| Product: |
George Foreman Junior Health Grill |
| Date: |
31.10.04 (5444 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Fantasic tasty healthy food, Reasonable price
Disadvantages: Can be hard to clean
Being a hard-up student with little time on my hands to cook, I needed something in my rented flat that would encourage me to eat healthy without spending ages preparing everything. As the kitchen is very small, I needed something compact. After seeing the George Foreman brand on TV, I thought it was time to stop frying, and get grilling!
The BABY GR20 is a variant of the popular ‘George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine’. I purchased my grill 2 years ago from Argos who were offering a special price (£19.95) I opted for this version because my friend had told me how great hers was and the ad’s on the TV showed the benefits of healthy grilling, plus the green lid matched my kitchen perfectly! So I had to get it! Don’t worry if green is not your to your liking, lid comes in a number of colours. I use it to cook everything; bacon, sausages, salmon steaks, burgers etc. You will truly be shocked by how much fat is in a burger!
So what makes the George Foreman grill so good? Well there are two cooking plates (top and bottom) which are joined by a floating hinge for accommodating different food sizes, allowing all food to be cooked quickly and evenly. The bottom grill's deep channels collect the fat, and both plates are angled so that the excess fat and water drains away into a drip tray. It catches everything as it fits perfectly under the plates. Roughly 2 bacon chops or 8 sausages fill the tray up with fat before it needs disposing. A quick tip; when placing meat on the grill, hold it there for a split second, or it will go sliding down the non-stick surface into the drip tray! True, the idea of an angled cooking plate is not new, but the models sold under the George Foreman brand are have a non-stick coating. So nothing sticks (providing you wipe the plates with a little vegetable oil prior to actually cooking). Because of the non-stick nature, the grill comes with two plastic dishwasher safe spatulas specially designed to fit perfectly into the grooves of the plate, so as not to scratch the non-stick surface. The grill is also thermostat controlled, with a click and a red light indicating when it’s ready, taking roughly 3 or 4 minutes. Not only will you have gorgeous fat-free burgers, but you can also heat your buns (watch it!) The grill has a bunwarmer incorporated into the transparent lid. The nonstick surface draws heat from the grill so you can heat your burger buns, bagels or whatever you want while your food is cooking! George Foreman certainly thinks of everything!
Despite the fabulously cooked food the grill offers ,it has its faults. From my experience, cleaning can be a pain; it’s best done whilst the plates are still hot. Using just a couple of pieces of paper kitchen towel to wipe the plates clean seems to work well. Alternatively, warm soapy water is fine for tough stains. If you wait till the grill has cooled down then you’ll need your marigolds and a scrubber!
Be warned that this version is definitely not for families. The cooking plates are only 7-by-9-inches and will hold two 1/2 pound burgers at a time. Don't expect to cook huge steaks on it because it ain’t gonna happen! Larger variants of the George Foreman brand are available such as ‘café george’ and george junior’ which not only have larger cooking surfaces (enough to hold 5 chicken breasts) but they contain 30 minute-timers, much more suited for family use.
Overall, this grill is perfect for students, singles or a couple and people who want to have healthy food in hurry. It does exactly what it claims to do; fatty/greasy foods are cooked to perfection with the fat just dripping off, and the grill marks not only look appetizing but also contributes to the flavor. They say that food spends a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips. But with the George Foreman grill, not an ounce of fat will be on those hips! It’ll be down your kitchen sink leaving a healthier, more leaner you!
Cooking times (approximate)
Chicken breasts - 8 minutes
Pork chop – 8 mintues
Bacon – 4 minutes
Sausages – 8 minutes
Salmon – 5 minutes
Comes with:
Spatula
Drip tray
Recipe book
Instruction manual
Summary:
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