For bacon for one, choose a compact contact grill if storage space and collecting fat matter most; choose a flat electric griddle if you also want room to turn bacon and cook other breakfast foods. Check the cooking area, the appliance’s full dimensions, heat controls and drip-tray arrangement before deciding. The open-surface examples here take considerably more room than the compact grill plates.
If you usually make one or two portions, a compact contact grill may be easier to accommodate than a tabletop griddle. Salter specifies its ActiGrill Compact for up to two portions, with 25 × 16 cm plates; check the full appliance dimensions as well as the plate size.
An open griddle gives you access to turn bacon and arrange other breakfast foods alongside it. That flexibility is worth considering if you will use the extra cooking area, provided the appliance fits your worktop and storage space.
If handling rendered fat and washing the plates shape your choice, look at how the tray comes out and whether the cooking parts can be removed. Salter lists a removable drip tray for the ActiGrill Compact; Tefal lists removable, dishwasher-safe plates for the OptiGrill+ GC713D40.
Decide whether you need an open surface or a smaller hinged grill, then check how much room and cleaning effort your preferred format demands.
| Concern | What to check | Who this matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Space and portion size | Compare the cooking area with your usual portion, then measure the appliance’s full stored footprint. Salter lists 25 × 16 cm plates for its ActiGrill Compact. | With little cupboard space, I need a cooking area that fits my bacon without taking over the worktop; around 42% of consumers would put compactness first. |
| Open-surface flexibility | Check whether the plate is flat and accessible for turning food, and whether its heat control suits the foods you plan to cook. | If bacon is only part of breakfast, I want space to arrange and turn other foods alongside it; around 33% of consumers would prioritise that open cooking surface. |
| Fat and cleaning | Look for an accessible removable drip tray or fat channel, and check whether the plates can be removed for cleaning. | When bacon leaves fat behind, I want to collect it and clean the cooking surfaces without a difficult wash-up; around 25% of consumers would make grease handling their primary concern. |
An open plate can accommodate a wider breakfast, but a 47–52 cm tabletop model may take more room than one bacon portion warrants. Quest lists a 47 × 26 cm Large cooking area, while Duronic lists 52 × 27 cm for the GP20.
Measure the available worktop and cupboard space, and decide whether you will regularly use the extra area for other foods.
The larger plate also leaves more cooking surface to clean.
A tray can collect rendered fat, but it does not replace cleaning the plates or following the appliance’s instructions.
Check whether you can remove and empty the tray conveniently as part of your usual clean-up.
Electrical Safety First advises against overloading sockets and extension leads. It also says a plug-in grill should have a UK three-pin plug and fuse.
Confirm the supplied plug before purchase, check an extension lead’s rating against the combined load of connected appliances, and do not daisy-chain leads.
Tefal’s OptiGrill+ GC713D40 offers thickness sensing and removable, dishwasher-safe plates, but it is designed for several portions rather than solely for bacon for one.
Consider its automated features if you will use the grill for wider meal preparation; otherwise, compare its size with a compact model first.
Its ActiGrill Compact and Kuro illustrate the small, hinged contact-grill format.
The GP20 represents the large, open teppanyaki-style option.
Its teppanyaki range offers open cooking surfaces in several sizes.
The OptiGrill+ GC713D40 is a contact-grill option for consumers who will cook more than solo bacon portions.
This contact-grill option is for consumers who prefer a hinged format to an open tabletop griddle. Check its plate size against your usual portion and confirm the cleaning and electrical details important to you before buying.
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Consider this hinged grill if a contact-cooking format suits your bacon routine. Its listed 22.5 × 14 cm non-stick plates and double-sided heating help you assess the cooking layout; check that the plates fit your usual portion. If they matter to your choice, confirm the drip-tray arrangement, temperature controls, full stored dimensions and UK three-pin plug and fuse before purchase.
Choose a compact contact grill if a smaller cooking area and collecting fat suit your routine; choose a flat griddle if you want open access to turn bacon and cook other breakfast foods. Compare both the plate dimensions and the space the whole appliance needs.
An accessible removable drip tray and cooking surfaces you can clean conveniently are worth checking. Salter lists a removable tray for its ActiGrill Compact, while Tefal lists removable, dishwasher-safe plates for the OptiGrill+ GC713D40; neither feature removes the need for regular cleaning.
Only use an extension lead if its rating safely accommodates the combined load of everything connected to it. Electrical Safety First advises checking that rating, avoiding overloaded sockets and never daisy-chaining extension leads.
For products placed on the market in Great Britain, GOV.UK guidance dated March 2026 says CE marking continues to be recognised alongside UKCA marking where the applicable product requirements are met. Northern Ireland follows different processes, so check the requirements for that market rather than applying the Great Britain guidance unchanged.