Easy Grilling Here I Come!
Written: Aug 09 '02 (Updated Mar 21 '03)
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Pros: Easy To setup, use, clean and makes great tasting food
Cons: It's not charcoal - but who cares
The Bottom Line: If you want a grill without the mess of traditional grills, but that keeps the benefits of grilling (taste, texture, etc) then this is the grill for you.
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| jps246's Full Review: George Foreman GGR50B Indoor Grill |
Are you looking for a grill without the hassle of propane, or the dirtiness of charcoal? Are you afraid of the grill blowing up in your face again for the umpteenth time? Then, you should probably consider this grill for your needs. For several years I have been lugging around a small propane grill with me from apartment to apartment and every time I have wanted to use it, it has been a hassle. I would have to clean it (scrubbing off burned on whatever), the set it up and finally wait for it to cool off and clean it the best I could before putting it all away again. Add to that, most of the time I would have to go searching for propane, or worse go to the store and get some.
After moving from Maine down here to Massachusetts, the mother of my partner purchased this grill for the two of us. At first I was a bit skeptical of it – I had the smaller indoor version with the clamshell type set up (the smallest version of the grill). It had worked well, but it wasn’t a substitute for my grill. Since we got the grill in December for Christmas, it was some time until we set it up and finally used it.
The box is huge – but don’t let that make you think that you are going to have to be assembling anything for hours. The grill comes in a few parts, all of which fit together without any tools. Setup probably takes about 5 minutes for the whole process of putting it together. I don’t believe that anyone would have any problems putting this item together.
The grill is electric and controlled with an electric temperature dial. You can go between a very low setting to a very high setting and have a fairly good control on what the temperature will be. There’s no way to know the exact temperature, so be warned if you are looking to cook something at exactly some temperature.
Once we started using the grill, I was pleasantly surprised at how great it worked. The grill operates on the same premise as the other George Forman grills, high temperature, quick cooking and easy cleanup. This grill hits all of those points. Even though there is no upper platen for speedy cooking, the grill still cooks faster than propane or charcoal counterparts.
Grease from whatever you are cooking is taken away by the grill and deposited into a small reservoir. Cleanup consists of removing the cooking surface (all non-stick Teflon) and removing the grease reservoir. Even with the most caked on item, the cooking portion cleans with the wipe of a soapy sponge and the grease reservoir empties easily and then just takes a quick rinse and wipe to clean completely.
We have tried cooking various items on the grill and come to the opinion that thin to medium sized steaks and chicken breast work the best on the grill. Anything is good, but those two come out the best, especially if you are putting thawed out items on the grill. It will cook it frozen, but it takes significantly longer and you stand the chance of burning the outside before the inside cooks.
Make sure that the lid stays on top of the grill while you are cooking – you can set the opening size to control how much moisture and heat stays inside. If you do have frozen food, keep the opening closed and food will cook much faster – keep it more open if you have fresh food on there and are just looking to cook, not defrost at the same time.
Another great use of the grill is for bacon. Usually making bacon is a process in of itself. You can never find a fry pan big enough, grease fills the pan, hot grease splatters you and cleanup is awful. With this grill, just layout the bacon, flip it over occasionally and in about 5 to 10 minutes, you have crisp, well-cooked bacon with no mess. The grill draws away all the grease and it is stored in the little reservoir. Now you see us out on the porch for Saturday morning breakfasts – grilling away the bacon and the sausage.
Bottom line is if you want a grill without the mess of traditional grills, but that keeps the benefits of grilling (taste, texture, etc) then this is the grill for you. It’s small enough to keep in the corner of a small porch and it’s big enough that you can cook quite a feast on it in almost no time.
1/26/03 Update - I've been thinking about this grill and it is called an indoor/outdoor grill. However, my one warning about this item would be to use it outdoors. It does create a lot of steam/smoke and you probably don't want that smell and dirt inside of your house. I don't think it would kill you or anything, but it sure could be tough to get that "grill" smell out of your house. Thus, as I do, I would keep it outside year round. It works just as well in the cold weather as it does in the warm weather. For example, I used it the other day when it was about 7 degrees outside and the food cooked just as well and just as fast as if I was using it in the summertime (just make sure to keep the lid on to keep the heat inside the grill). Plus it makes some cool steam when you use it when it's cold outside.
Don't have room outside for the full-size grill? The small indoor version is fun and easy to use - check out my review here: http://www.epinions.com/content_72909753988
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 100.00
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