George Foreman Grill -- fooey

[advoca]

Having seen several references to a George Foreman Grill I was excited when I saw one on sale in a local Beijing store. I was desperately in the need of a table-top grill as my maid had broken my old one. In Beijing, when you see something in the store you want you grab it fast. Supplies are not reliable or consistent.

I have never been so disappointed in my life with a purchase. The design is abysmal!

There is no temperature control – only a control to determine the duration of the heat. (That’s control?)

The device is the very devil to clean -- the plates are fixed and cannot be removed, and cannot go in the dishwasher. (This IS 2006 George!) The plates are ridged, and therefore making toasted sandwiches on it is restricted to flat sandwiches. In fact the whole darned thing is restricted to cooking flat food.

It is angled relative to the table and cannot be opened out for Yakitory-type cooking.

In other works it is a crummy design.

George, you may know a lot about boxing but you know sweet fanny adams about table-top grills. Go and buy a few table-top grills from Taiwan and learn from them.

I shall deposit my George Fireman Grill in the trash can tomorrow.

 

[licia]

I've had them for years and have really enjoyed both the small one and the family size one. True, you can't put them in the dw, but I have found them quite easy to clean. I suppose you overlooked the good points.

 

[thumpershere2]

I don't have a george F grill but one that is pretty much like it.I like it for doing burgers and chicken breast and does chopes well too. The clean up isn't to bad, just clean it before it cools completely down. I don't think the this kind of grill is designed for all cooking as is some stovetop grills. Try it on different foods before you toss it or givre it to someone who might use it and like it.Just a thought.

 

[karadekoolaid]

I've got one as well.
It's been used once in three years...

 

[GB]

I bought one many years ago. I hated it. I gave it to my grandparents and the love it. It is good for certain things, like burgers.

 

[VegasDramaQueen]

OMG!!! I can't believe that you all don't like your GF grill. I've never had one but I recently bought a Lazy Boy recliner. The store (or Lazy Boy) was having a promo where you got a GF Lean Mean Machine if you bought a LB product. Well I tookthe thing home thinking just what I needed was another appliance and used it to grill a burger. I LOVE IT!!! It is intended for flat foods, not chicken thighs or ribs. I doesn't have a temp control because you should know when the burger or chicken breast is done. It takes about 2 minutes to do a burger since it cooks on both sides at the same time. The grill is tilted so the grease falls in the trough provided. Clean up is a cinch. Wet a paper towel with hot water and clean the plates. Not a problem. They have sold over 30 million of these grills so someone like them. If you are trying to make a panini on this grill you're using it for a purpose it was not intended . Read the manual, it tells you what you can and cannot cook on this grill.

 

[Foodfiend]

I love my George Foreman grill and use it all the time. We recently got his latest (or at least it was the latest as of last year) where you can take the plates off and wash them in the dishwasher, which has helped tremendously. We use it any time we want to grill up hamburgers, hotdogs, or chicken breasts.

 

[PolishedTopaz]

I bought one thinking it would be a time saver in the kitchen.......I was dismayed and dissapointed to say the least. I would only say that it is good for cooking veggies, pannini sandwiches, hot dogs and sausages, any other meat done in it becomes very dry as the nature of the grill is to press foods thereby squeezing the moisture right out of it. Which most cooks/chefs these days will tell you NOT to press on meats while they are cooking.

 

[BreezyCooking]

Advoca - in the newer version of the GF grill the plates are removable for cleaning. I believe they did this because a competitor (Hamilton Beach?) came out with a nearly identical product a few years ago where the plates were removable right off the bat.

That said - my husband bought me one of the original GF grills long ago, & it now resides in its box in the basement. It's a shame, because I really did enjoy using it for quick burgers, chicken breasts, grilled sandwiches, quesadillas, etc. However, after one year of use, not only did the non-stick coating begin to wear off, but some sort of raised "grudge" began forming on the plates as well. They resisted every possible form of "gentle" & then non-gentle cleaning I could devise, so I gave up. Contacted the company, but they were less than helpful.

Now that the product is improved, I "might" spring for a new one in the future - but it's not high on my priority "gadget" list - lol.

 

[RMS]

I find the George Foreman grill to be really good for some things and really bad for others. Before you trash it why not give it another try. I don't care for it for burgers, I like mine a bit greasy but it's great for grilling veggies!

 

[TATTRAT]

I think they are good for small apartments and college kids, but I still associate grill, with open flame. It is more of a low grade pannini press in my opinion.

 

[far3]

The only thing I found the george foreman grill good at doing is taking the fat out of hamburgers, and cooking hot dogs. My family raves about it but I prefer the good old grill over that. Even in 6 inches of snow

 

[Corey123]

Oh. I've had my George Foreman Grill since early '98, and it's been very loyal to me! Even though the plates are not removable, they clean easily.

I just unplug the unit, let the plates cool, use a little Dawn and water and the cooked-on food residue comes off!! Go back over it will a freshly rinsed rag and the soap is gone and the grill is clean!!

For those of you who might not know it yet - and I'm surprised that no one mentioned it here, there is now what is called The Next Grill-eration Grill, also by George Foreman. This new line of the famed unit now has removable plates that can be washed by hand in the sink or in the dishwasher!

And also, for those who might find it just a bit too tedious to clean the non-removable plates, just spray some Dawn Power Dissolver on them, wait 15 minutes and then clean. That stuff should come right off!

I hopes this info helps.


~Corey123.

 

[advoca]

Thanks everyone for your comments, but as far as I am concerned I can (and have) bought a grill that is far superior. It has several plates, one plain, one ridged, one for filled sandwiches, and one for waffles. The plates come out for cleaning in the dishwasher, and it is temperature controlled. And I can open it out flat for Yakitory-type cooking.

As I said: George Foreman Grill - fooey.

 

[FryBoy]

We've had one for several years. In my experience, the George Foreman Grill is good for one thing -- grilling sandwiches, which come out much like panini.

Other than that, I agree -- it's a pain to clean, and any meats or fish cooked in it taste steamed.

But for George Foreman's name, this silly device never would have made it off the ground -- and who would trust a guy egotistical enough (or dumb enough) to name all four of his sons George?

 

[Corey123]

Their names are all spelled differently though.


~Corey123.

 

[jpmcgrew]

Im with fryboy it makes a good grilled sandwich like rubens,grilled cheese and great pannini.I like the fact it grills both sides of sandwich at one time it gets the insides nice and hot and melts the cheese really well.

 

[Half Baked]

I gave mine away after using it about 4x.

I believe someone said that it would be good for college kids and I agree. No open flame etc.

I lived on ramen in college because we had to cook in a fondue pot, in the dorm. Sometimes we'd even slice hotdogs up in the noodles...oo lala.

 

[karadekoolaid]

But for George Foreman's name, this silly device never would have made it off the ground -- and who would trust a guy egotistical enough (or dumb enough) to name all four of his sons George?

So you see, every device has its uses and misuses. My George Foreman is going to the beach next week - and that's where it will stay! I'd prefer watching George box, but why not use your fame for profit?

As for naming your sons George, well that's a family thing. Here in Latin America it's considered respect for your parents to name the kids after them. I have a close friend here called Luis. He's very religious, not at all egoistic, and his (5) sons are called Luis Alberto, Luis José, Luis Fernando, Luis Guillermo and Luis Miguel.