Sizzle and George (George Foreman Grills)

Member Name: yukkibear

Product:	George Foreman Grills
Date:	24/08/02 (1398 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: healthy food, fat is drained

Disadvantages: have to clean every time

This is the product George Foreman claims to be so good at reducing fat from food; he's signed his name to the product.
I've wanted one for quite a while, but never actually convinced myself to shell out the cash for something I may use for a few days, only to have it sit at the back of the cupboard for the rest of it's life.

There are various sizes and colour available, all ranging in price from about £25 - £60 I think.
I've got the smallest one available. This will fit two quarter-pounder burgers on the grill, and cost me £25. The next size up shows two large chicken breasts along with a selection of vegetables on the side. This one retails at £39.99.
The ultimate is the indoor/outdoor grill. I'm not sure how much you can get on this grill, but it is obviously the most expensive.

My purchase was completely on impulse, and I decided on the smallest grill because I thought it would be big enough for what I want it for, and it is.

I also said you can get these in a variety of colours. There is a basic white plastic outer coating, which I think looks a bit tacky. Then you have all the metallic colours, such as blue/purple, green, silver.
I chose the silver one and I think it looks great sat on my kitchen work surface.

Ok onto what it can do etc.

Upon getting it out of the box, you are faced with the machine itself that plugs into the mains, a plastic spatula, a plastic dish and a booklet.
The booklet guides you through the getting started process, i.e. how to prepare the machine for it's first usage, how to clean when finished etc.

A couple of things to remember are, when this machine is plugged in, like any other, it gets very hot so you have to be careful.
Also the coating is non stick so only use the plastic spatula provided for longevity of the product.

My first attempt was a burger. Here goes.

I remove all packaging and follow instructions and w
ipe with oil to coat the griddle pans.
There is a bun warming facility on top of the machine that nicely toasts your buns, so I place these under the lid and shut.
Oops I haven't turned the machine on so I do this now, and wait for the orange light to go out. (This is how you know it's hot enough to cook on). I also place the plastic tray under the machine at the front, as this is what catches the fat.
I gingerly place two burgers on the griddles and close the lid.
I can see loads of fat dribbling out of the machine into the tray, and there is a cooking noise coming from the machine.
The burger guidelines in the book say 7-8 mins for a 4oz burger, so I am watching the clock carefully.
Time is up so I open the lid and with my spatula I remove the burgers onto a plate. I also remove the buns from the warming lid and find they are nicely toasted.

I didn't eat this first burger, but Darren assures me it was lovely, and still moist. I was shocked at the amount of fat it had produced in the tray.

My next attempt was with a chicken breast, and a frozen one at that. Five minutes later, it was over done. I was being cautious because I wanted to make sure it was cooked properly.
Verdict = tasty, still moist with lovely char grilled lines for effect.

^^^Other foods I have cooked^^^

Sausages - these created a lot of fat excess, it was quite disgusting to watch, but nice to know I wasn't eating it all.
Verdict = didn?t really taste any different to normal

Lamb Chop - These took about 4 mins, and they were very moist and tasty.
Verdict = lovely, I have found a new way of cooking lamb.

Kebabs - These were minted lamb kebabs, and they turned out lovely, only needing about three minutes.


Beef steak - I took it off after about 4 mins and it was still bloody in the middle, so I re grilled for another two mins and it was perfect for my taste.


The time t
he food takes to cook depends on whether it is fresh or frozen to begin with, and also how thick the meat is.
In the booklet there are various guidelines as to how long different things take to cook.

There are also recipes to create if you are feeling adventurous, such as spicy burgers. I haven't tried these yet.
You can also cook vegetables and fruit etc on this grill. I was quite surprised at the variety of things compatible with this machine.
The one thing I did cook and didn?t really like was potato slices. I felt they were very dry.


^^^Cleaning^^^

The machine needs to be cleaned using kitchen towels and water. You can't submerge the machine into water, therefore it needs to be surface washed.
Stubborn stains can be removed using oil, although I have never found the need for this.

^^^Overall^^^

I can't fault this at all. The meat comes out tender but without all the fat. It is definitely a much quicker way of cooking compared to grilling on a conventional grill or oven.

Compare a chicken breast to about 25 mins from frozen in the oven to 5-6 mins on the grilling machine.

It's certainly a much more convenient way of cooking nearly everything. I probably wouldn't cook too many vegetables on this as I like mine steamed rather than grilled, but that's my individual preference.

Go and buy it!

Summary: