Martian

My girlfriend got me one of these baby's for my birthday. She knows that I can't cook but love to grill. I was sick today but once that wears off I'm usually starving, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

I think I'm in love.

I can't have a grill in my apartment, so this works as a great substitute. The grilling area is a bit small, but it's usually just me so that's fine. It cooked my chicken skewers to perfection without any turning and cleanup is a breeze, thanks to the nonstick surfaces. I also think it's kind of cool to see all the grease that drips out during the cooking process.

I have two beefs. First is that along with the grease, juices from the meat seem to drip out a bit. The meat is still juicy, but not as much as it would be on a conventional grill. And man does this thing get hot! Without thinking I went to move it and am now nursing a burn on my finger because of it.

All the same, I think this thing is going to see more use than my stove. I can't wait to try making sandwiches in it!

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I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
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ryfo

We got one and use it all the time Sausages are really good on it, but I had trouble with home-made rissoles, they cooked up to dry and burnt a bit on the outside. Any suggestions?

aberkok

I don't know, ryfo. Some things just won't work well on the GF grill, but whenever I have a burning problem I suspect I need to make whatever I'm putting in there thinner. That way the inside will cook faster so you can leave it in for less time.

I have a question - does anyone have tips for cleaning the Foreman grill? I find this to be the most frustrating part and usually spend at least 10 mins. afterwards cleaning it when I've cooked something saucy. I make sure to scrape off the surface with the plastic spatula right after cooking while it's still soft but even after that I go through about 3 or 4 soak...wait...wipe cycles before I'm satisfied enough to put it away. Any suggestions?

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Martian

Mind I've only cooked one thing in it, but it left a mess. I just left it to cool, scraped down (towards the front of the grill), wiped with a soapy paper towel and dried. It came out sparkling. It would depend a lot on whether or not the teflon coating is intact I reckon, any damage there and it'll give you grief.

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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

amonkie

You really have that much of a hassle, Aberkok? I would simply use the white plastic spatula, scrape down the teflon, then use a scrub brush to get the rest. Usually takes me about 5 minutes. Just be careful not to use steel wool - I have a feeling that would stratch the no stick surface.

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edmos1

I have used my GF for well over a year, and I do use non-stick spray first, and then clean with the included spatula to scrape off, it seems to over-carmelize (BURN) sugars.

fightnight

I agree, i always find when i try to cook a chicken breast, the thing burns on the outside and the middle is still raw, I wind up slicing it into strips so it cooks through....

pig

doesn't completely get around this, but i used to make substitute "grease catchers" out of tinfoil, and then use one to reintroduce the grease/juice concoction I had collected back over the meat, while using the additional to catch the grease again. Seemed to improve the loss o' juice effect a little..or maybe it was all placebo affect...but these things are great for a quick indoor prep.

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Martian

The two day update : grills sandwiches quite nicely. Tomorrow night I'm doing some chicken breasts on it. It occured to me after making a sandwich in it yesterday that I have the George Foreman official sponges that came free with it and they do a better job than paper towels of getting down in between the grooves, especially at the front of the grill where those spikes are to keep the food inside.

pigglet - A good idea, but it sounds too much like work to me. I'll just deal with slightly drier meat, I think. It still comes out tender, so I don't really mind that much.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

Blasphemy.

You were talking about the problem of the juiced dripping out of the GF?

I find a major help if you get something to place under the front two pegs to raise the top end of it to make it level. The juice for the most part just stays where it is, just like a normal grill.

With the leveled George Forman, you can make some fantastic pancakes.

I always founded for cleaning it, using the GF scraper and then a dry paper towel worked wonders.

Xazy

What I love about the grill, is being able to take it on trips.

Mister Coaster

I'd have to say that I give it a thumbs down, in general. I cook mostly boneless, skinless chicken breast these days, and it is horrible with that. You always end up with this hard shell of overdone meat on the outside. We use it sparingly, if at all. If I have the time, I'd MUCH rather fire up my charcoal grill and grill something up the right way.

As for cleanup, I have stopped using "saucy" marinades with this thing. I use only dry spice rubs, and that seems to help alot. The sauces just burn to a crisp, making cleanup much more difficult.

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skinnymofo

im planning on getting one of these soon to bring to jobsites.
so sick of fastfood and safeway everynight

absorbentishe

If you over cook, it will dry anything out. I've had one for several years, and I love it! I've cooked a shit load on it, and want to get a bigger one. As a sub for real grilling, it's great, for browning hamburger for cooking in other things, great (cept for the large puddle of grease, but much easier than in a pan).

I could go on and on about what I've cooked. I think it's the next best thing to sliced bread.

Daknjak

I agree with all that love the GF. I am a constant griller, and I enjoy the option to grill indoors on a cold and snowy day. As for cleaning, I have never had a problem really. I have a few times let it sit for a few days before cleaning it, and everything comes off no problem. I do not bother with the spatula. I stick it in the sink, run hot water over the side i want to clean, and use a scrub brush or a rag. Works like a charm!

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Aletheia

I usually grill meat on it for a few minutes then oven bake the rest so the meat doesn't dry out or get burned. Works wonders.

wakelagger

I'm having fun replacing GF or grill with girlfriend everytime its mentioned. These are some of the funnier ones.

I thought it was funny.

And more relevant to the topic, I received a George Foreman grill as a gift, but always wrote it off as an infomercial piece of junk. Maybe I'll try it out this weekend..

Martian

wakelagger, you won't regret it. The only thing on my wishlist for it is a temperature control, other than that I reckon it's about as good as it gets for indoor grilling.

__________________
I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said

- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame

snowy

I enjoy how easy it is to make grilled cheese quickly as well as other hot sandwiches. Mmm.

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TitleFight

Well I've had a Foreman (used as a backup for the big papa grill) for years. I've tried several methods of cleaning, but the simplest and quickest way that I've found is the following:

After it's cool (b/c it's always way after I'm done eating), plug it in for 3-4 minutes until it gets hot again. Grab a couple paper towels, dowse in water and wash away. Then of course dry it off with a couple more paper towels. Heating it up beforehand makes it a breeze to clean. Very easy and painless. Hope it helps!

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