| Product: |
George Foreman Baby Grill 13631 |
| Date: |
16/05/08 (247 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Compact, good price, fast heat up time, easy to use, easy to clean. Lightweight and compact.
Disadvantages: No bun warmer facility; only perfect for one or two people
One of the reasons to why I was attracted to buying a health grill or a low fat reducing grill isn't just because it is healthy. Working 9 to 5 in a school can be particularly stressful and at the end of the day there are times when I just want an instant meal made with fresh ingredients that won't allow me to stand about in my kitchen for more than an hour.
As such with my new health regime I reckoned that instead of putting up with my convection grill which takes an age to heat up and stand back in fear of it flaming because of spitting fat on meats making contact with the radiant element, I would invest in a health grill. At first the options were massive as were the size of current health grills which by now have grown in brand name, feature and price The only store where I could test and feel the products by sight and touch appeared to be John Lewis where a number of different George Foreman products sit on the shelves. One of them being that appears to be the latest of George Foreman products, the Baby 13631 model is priced at £14-95 alongside the same priced 13818 Baby model. Confused.com? I certainly was at the time.
The 13631 model is however recognisable as being fashionably rectangular against the more curvy and organic model, although both grills are painted and made in silver metallic metal and both have the same type of Neon light on the top to show when it is heating up. Just like a toastie machine, when the grill plates have reached their cooking temperature, the light goes out but I took my time in choosing which grill would be more suitable for my needs.
Both grills have 800 watts, which by my reckoning is just about enough power to heat up two non stick grill plates sufficiently and quickly enough before retiring from the kitchen for good. Although this model has a square foot area of 270cm squared whilst the other model has 106cm squared more, it was the general design of this Baby model 13631 which impressed me - neither model have the flip up bun warmer though - but that's beside the point. If I want heated buns I have my Toastabags! The bigger surface area on the more organic model wasn't as impressive even if it has more of a horizontal space compared to the vertical shape of the plates on the grill I had my eye on and the slightly smaller shape was one of the redeeming features of this model.
Back home, out of the box, damp cloth washed down and dried before plugging in I found the Baby grill can manage 2 fillet steaks in terms of size, or chicken breasts, salmon fillets or rashers of bacon and always being 2 of everything in this respect each time the grill is used in terms of bulky foods. The 13818 model that is curvy and more organic in shape has several downsides despite its slightly bigger surface area. For a start my Baby grill has 5 easy to clean slot mounts that are spaced out and hold food produce in before the main plate markings to give food that seared in/grilled look.
Cleaning it afterwards has never been easier whilst the drip tray underneath ensures that no drips ever splash or leak by the sides because of the nature of the angled "down" design of the bottom plate and the fact that drip tray clips under the main lip. On the bigger model there are no more than 12 raised permanent mounts that are thinner, have a higher angled wall raising up to the lid and therefore suggest more cleaning; the drip tray isn't as deep as mine and I noted in the shop that it was quite a feeble shallow dish compared to the high walled version I have. What a great pity this model isn't heat insulated because the George Foreman Baby gets extremely hot during and just after cooking so its best to cool it down before attempting to clean! The bigger surprise is just how hot and fast it heats up - within a minute from the moment the plug is switched on, this grill is ready to go! The thermostat light comes on periodically to show that it is still warming up until it finally shuts off.
A plastic cleaning spatula is also supplied but it doesn't look or feel as if it is made with this model in particular because the plate slats are very wide whilst the spatula isn't and is obvious that it is made and probably a free accessory for all George Foreman products that have the narrow slats against the wider ones here. So instead, one of my micro fibre cloths comes out and with after dampening it down with just tap water, I can clean the non-stick plates in a jiffy. Needless to say because the heating element is permanently attached to the bottom of the grill, this is not an item you can put in a basin or dishwasher but rather cleaning ad hoc on the shelf or worktop where the grill has actually been placed.
When its being used, I've found that raw fresh meat in general can take up to 5 to 7 minutes cooking time which is quite extraordinary, as my Breville grill could never do it this fast! The user manual however suggests that salmon fillets take 3 to 4 minutes but I found that there was a longer cooking time of 8 minutes to sufficiently remove all the oil from the fish as it cooks - and that's before I lift the lid half way through the cooking time to add any herbs or salt for taste.
Like all George Foreman products this Baby grill has a floating hinge that means it can accommodate most foods where most of the time food with equal sides, no matter how thin or thick the product is can be cooked; if the plates can touch both sides then obviously the grill can be of use. So far this week I've been having healthy bacon medallions with the fat removed and the cooking process has been extremely quick and beneficial as the oil and grease roll off into the drip tray underneath. Their widths however are wafer thin, but the Baby grill has had no problems in cooking them despite their thinness. So far I have produced vegetable kebabs, chicken, steak and fish fillets on this grill, with the result each time being perfect tasting and cooked throughly. The user manual does suggest that when liquids run clear this is a good indication that meats have been cooked properly. Although this is a good indicator I still prefer to cut the meat in the middle just to check!
However if there is one other surprise this Baby grill excels at other than its quick performance and ease of cleaning down afterwards, it is the weight compared to its same priced larger squared foot brother. Simply the lightest in the shop, it was one of the benefiting factors to why it appealed to me. The power cord is around 35 cm long, which isn't very much, but the points on the base look as if they can accommodate the cord to be wrapped around it. However it makes sense to keep the rubber coated cord away from the heating element, as the base and top do get quite hot in use. For storing and carrying out of the way, this Baby model is very compact and lightweight to move even though you have to keep the lid down with one hand as there is no internal lock which can lock the plates together for ease of transporting.
The user manual for this model is unclear however; it gives no indication of the model number and the user pages start straight away the moment you open the paper booklet. There are more recipes added to this booklet than an actual user manual. In its defence at least Salton, the company who produce these grills under the GF name have wisely added a diagram picture of the model with the most basic of information. The user manual also suggests that oven gloves be used at all times to lift the lid and when touching the machine in use. That's all very well but the actual pull up lid to this model is mostly cool to the touch and in use remains lukewarm - so I haven't really needed to get the oven gloves out!
Cleaning the body is also very easy since it is made of metal and being silver in colour means that it is easy to see stains which can be wiped off using just a damp cloth. The black plates inside are slightly greyish looking and clearly non-stick whilst the surround walls around the plates ensure that if any grease or food drops off the design enables most droplets to be caught on the plates rather than anywhere else outside the main grill plates - a problem which most toastie machines tend to suffer from. Clearly being non stick in design it makes common sense not to use metal implements; I have wooden tongs and spoons for example which I prefer to so-called heat proof plastic implements.
So for a little grill that doesn't look as if it does very much, the George Foreman Baby grill is perfect for one person or a couple that says what it does on the tin. Simply styled and efficient it should suit anyone looking to buy a health grill, which won't take up half of your kitchen worktop or burn a hole in your pocket! Thanks for reading. İNar2 2008
www.georgeforemangrills.co.uk
Summary: A bargain fat reducer grill which does what it says.
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