Grilling and good weather go hand-in-hand, but realistically, cravings don't care if the season brings sunshine or snow showers. If you often find yourself yearning for a juicy, char-grilled steak outside of the summer months, you may want to consider an indoor option that'll give you the same flame-broiled taste as your outdoor grill, without the need for gas, charcoal, or an umbrella. Before you fire up an indoor electric grill and start searing, consider whether an open or contact countertop model would work best for your unique needs.

Open Grills: The most similar design to an outdoor grill, open grills offer a single cooking surface, requiring the food to be flipped halfway through. This does lend to a longer cooking time, but because there isn't a heavy cover pressing down on your food, it's better for grilling flatter and more tender items — like bacon, eggs, fish, and veggies.

Contact Grills: Fitted with two cooking surfaces, your food will simultaneously grill from the top and bottom for a quick and even cook. Contact grills are intended to be flip-free, so your food will be ready faster, and the top press-down mechanism will also create a nice crust; think gooey, golden paninis and diner-style smashed burgers.