If I said to you George Foreman you'd instantly think of one of two things, depending on your age of course. The two thoughts would either be that of a great boxer who became best known for his 1974 fight against Cassius Clay, (Muhammad Ali to us), which was entitled 'The Rumble in the Jungle.
Or, for the younger ones amongst us, the vast range of healthy eating grills that seem to have flooded the market for what seems like since the 'Rumble in the Jungle'.
Me, when I hear the name George Foreman I first think of a great man who has a heart of solid gold who happened to be one of the great boxers of all time, along side his great opponent in that 1974 fight. Then I think about the healthy eating grills.

Anyway, as you can probably guess, this review is about George Foreman, not the man himself but the lean mean grilling machines that he has put his name to, to which I have bought quite few of, including the family sized anniversary edition one that was brought out in early 2000
This particular review is about one of the smaller machines that has the great mans name on it, with this particular one being called the George foreman 14685.

If and when you do chose to buy this then in the package you should get a few items, which are...

* The 1000 watt grill itself, which is a nice shiny black colour, but the downside to this black body is that it does collect finger marks and 'goo' very easily indeed, but a quick wipe over sorts that out.
* A single drip tray which should as long as the grill is wide.
* A plastic spatula which is used for picking up the food from the plates and also for scraping any excess food 'mess' that has managed to remain on the plates after you've taken the food off.
* An instruction leaflet/manual which also has a few ideas in of what to cook and how.

So once you've checked it's all there it's just a matter of plugging it into the mains, placing the drip tray just under the bottom end of the slope, slapping you choice of food onto the plates and closing the lid so that both sides cook at one time, this helps shorten the actual cooking time.

It's not massive, probably being best used for small 'snacks' instead of a full meal for the family. In fact, if it's just a healthy bite your after for you and the other half then this is ideal.
The actual size is in fact around 120mm high, 340mm long and about 380mm wide, weighing in at a very lightweight 3kg, roughly, and the actual cooking surface size is about 4600mm squared.
Or in other words it will easily fit such things as three good size chicken fillets, four average size burger patties, loads of sausages... but not all at once mind you, so if you're after a feast fit for a healthy king then you'd best go for the Anniversary edition grill instead of this one.

I do have to say that for all those who have never used a George Foreman grill, or one which is of the same design, don't panic it the hinges on it seem to wobble a lot when you're opening and closing the lid, it has what they call a 'floating hinge' system.
Basically the hinges are designed so that the lid closes with the same pressure on different thickness of food so that it all cooks evenly. So you could have say a burger patty or two on the left side whilst having a thick chicken fillet on the right, and as the hinge is floating the lid will rest evenly on both sides, making the lid look lob sided of course, but both food choices will cook the same.

As with all George Foreman grills the plates slope slightly and have groves embedded into them, this is so that the food you are cooking is raised above the grooves so that the unwanted fat can travel down the slopes and into the waiting drip trays.
These plates are removable, which basically means that the cleaning process is a matter of taking the plates out, which is achieved by sliding the side handles to release the plates. Then dropping the plates into a bowl of hot soapy water, leaving them to soak for a while, giving them a bit of a rub with a non scratching brush or sponge, then slotting them back into the machine, once they're dry of course.
That's it, cleaning done. And even easier, the plates are dishwasher safe.

It also has a four non slip feet so that is doesn't slide along the work surface, and comes with a decent enough mains cable so you don't have to be right next to a plug socket, the cable being about 750mm long.

Even though it has many upsides, including a lovely little orange light on the lid to tell you when it is on, and, most importantly, being the way it helps you create a healthy meal, it also has a couple of downsides too.
It doesn't have a built in on off switch, nor does it have a thermostatic control system, so when you're cooking on it you do have to keep an eye on the food a bit.

And what about the price for this ex-boxers healthy living cooking device which helps keep you arteries from clogging up with lifes gunk that comes with cooking all meats these days? Well, this George Foreman health grill can be bought for between £40.00 and £50.00.

Would I recommend this grill to a friend? Yes I certainly would, in fact, I may even recommend it to an enemy as well, as long as they made me a burger or two on it.
As I said I have owned and used George Foreman grill for many years, revelling in the way that they manage to cook the food quickly and without all the fat that's not good for you, whilst still retaining the juices in the meat that make it so delicious. And this little black beauty is no different than the rest, only a little smaller.