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Should I buy a George Foreman / Indoor Grill? (1 Viewer)

Bob Movies

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Oct 15, 2000
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200
I am looking at buying one of these indoor grills, the "George Foreman" style. Does anyone here have one? Should I stay away from them for some reason? Are the Hamilton Beach ones better than the (tm) Official George Foreman grills?

Do they really work? I live in an apartment now, so I can't grill or barbecue outdoors. Not even a balcony!

Any information / experiences with these grills would be appreciated, as I'm new to the world of indoor grilling.
 

Luis Esp

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 25, 2001
Messages
583
Save your money. My dad has one of the older models, and to cook anything on it is a big production. I know the newer models of the George Grill have temp. controls, so you'll have fewer chances of burning your food.

And if you're grilling anything indoors, especially chicken or beef, be sure to cook under the stove exhaust. I find the grills to be very smokey, even when cooking without oils. And it doesn't taste like barbeque.

Nuff said. I hope this helps somewhat.
 

Greg_Y

Screenwriter
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Mar 7, 1999
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They work but they're nothing like a 'real' grill. We own one and rarely use it. Now that we got a outside grill for Xmas, I can't see ever using it again. They're a bear to clean.
 

Jon W H

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Oct 31, 2001
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I got one with my Christmas money, just a week ago. I have the new one, family sized with the temperature control setting. It works really well. It isn't smokey at all for me, and that's a huge thing for me, because my fire alarm has a real finicky nose.
I know other people who have them and they all love theirs to death.
I give the GF grills a big :emoji_thumbsup:
 

Chris Gerhard

Screenwriter
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Nov 8, 2002
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Chris Gerhard
I recommend the George Foreman grill for cooking for one. I am on my second one now, having worn one out. Almost every meal is a success for me. It is easy to clean with just a paper towel and soap and water, it wipes clean quickly. I use it for chicken, pork, ham, hamburgers and steak. So much more cost effective than firing up an outdoor grill to cook for one person. The Hamilton Beach equivalent should be just as good but I have never used it.

Chris
 

Jason Seaver

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I got one of the pretty basic models a week or so ago (Amazon had it for $15), and I'm already very fond of it. I live in an apartment with a sensitive smoke alarm, and it hasn't been an issue. It's tremendously convenient for cooking for one, and pretty low-maintenance. A whole lot easier than trying to cook dinner using a frying pan or the oven (and it had been a while since I'd had swordfish. Mmmm...).
 

Stan

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May 18, 1999
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I never bought one because even though they advertise how easy they are to clean, it was pretty obvious it would be a pain. But I finally broke down and bought a real bare-bones model like Jason, only about $20.

Have used it twice, for a steak and a piece of fish. Actually did turn out pretty good, but as expected, a real nuisance to clean. You'd think they could have made the grill plates detachable so they could go in the dishwasher.

For $20 it's OK, but there's no way I'd spend the money for the bigger models.
 

Philip_G

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Nov 13, 2000
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they're alright, if it's REALLY cold or I'm out of propane I'll grill a steak on it, it tastes like frying really. I don't find them to be bad to clean at all. Guess I really don't have much to say about it, I have one and it works.. hehe
 

Shane Bos

Second Unit
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Jun 15, 2002
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I have the Hamilton Beach one and I love it. I use it all the time in the winter especially. True they aren't as good as the outdoor versions but hey when it's below freezing who wants to be outside grilling.
 

Philip_G

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I do shane :)
my grill is on my porch, like 3 feet from my door though so it's no big deal. Just takes a LOT of heat when it's below 0F out
 

Christopher P

Supporting Actor
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Dec 28, 1998
Messages
564
I have the small GF grill, and as I generally cook solely for myself, think it works well. Don't do much red meat, but alot of chicken. You could probably manage without one, but they're fairly cheap I think (mine was a gift) but I like it.

