A teppanyaki tabletop grill approved for outdoor use
The Maxi Plancha is an electric tabletop grill with a single, continuously smooth plate in teppanyaki style. Tefal lists it on the German product page as Maxi Plancha Tischgrill CB690D with ref. CB690D12; on Amazon it is called Elektro-Tischgrill CB690D and has “Extra large” in the title.
Gas and charcoal play no role. The appliance has no burner and no open flame, so neither a pressure regulator nor a gas cylinder, and the instructions expressly rule out charcoal and similar fuels. According to the instructions, it is suitable for use indoors and outdoors. A windshield is included, and for indoor use Tefal states that hardly any smoke develops.
In our catalogue it sits among the electric grills, more precisely among the tabletop appliances with a plate instead of a grate, so without sear lines. In the Tefal shop it is shown as “Not available” on 20 October 2026. The Amazon catalogue gives 16.04.2020 as the release date. Our price box states approx. €140 for Amazon.
We have not handled the appliance or cooked anything on it. What is written here comes from the Tefal product page (retrieved 20 October 2026), from the instructions 2100111858 (German section, pages 10 to 14) and from the Amazon catalogue. Our own assessments are marked as such.
Design and technology
The power is 2300 W. The plate measures 52 x 38 cm; according to Tefal, 47 x 33 cm is usable for cooking, given by the manufacturer as 1550 cm². There is exactly one plate, and it stays in the appliance: Tefal lists removable plates and removable electronics each as No.
The plate has the Resist+ non-stick coating. Tefal advertises cooking entirely without added fat or oil; for first use, however, the instructions call for oil. Control is via a thermostat with five levels: warm, low, medium, high and searing.
The housing is made of thermoplastic. tefal.de gives the colour as black, Amazon as black/silver; in the product photo the control knob sits on the right in the front panel. According to Tefal, the box contains the grill, windshield and wooden spatula. The windshield is removable and in the photo stands behind and on both sides of the plate, with the front left open. Tefal describes its purpose as protecting the food from wind.
Tefal leaves several things open that you would like to know before buying: the heat-up time, the temperatures of the five levels including the maximum temperature, the material of the plate and windshield, the power consumption per hour of operation, the minimum distances in centimetres and the country of origin. A boost zone or separately controllable areas are likewise absent from the manufacturer’s information. The weight and overall dimensions of the appliance are not given by the manufacturer, only in the Amazon catalogue and for the Swiss variant. Whether the windshield keeps the plate temperature stable is also not stated in the manufacturer’s information.
The instructions apply to all models in the range and consist of safety notes, dos, don’ts and information; they contain no operating steps. Tefal also advertises the overall grade GOOD (91.4%) from the ETM Testmagazin; we did not find the report behind it, so the grade remains an unverified manufacturer claim.
In detail: what the smooth plate does differently
On a grate, the food rests only on the bars, and fat and juices drip downwards. On a smooth plate it lies flat. Sear lines do not form, and small items such as prawns or onion strips do not fall through. Juices and marinade initially stay on the plate. Tefal calls it a juice drip tray on the product page; in the instructions it is called a fat drip tray; the food should be placed so that it never comes into contact with it.
The thermostat works on the usual principle: the heating element switches off as soon as the set temperature is reached and switches back on when the plate falls below it. The instructions describe this for the green indicator light, which switches on and off regularly during operation and so shows that the temperature is being maintained. The light going off and on is therefore normal.
On power: 2300 W over 1550 cm² works out at roughly 1.5 W per cm². How the heat is distributed depends on the heating element and plate material. With a single control for the whole plate, we assume a uniform setting. At full power it would be 2.3 kWh per hour of operation; because the thermostat cycles, consumption is lower.
Is the plate really enough for ten people?
Tefal advertises meals for up to 10 people and gives no portion size. By calculation, that leaves 155 cm² per person. We read the figure as an upper limit for eating in several rounds, not as space for ten portions cooked at the same time.
Tefal Switzerland suggests this is an advertising figure: there, 10 to 12 people are stated for the CB690DCH variant. If you divide the plate area by four diners, it is roughly 390 cm² per person; with six, roughly 260 cm². How much of that a steak or a handful of prawns takes up, you have to measure yourself for your standard dish; then you divide the plate area by that measure and know how many portions fit on it at once.
According to the instructions, small amounts of food belong in the middle of the plate.
Power, placement and outdoors: what the instructions require
The approval for outdoor use has limits. The instructions do not mention rain, protection rating or weather resistance; instead, the appliance should not be left outdoors in winter or stored in direct sunlight, and the appliance and mains cable must never be immersed in water. Our assessment: outdoors means in dry weather; a garden table in a shower is not covered.
An earthed socket is mandatory, and the supply must match the details on the underside of the appliance. The German version also requires connection to a circuit with a residual current device (RCD) with a rated residual current of 30 mA; the English version does not contain this sentence, whereas the German, French, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and Greek versions state it. If you want to cook on a terrace or balcony, check before buying whether the outdoor socket is behind such an RCD. If in doubt, an electrician can clarify this.
