Product Reviews: George Foreman Grill
If you still want to grill out but can’t find the grill because it’s buried in snow, then no problem. Consider using an indoor grill. The grill that we tested was the George Foreman Indoor-Outdoor Grill. This grill is perfect for the college student, or an indoor tailgate party.
This 200 square-inch grill with a red dome cover also is ideal for condos, apartment and for a small get-together. No charcoal or propane needed. And you can even use this grill outdoors if you have an outlet nearby. You won’t get that BBQ charcoal wood-chip flavor, but then you won’t get that grease dripping from your burger either – perhaps that’s why they claim it removes 42 percent of the fat.
Healthy can be a good thing.
In fact, after you bought all those presents and you realize someone’s birthday falls somewhere in the holiday month, this would be a great birthday gift that truly does keep on giving you tasty healthy food.
We were reluctant to try the grill because so many of these indoor grills don’t really cook the food, and steal the food flavor. Not to mention they are pain when it’s clean-up time. If you are spending just as much time cleaning up the grill as cooking, then what’s the point?
Not true with the George Foreman. We were pleasantly surprised with this functional grill – perfect for cooking up those burgers, brats, wings and more for the big game.
The company launched its product in 1994 and has since sold more than 100 million grills. They must be doing something right. George Foreman has several different models. The model we tested was GGR201RCDR, which handles 13 servings – this is the middle-size indoor-outdoor grill.
First lesson learned: The key is to let the grill warm up a bit before tossing on the brats and burgers. (We would have known that if we had read the instructions – yeah things guys forget to do.)
What we liked: We also noticed that every time we fired it up (plugged it in an outlet), our home team won – The Ravens. Just saying. It might be a Raven thing or a hometown team thing. We aren’t sure. You will have to test it out. It doesn’t seem to help much with the Wizards. Maybe Foreman was not a basketball fan. Who knows?
We cooked five Johnsonville brats after boiling them slightly in Natty Boh beer (yes, we know some are saying we are wasting that Baltimore favorite beer and should use one of those craft beers that our beer blogger – Grab a Pint with The Hop Local – John Thompson advocates. Maybe, next time.
The brats turned out juicy and near perfection. We also cooked four salmon burgers and a few burgers on the grill and couldn’t be happier. It heats up quick and cooking is not an all-day ordeal. Twenty minutes tops, if that, is about what it took to cook the burgers and brats.
The grill has a great dripping pan that catches the grease – nothing slips on the floor and a wonderful stand – just high enough to prevent our chocolate lab Danny – our Baltimore Post-Examiner mascot from stealing a burger. It took 30 seconds to set up – so even the less mechanically-inclined can get this thing going.
Clean up was a breeze. You can take some paper towels and wipe it up or wash the grill plate, drip tray, and lid in hot soapy water and then dry with a towel to prevent discoloration. No scrubbing the grill. It’s all non-stick. It took two minutes to clean up the mess.
The Foreman grill no longer is associated with George Foreman, who certainly made a bundle off of it. It’s still promoted as a healthier way to eat and we can see why. Not a lot of grease when you cook lean burgers and the little grease that exists just runs off in the dripping pan.
Competition: Other celebrities have their grills – Evander Holyfield Real Deal Grill” and the “Carl Lewis Health Grill” and the “Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill,” but have you really ever heard of those grills?
We know lots of fictional stories are out there about who the company really wanted to be their pitchman, but let’s just put it this way: Foreman is a bigger household name for all the right reasons – and he’s a legitimate comeback champ and so is the George Foreman Grill as evident by the millions who keep coming back to buy the grill.
George Foreman indoor-outdoor features
- Grill 13 servings for fast and easy meals in under 20 minutes
- Abou 38 inches in height
- George Tough™ Nonstick Coating so no butter or oil is necessary
- Variable Temperature to cook foods at the right temperature for precise results every time
- 3-year limited warranty
- Temperature control for multiple grilling temperatures
Prices range from $89.99 to$119.99.
Check it out. You won’t be disappointed.
Editor’s Note: If you buy the grill we are not offering guarantees that your team will win – especially if they are playing the Ravens.
Baltimore Post-Examiner is run by a creative cadre of dedicated journalists – some who worked at the Washington Post, Baltimore Examiner and other regional and national publications. It’s the Post-Examiner because we love the play on the word “Post” but we are also hoping to answer that question: What’s next after newspapers? We see a lot of websites come and go – and many simply are not making it for various reasons. We have been a model of success since we launched in 2012 with “a little bit of everything” and we aim to continue to break that cycle of websites coming and going.