hot air as it cooks.
Just think about it – hot air has been used for centuries as a drying agent in any number of processes. The clothes dryer in your home is just one example. It is not surprising then that food dries out quickly on a traditional convection style gas grill because these grills cook with 100% hot air.
But what about charcoal? Believe it or not, glowing charcoal generates up to 25% infrared or radiant energy. That is why food cooked on a charcoal grill retains more moisture than food cooked on a convection style gas grill. Unfortunately though, the remaining 75% or more of the heat generated by charcoal is hot air, so there is still a significant amount of moisture loss in the food.
Let’s talk about ceramic infrared grills. TEC invented the first infrared grill in the early 1980’s. It employed a ceramic infrared burner like the ones that other grill companies use today in their radiant grills. This original TEC technology was a great improvement over convection style gas grills because it reduced the hot air used to cook the food. Ceramic burners produce up to 35% infrared energy. The remaining 65% or more of the energy emitted is hot air.
TEC’s new patented infrared grilling system combines a 304 stainless steel burner and a high temperature radiant glass panel and cooks with 100% infrared energy. We’ve totally eliminated the hot air associated with other types of grilling which means food retains its maximum amount of moisture. Even pork and chicken breasts remain tender and juicy, and those of you who like your steak well done do not have to sacrifice the moisture and natural flavor of the meat if you cook on a TEC grill.