Sorry George, there's a new grill in town
Written: Mar 07 '00 (Updated Mar 09 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Large cooking area; most meals cook in ten minutes or less, lowfat cooking, easy cleanup
Cons: Lacks a temperature control
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| conradd's Full Review: Hamilton Beach 25300 Meal Maker Express Indoor Gri... |
I’ve always been loyal. I’ve had the same core group of friends since high school. I prefer my grandmother’s straight-stitch sewing machine to my ultra-modern Singer. So, when I got my George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Reducing Machine last year, I thought it would be a long-lasting relationship.
Hey Deb? I’m moving . . . into my own place, and I know you’ve got a lot of kitchen stuff. Can I borrow a few things until I get back on my feet?
When a close friend recently broke up with his long-time love and found himself in an empty kitchen, he knew who to call. I have enough equipment to outfit three ordinary kitchens and was only to happy to put together a box of essential equipment. Since he liked to eat (but not to cook), I threw in my Foreman grill, rationalizing that he needed it worse than I did.
A few weeks later, I really missed my grill and somewhat regretted my impulsive generosity but couldn't bring myself to ask for it back. The grill and a coffee maker were the only things the guy was able to use successfully. A kitchen klutz, he'd burned out my blender and trashed my toaster. I knew that if I took back my grill, he’d probably end up at my table each evening. With some gentle urging from my son (there’s just something about boys and grills), I researched my choices on Epinions and went shopping.
Although I bought my Foreman grill just a year ago, there are a number of new entries to the indoor grill marketplace. I knew that I wanted something small since I have limited storage space. I also wanted something simple since my son enjoys cooking hamburgers and grilled cheese sandwiches after school. I like the speed of double-sided cooking, but there are times when a flat grill would be useful. After looking at a number of designs, I chose the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express. . This indoor grill is marketed to compete with Foreman’s signature product (the box proclaims Great Value Vs. George Foreman’s Grill) but offers some very nice features found only on the higher priced Foreman models. After using it for two months, I’m very happy with it for a number of reasons.
Features:
It comes with a built in timer that automatically turns off the grill after a preset time. On several occasions, I got sidetracked and overcooked meats on the Foreman grill. With the Meal Maker, I set the timer for 5 minutes to preheat the grill. When the timer rings, it’s hot. I then add food and reset the timer. It automatically turns off when the timer rings.
With a 10x9 inch grilling area, the Meal Maker Express is considerably larger than my former Foreman. This comes in handy when I’m cooking hamburgers for a group of teens or an entire meal for the two of us. I can put several marinated chicken breasts on the right side of the grill for three minutes, then add a handful of sliced zucchini (for me) and broccoli (for my son) to the left end. After adding spices and sprinkling with water, it cooks with the chicken for an additional five minutes or so.
Like the Foreman, it grills at high-speed. A frozen chicken breast cooks in ten minutes. A grilled cheese sandwich takes three minutes, as does a red snapper filet, sprinkled with lemon and dotted with butter, and placed on the grill with 2 tbsp. water.
Although the grill is almost parallel with the countertop instead of slanted, I’ve seen no real problem with fat drainage. Most extra fat drains into a dishwasher safe grease reservoir placed on the right side of the grill. My only problem has been remembering to replace the grease reservoir when I use the grill (user error). This actually works in my favor sometimes when I want the fat to add a bit of flavor. Last Saturday, I cooked bacon on the left half and added a cut up onion to the right half. Two minutes later, I added two diced baked potatoes, left over from the night before, with salt & pepper. The negative effect on our cholesterol was balanced by the added flavor of bacon to my home fries. You can increase the drainage by propping up the left end of the grill to form a slight incline.
The nonstick cooking surface has never failed me yet. This works well with meats, although I add a bit of butter to my vegies (mostly for flavor). Although the manual suggests using a vegetable cooking spray, I have learned that any spray using Canola oil is a bad combination with non-stick surfaces. It combines with the surface to form a polymer resin that not only affects the taste of your food but is almost impossible to remove. (My thanks to tennis_player for this tip.)
One of the nicest features of this hinged grill is that it opens flat to form a 182 sq. in. double grill. There are times when I want to see what I’m cooking. This also allows more air to reach the food, resulting in a slightly lower cooking temperature.
I like to keep frequently used appliances on my countertop. However, I don’t like clutter. This grill features a upright storage design that is very compact (about 5x 15 inches). It fits neatly between my toaster and wall; pulled forward when I want to use it. My Foreman grill took up more counter space, even though it had a smaller cooking area.
Cleanup is easy, albeit a bit more labor-intensive than simply wiping with a paper towel (as the manual suggests). I wipe the nonstick surface with a dry paper towel while it is still warm, follow up with a wet soapy sponge after it cools, then rinse under my kitchen faucet. While the unit is sealed, it cannot be immersed in water.
Included is a comprehensive recipe booklet. It is far more detailed than the Foreman pamphlet and includes both English and French translation (for those who prefer Gallic cuisine). Breakfast, lunch and dinner items are included, along with a master chart that lists foods, cooking times, and doneness tips. For example, I might make Cinnamon French Toast for breakfast, a Barbequed Chicken Pizza for lunch, then finish up the day with a dinner of Orange Glazed Pork Chops. Some meals, like the Chicken & Vegetable Packets (prepare in the morning and serve dinner 15 minutes after arriving home) are perfect for working folks.
Prep time for other dishes is also cut with this grill. I can brown hamburger for tacos while I'm grating cheese and cutting lettuce, then open the grill flat to warm tortillas.
One of the few drawbacks is that there is no temperature control. For pork products, I ensure food safety by using an instant-read meat thermometer to make sure the inside of my pork chop reaches a safe 150 degrees.
Grilled meats do not have that smoky outdoor taste, but BBQing in an Oregon rainstorm is a pain. I’ll take the tradeoff in flavor for the opportunity of staying in my kitchen where I am dry and warm.
What will happen when my friend returns the Foreman Grill? I’ll probably pass it on to my niece who is moving out into her first apartment. The Meal Master Express is not only less expensive, but larger and faster. This makes it a keeper, at least in my kitchen.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
conradd
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Member: Deborah Conrad
Location: Lebanon, OR
Reviews written: 105
Trusted by: 389 members
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