Chris
 

Ted Lee

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May 8, 2001
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i returned mine. i had the small personal sized one.

everything i cooked on it turned out funky. my food had a very "plasticky" taste to it. plus, it often overcooked my food - and yes, i did closely monitor it.

i can't speak for the ones with temperature controls.
 

Justin Lane

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Jan 18, 2000
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I just got one for Christmas and have been very happy with it. Once it gets warmer out, it is back to the outside grill but for the time being, I cannot complain about the George. My general opinion is that cooking for a couple people is fine on these grills, but anything more then that and it is not worth it. Chicken and Salmon as well as vegetables of all sorts are good on the grill. I have yet to try steaks though as steak belongs on a real grill for proper cooking.

J
 

Bob Movies

Stunt Coordinator
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Oct 15, 2000
Messages
200
I've got a grill update for anyone who's interested... I ended up buying a Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill. You can see it on their website below:
http://www.hamiltonbeach.com/product...lls/25325.html
I cooked two steaks on it this evening, and they came out great. Evenly cooked and very tasty!
I looked at a few different models and brands. I decided on the Hamilton Beach over the George Foreman for a few reasons:
* The Hamilton Beach has a built-in drip tray (to collect any fat that runs off the meat). Every single George Foreman grill that I saw had a drip tray that you just place on the counter underneath a slot. The tray could get bumped and cause a mess on the counter.
* The shape of the Hamilton Beach makes more sense. The George Foreman models are round, even though the grilling area is rectangular.
* The grilling surfaces can be taken out of the Hamilton Beach for cleaning (and they're dishwasher safe). The George Foreman grilling surfaces aren't removable, so you've got to clean the machine itself.
* The Hamilton Beach can open up and create two side-by-side cooking surfaces, which doubles the surface area. This will be great when cooking for more than just two people. I'm very impressed with the design of this, because the fat drains off the second grill into the same (attached) drip pan.
* The Hamilton Beach was $100, and the George Foreman was $170, so the lower price was an added advantage!
The only minor downside to the Hamilton Beach is that the timer is spring-wound instead of digital. It creates a ticking sound like an egg timer while it's counting down. It's not a big deal though, and I can always use the timer on the stove.
 

Brian Kleinke

Supporting Actor
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Sep 9, 1999
Messages
977
My wife won't touch meat, I don't yet have an outdoor grill and besides it's way too cold here to grill year round.

For these reasons and more I love my George Forman grill, it's a piece of cake to clean just use paper towels.
 

Dean Cooper

Supporting Actor
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Oct 23, 2000
Messages
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Figured I'd drop in with a few things that I have found with my GF grill that I'm very happy with. First is that I originally found that it was a royal pain in the ass to clean but have since discovered that using a dish brush and setting the thing on the side of the sink makes the chore a piece of cake. Second is that it kicks ass on bacon, you still have to flip it but you won't get splatter burns and the fat is drained off very nicely I highly recomend trying it. Grilled cheese come out perfect on these too.

Dean
 

Moe Maishlish

Supporting Actor
Joined
Mar 30, 1999
Messages
992
I bought a GF grill about 3 years ago, and have been very happy with it! I'm not allowed to use a BBQ on my balcony, so this was a perfect replacement.

My grill is one of the older models without the temperature controls and no timer. All that means to me is that I need to check on the food every once in a while to make sure it's not over/undercooked.

It's great for chicken breasts, fish-fielts, grilled cheese, shrimp, etc. I like the fact that the fat drips off the thing, and while it looks difficult to clean it isn't (although I would have loved if the grill-plates were detacheable as well).

I've made steak a couple of times, and while I don't find it anywhere close to as good as what comes off a BBQ, it's decent.

Moe.
 

Jon_Are

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Jun 25, 2001
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Bob...I've been considering a Foreman for over a year now; just never got around to getting one.

But that Hamilton Beach number looks way better than George's offering. Where did you get yours? Is it available at Target/Walmart/KMart?

And...are you still liking it?

Jon
 

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