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George Foreman Grills

post #1 of 11
9/24/08 at 1:26pm
Thread Starter 
I hesitate to ask this question...hopefully BDL isn't reading this:)...but I'm looking for input on the George Foreman grills.

A couple of my co-workers have them and like them very much. And today, when I was asking a butcher at a local grocery chain for cooking suggestions on a steak I was buying, he strongly advocated using a george foreman grill.

I'm interested in thoughts on the grill - is it good for some things and not for others, is it difficult to clean (may depend on the model?), can you sear meat on it, etc.?

Thanks.
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post #2 of 11
9/24/08 at 7:54pm
I have one for which the grill plates can't be removed for cleaning. It's a pain but doable. The new ones do have removeable grill plates, I hear.

They do an okay job on chicken breasts and hamburgers. They can also do grilled sandwiches pretty well. If you have a well-equipped kitchen, they're not necessary, IMHO.
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post #3 of 11
9/24/08 at 8:18pm
I'm not a snob about equipment except maybe blenders which need a blown small-block minimum. Anyway, check out the Cuisinart Griddler. It's a little more dough, but better in every way.

Speaking of blenders, if you're ever stuck watching "The Legend of the Lone Ranger," you'll hear a slight whirring noise during some of the stunts and long shots. That's the blender on the second unit grip/camera truck making Hemingways.

BDL
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post #4 of 11
9/24/08 at 10:35pm
Thread Starter 
Hi BDL - thanks for your comment. I just imagined that you're a purist in your approach - whiich is pretty neat - but unfortunately I don't have the skill to do things they way that might give the best end result.

Anyway, with the grills, can you sear meats with them? What do you like about the Cuisinart Griddler and what don't you like about it?

Thanks!
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post #5 of 11
9/25/08 at 12:34am

Re:

I have two, being a pastry chef, I don't cook at home .not much room for too many pans. and time to cook I don't like . these work great for many things. as long as you know how to cook look at a how to cook steak page. let your grill heat up for 5 to ten minutes first. place the meat on the grill,close the lid, and cook.simple and easy but. use foil when you take it off and let it set for some time to get the juices to settle in the meat again, or your have dry meat with juice on the outside.
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post #6 of 11
9/25/08 at 7:04am
It's a pretty good pannini press, an okay griddle, and a barely okay (but better than the Foreman which is also barely okay) indoor grill. There are limits to how good these things can work imposed by the wattage of the elements (how hot); the thickness of the plates (how well heat is distributed); and the non-stick coating.

Within those limits, the Cuisinart just does more and does it better than the Foreman. We tend to take it out to use as a pannini press -- then once it's out, use it the next morning for hash browns; hamburgers or hot dogs in the afternoon if the weather's not conducive to outdoor cooking; pancakes and so on.

BDL
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post #7 of 11
9/26/08 at 2:17am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the suggestion on a particular brand / model.
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post #8 of 11
9/26/08 at 7:00am
Novice, you asked if a Foreman GRill can sear. Yes, it can- but if you sear meat in a pan, you get to use the yummy fond (dark stuff) that builds up in the pan, to make a pan sauce. :lips:

With a Foreman, it all goes down the drain when you wash the grill.
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post #9 of 11
9/26/08 at 8:32am
I don't know much about them, but here's what I do know:

America's Test Kitchen did a test on a number of these grills, and the george Forman was not the winner. I think it may have been the Cuisinart model - Grddler?

A friend bought one - she doesn't eat burgers and similar foods - and she likes it for grilling vegetables. I don't know what model she has.

That's all I know ...
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post #10 of 11
9/26/08 at 11:32am
Thread Starter 
And if it can sear, how quicky can you bring the temperature down to do the remainder of the cooking?
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post #11 of 11
9/26/08 at 12:47pm
Nov,

Neither the George Foreman, its clones, nor the Griddler really work that way. There's are limits to how thick a steak they can cook, and to how well they sear. They max at a contact temperature below 450F and don't have great recovery time either. That means that when the steak's first laid on, it sucks up the reserved energy in the grill plates which then take a while to come back to temp.

In its own odd way, it's something like the idea of getting a sear than dropping the temp to finish cooking. Eventually though, the plates heat up enough to finish cooking the steak at the max temp -- which has something to do with the thickness limitations I mentioned earlier.

BDL
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