Abstract: An electric grilling appliance includes a pair of infrared radiation emitting heaters disposed within a housing on opposite sides of a food holder. The food holder includes a pair of metal food holder plates of a size and configuration to directly contact, on their inner surfaces, substantially the complete outer surface of the food article to be grilled. The outer surfaces of the metal food holder plates are blackened to absorb the infrared radiation emitted by the heaters. Springs urging the metal food holder plates towards each other into firm contact with the food article to be grilled.