Over the years I have now purchased so many gadgets to use in the kitchen there is little room left in my cupboards, there are a few that I use more regularly and would not be without is my George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine.

I used to have a small model which I originally purchased to see if it was something that was worth all the hype and was something that I would use. It was ideal for one meal at a time, but when I have family over for dinner this can be time consuming so I decided to finally upgrade my model for one of the larger ones.

I was shopping around online when I came across the George Foreman 18451 Heritage Grill it came in a great purple colour and being as purple is my favourite colour it was a must have.

This George Foreman is new to the 2012 range and is a machine that can hold five portions to be cooked at a time. It is a Plum colour and comes with a chrome handle, there is an indicator light as with most models that will indicate when the grill is at the perfect temperature and ready to use. The grill size is 516cm squared so you have plenty of space to cook a few items.

There are so many things that you can cook on your lean mean grilling machine, fish, steaks, vegetables and chicken pretty much anything and what is great is that all the unwanted fats drip out of what you are cooking and into the tray so that do not stay soaking into your food as they would being cooked in a pan or in a tray in the oven. There is also a hinge on this machine so that you can also cook thicker items as well with no hassle.

This machine is easy to use like my other machine, it just allows me a larger area to put a few steaks on at once and it cooks in half the time. It is also a lot easier to clean as opposed to a grill tray from the oven. When cleaning I use some damp kitchen roll and the spatula that comes with the mean machine. Make sure that you do not use a scourer as this will damage the non-stick that is on the grill pan and will over time ruin your food when cooking.

I use my lean mean grilling machine so much and love the colour I now leave it out on the kitchen side ready to use and I have now ordered a matching kettle to go with the great purple colour theme.

I also like to cook a toasted cheese and ham toastie or Panini's on my lean mean grilling machine, as I can use this it means that I do not require an extra space in my cupboards for a sandwich toaster as well.

This is a great invention and now it is large enough to allow me to cook a family meal with ease. Just make sure you keep an eye on you food whilst cooking as it cooks in half the time and you food can become hard and crispy if overcooked.

I paid just over £30 for this item and it was worth every penny.