The appliance is not to be set up in corners or against a wall, because it can overheat there. It must not go under easily flammable objects such as curtains or drapes, not directly on sensitive surfaces such as a glass table, a tablecloth or varnished furniture, not on soft surfaces and not on or near slippery or hot surfaces. If it is used in the middle of the table, it should be out of reach of children, and the cable must be laid so that no guest is obstructed and nobody trips over it. It is not moved during operation.
Accessible surfaces can reach high temperatures during operation, and the appliance must never run unattended. Children aged 8 and over and people with reduced abilities may use it only under supervision or after instruction. Cleaning and maintenance are allowed for children only from age 8 and under supervision; children under 8 stay away from the appliance and cable.
If you burn yourself, run cold water over the area immediately and call a doctor if necessary. Do not extinguish burning parts of the appliance with water: pull the mains plug and smother the flames with a damp cloth, the instructions say.
Cleaning and accessories
The juice drip tray is removable and dishwasher safe, according to Tefal and the Amazon catalogue. Tefal also calls the windshield dishwasher safe. For the plate, the sources contradict each other: Tefal’s data field lists plate and juice tray as dishwasher-safe parts, yet the plate is fixed, and the instructions forbid immersing the appliance or mains cable in water. We therefore do not claim the plate is dishwasher safe and would not try it.
The instructions forbid metal sponges and scouring powder so the non-stick coating is not damaged. The cable is removed before cleaning, and the plug must be dry before the next use. How the plate is otherwise to be cleaned after cooking is not stated in the instructions.
According to the data field, a multi-purpose lid and recipes are not included. Only the parts and accessories supplied or bought from an authorised service partner should be used, and not for other appliances or purposes.
If the appliance does not work properly, has been dropped or shows visible damage, it must not be used. Work beyond normal household cleaning is reserved for an authorised service partner. A damaged mains cable is to be replaced by the manufacturer, customer service or a similarly qualified person; the instructions require the cable to be checked regularly.
What else is worth considering?
Three appliances from our catalogue that someone with this budget or this place of use might weigh against the Maxi Plancha:
| Model | The difference | Price | Our rating | Choose this one if |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tefal Maxi Plancha CB690D (this one) | Fixed plate, grilling surface 47 x 33 cm, approved for indoors and outdoors according to the instructions | approx. €140 | 8.1 | you want a large smooth plate that may also run outdoors |
| Tefal Plancha CB651812 | Switchable boost zone, indoor use only according to the instructions | approx. €89.99 | 8.6 | you only cook in the kitchen and fierce searing matters more than area |
| Russell Hobbs Fiesta Teppan-Yaki 22550-56 | Removable plate, cooking surface 45 x 25 cm | approx. €70 | 8.4 | you mostly cook for two or three and want to take the plate off |
| Landmann Elektro-Grillwagen EG-II-590 | Grill cart with two cast-iron grates on 59 x 40.5 cm, 100 to 300 °C, 3200 W | approx. €550 | 9.4 | you want to grill on a grate and have a circuit without other high-power appliances |
The prices come from our price boxes and change; the rating is our editorial assessment, not a measurement result. The table says nothing about accessories, availability and the details of the instructions.
Compared with the Tefal Plancha CB651812, the Maxi Plancha is roughly €50 more expensive, and compared with the Russell Hobbs €70; the Landmann costs €410 more than the Maxi Plancha. At 8.1, it has the lowest rating in this selection. In its favour is the combination of a larger plate than the Russell Hobbs and approval for outdoor use, which the CB651812 lacks.
When this plancha, when another?
Space first. A dining table away from walls fits; a worktop directly in front of the kitchen wall is ruled out by the instructions. If space is tight, the smaller Russell Hobbs appliance remains.
Then the place of use. If you only cook in the kitchen anyway, you can reach for the Tefal Plancha CB651812: according to its instructions it must not be used outdoors, but it has a switchable boost zone. If it is to go outside, it is out, and with the Maxi Plancha the RCD on your outdoor socket decides. The Landmann places higher demands on the circuit: its instructions require a socket suitable for its power and no other high-power appliances on the same circuit.
If you want sear lines and meat on a grate, the smooth plate is the wrong choice; the Landmann has two cast-iron grates. An electric grill does not deliver the smoky aroma of charcoal or pellets, and for the question of electric, gas or charcoal the Grill Finder helps.
Tenants should first check whether the tenancy agreement or house rules allow an electric grill on the balcony. Our guide Grilling on a balcony puts the legal situation in context; your contract remains decisive. For an overview of the competition, see the electric grill comparison 2026.
Who is it suitable for?
The instructions designate the appliance exclusively for use in private households. According to the instructions, the warranty does not extend to use in environments such as staff kitchen areas in shops, offices or other work environments, farms, use by guests in hotels, motels and other accommodation-type environments, and bed and breakfasts. Our assessment: for these environments, the Maxi Plancha is the wrong choice.
One caveat applies to bird keepers: cooking fumes can be dangerous to animals with a sensitive respiratory system such as birds, and the instructions recommend keeping birds away from the cooking area.
