George Foreman Grill Owners: How do you clean your grills? (1 Viewer)

[Don Black]

Like most Americans, except maybe Ron Popeil, I own a George Foreman grill. Now, cleaning it appears to be as simple as wiping it down with a wet paper towel. It would thus look clean. However, this can't possibly kill bacteria and germs. Does the heat do that? So, my question to you guys is how do you clean your Foreman grills? Thanks!

 

[John Johnson]

The single thing I don't like about my grill. Need one person to hold it open under the faucet while another person scrubs it down. If anybody has a better way, I'd like to know....

 

[Chris Tinglin]

Guess we lucked out and got one with detachable grill plates. Don, soap 'n' water is just fine. Cook your food thoroughly, and you'll kill em all.
I think there's been just a wee too much hype about bacteria and such over the last few years. I hope this doesn't give you sleepless nights from now on, but the fact of the matter is there're tons of germs and bacteria on your skin right this very second (aiiieee!! ). Not to say we shouldn't bother to bathe daily or anything, but let's not get too swept up in this relatively new wave of cultural germophobia (probably brought to you by procter and gamble).
Using (and buying into) so much of all this anti-bacterial stuff only speeds up the evolution of stronger and stronger strains. Next we'll be drawing baths with chlorine!

 

[Brian Perry]

In George Carlin's latest CD, he talks about how we have become obsessed with cleanliness and as a result, our immune systems don't get any germs to practice on.

 

[SteveGon]

After the grill cools down a bit, I set it on the floor and let my dog have at it! After a couple of minutes, it's spotless!

 

[Dennis Reno]

Next we'll be drawing baths with chlorine!

You mean you don't do this already??? I've heard that soaking yourself in Clorox for at least 10 minutes a day kills 99.99999934728% of all cooties!

 

[JasenP]

The key for getting the baked-on stuff off is to wipe it down with a wet paper towel while it is still warm.
If you are worried about cooties or germs, just use an antibacterial cleaner. Remember, you do have to let the cleaner sit for a while in order for it to kill bacteria. Also, make sure to get all the cleaner off. Formula 409 doesn't really make a good seasoning for chicken.
BTW: The best accessory for the George Forman grill is liquid smoke. I was a little creeped out by the idea of "liquid smoke" but it really tastes grilled when you use it in marinades.

 

[BrianB]

In George Carlin's latest CD, he talks about how we have become obsessed with cleanliness and as a result, our immune systems don't get any germs to practice on.

Indeed. A few friends of mine with medical training agree on that. Don't know if it's a 'fact' or not.
As to the grill - cleaning them thoroughly is easy. We've got a cleaning pad we use - some washing up liquid, some hot water & wipe it down, pushing the 'gunk' into the little grease tray. When a paper towel won't slide over the grill & get greasey, it's clean enough
The gunk then gets thrown away.
I do like these Foreman grills - always thought they were a gimmick, thanks to the commercials, but they /are/ genuinely good. I love seeing the grease dripping away.

 

[RogerB]

I got so tired of the cleaning process that I threw mine away. I grill outside, rain or shine.

 

[Dustin B]

I found that a little pam on the grille before you cook does wonders. Then as mentioned above (I actually do it immediately after I take the meat off), I take a damp paper towel and get the majority of the crap off then. I eat and then I use a wet dish cloth to finish wipping it down. Makes it take about 3 min to clean the grille this way.

 

[Dome Vongvises]

While the grill is still warm, use a wet paper towel and get all the "cake" and grease off the plates. Then, what I usually do is get some detergent and water and basically scrub the plates using a non-abrasive sponge. Then I just use water to rinse out the soapiness. Then I turn on the grill and let it dry and kill any "bad" (whatever you consider bad) bacteria that might remain. If there's one thing the bacteria we have to worry about cannot adapt to, it's heat. But then again, there's always that one species that seems withstand just about everything.....

 

[Dustin B]

Chris, you say yours has detachable grilles? Is it a Foreman grille or a knock off that managed to improve on the design?

I went looking, becuase I'd like to have one with detachable grilles, but I can't find one.

 

[Carlo_M]

I only have one of those mini-GF grills (for one/two people). We simply wait for it to cool down and then use a sponge and soapy water, that's usually enough. If we have to use it multiple times sequentially, I'll fold up a paper towel (Brawny strength) and wet it, then take a few quick swipes to get some of the residue of the last steak (or whatever) off before putting the new one on.

 

[Michael Warner]

Funny timing on this thread. After not using our Foreman grill for about a year we've used it twice in the past two days and now I remember why I got tired of using it. Clean up isn't particularly hard but it takes forever and I wind up with black crud all over the kitchen.

 

[Rich Malloy]

You're supposed to clean it?

Actually, while it's still very warm, I used tons of slightly damp paper towels until they wipe clean.

Occasionally, I'll use soapy water/sponge.

I hope that any bacteria I miss get burned off when the thing heats up. I use it a lot and haven't got sick once!

Detachable grills? Hell, that's a great idea.

 

[Todd H]

Yo...I clean my grill with a toothbrush!

 

[Peter Kline]

George comes over once a week to clean mine.

 

[Kirsten]

Oh blessed HTF...
I was just out grocery shopping and considered buying chicken for the grill, but then thought the better of it because the stupid thing is so difficult to clean. But thanks to my HTF buddies, I'll never have to buy groceries according to by lazy/get out of cleaning work ethic again!
Hold on, I take that back........laziness rules my life. :frowning:

 

[Rain]

It's so easy to clean.

I wipe off most of the stuff with a dry paper towel. Then I wipe again with a wet paper towel or rag. Then once more with a dry one.

 

[Jon_B]

How often do you guys use your George Foreman grill? The one I've been using has been used at least 2-3 times a week. It's a real pain in the ars to clean. I've used pam, paper towels, and running water over it in the sink to no avail. :frowning: Maybe we should just ask George?
Jon