Less fat, less mess, more taste? (George Foreman Grills)

Name: hillcrestsan

Hello doyoo user, You have to be logged in to use these functions... Login or register Close window

Send message to member

Product:	George Foreman Grills
Date:	16.03.08 (335 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy and clean

Disadvantages: Large and heavy

Just for the sake of much needed clarity, this review is specifically about the George Foreman GR20. There are as many varieties of George Foreman Grill past and present as there are victims of his right hook. We've had a few in our time, from the small to the large. They all are geared around the same principles which are to make grilling healthier, and to make him rich without having to do anything other than demonstrate how to cook a burger. The success of this grill is evidenced by the fact that he no longer has to advertise it or so it seems.

This advert will be mostly glowing, on account of the fact that he might beat the crap out of me if it isn't.


In that light, I'll start by saying Yummy. Most of the time.
The main thing going for this grill is how quick and easy it is to use. Gone are the days when the grill pan catches fire in a horrendous fat fire with smoke setting of the alarm. No more soaking of pans and scrubbing of burnt on cheese. This grill is umpteen times as clean and you get the added bonus of having a drip tray full of watery fat so you can look at what you would have eaten if you'd have fried it.

Now to the features.
----------------------------
The grill has a thermostat that cuts out when it reaches top temperature but no temperature control to adjust the heat setting. To be honest, this is fine - it's the sort of thing you would turn up to full power anyway - who ever cooks bacon slowly? The thermostat is important as we wanted something the teenagers could use in the morning without incinerating the house and this means it will be safely turned off when they forget to pull the plug out on the way to school.
There is a bun warmer which has been used to defrost the slightly frozen bread but it never seems to get all that warm. It's also a bit shallow so the buns have to be on the short side. Nevertheless it serves its purpose - a word of warning though - the hinge for it is fairly weak and won't take a lot of bashing around.
The sloping grill plates are the most innovative idea. They're the things that make sausages 'healthy'. They certainly get rid of the fat and the drip tray you put under the leading edge is always full of brown gunk at the end of cooking. I can't vouch for the reduction of calories but it certainly looks like you're making some effort.

The cooking!!!
--------------------
Some things good - some things bad. Red meats do well with the 750 watts power, you get good sausages and tasty burgers. However - the less you put in it the better they are. The grill traps moisture so if you are using frozen burgers and you fit the maximum of 4 in, you tend to find cooking time is greatly increased and the meat seams to steam in its own water. If you throw a couple of courgettes in there as well you're in trouble!
However, if you keep the amounts down then it gets good results most of the time - vegetables are lovely.
Chicken doesn't fair so well. Because it can be in contact with the upper and lower plates the top and bottom of fillets tend to char and go very tough. This makes it hard to tell if it's cooked through so I always seem to leave it on too long and end up with an ice-hockey puck. Having said that - this is more a product of my cooking skills than of the grill.
Useful tip - if you rest the front edge on something you can make the grill level and cook a half-decent egg!!

Cleaning
------------
Wash the drip tray, which is small. Wipe the grill after use with a paper towel, using a little oil to shift anything stubborn. Warning - if you don't clean it after use it will get burnt on stuff coming to haunt you. Also best to clean it when it's warm!
Dimensions.
-----------------
Quite bulky -about the same dimensions as 2 toasters side-by-side. This is really a pain when you are trying to find some cupboard space for it. It's also quite heavy so if you tuck it away in a cupboard it is likely to stay there!!! Along with the other gadgets. If you cant find the space on a worktop, it might not see the light of day much!

Durability
-------------
Well, not as resilient as the man himself, but not too bad. We've had, as I say, quite a few but I don't recall one ever actually breaking other than the bun warmer lid. They sort of just ended being 'chucked' when there useful life had expired. After a year or so, despite being pretty eay clean, they get a bit gunked and grimy and my wife does one of her random acts of house-clearing where anything that now bores her is removed and newer, more expensive replacements are sought. My days are numbered.


Overall
-----------

I like it because it's easy and clean. I still think a grill will get better results most of the time but it cooks well for the price and who can put a price on your health :-Well, Bupa do actually.
I have a deep hatred of kitchen gadgets that don't get used but this has actually stood the test of time and has a 'permanent' position of the worktop. Which is more than the juicer ever got.

Our current model cost £32 in the Argos sale, approx 12 months ago.

Thanks as always for reading.
May also be on other review sites.
Such as one that, say, rhymes with key-ow.

Summary: Every house should have one. Actually, probably have.

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Noise:
Quality: