george foreman grill

grepal · Wed, February 4th, 2004, 08:53 PM

Does a George Foreman Grill really cook a healthy meal? Does it taste any different?

Wed, February 4th, 2004, 09:20 PM

George Foreman Grill ALL THE WAY!

No joking, this is the best kitchen appliance ever. You can cook a very healthy meal. It really does drain all the fats out, still leaving what ever you grilled juicy, tastes great.

Adam_S · Wed, February 4th, 2004, 09:37 PM

I recently did a comparison test with some beautifully marbled 22% fat ground chuck I had leftover from a bolognose sauce. One Patty I pan fried in a cast iron skillet, the other I george foremaned.

My conclusions:
Pan frying gets a better char on the burger, and you're able to better cook it to a desired doneness (ie medium rare, well done etc), whereas george foreman you don't have the contact with the burger nor can you look at it (which I think is pretty important).
The george foreman burger was much less greasy, but at least 90% as juicy as the pan fried, and about equal taste wise.
The major caveat to pan frying is that the burger sits in all the grease and the grease spreads out across the pan, so it's hard to keep it away from the burger if you want to try (why bother).
It's astonishing to see how much grease came off the george foreman burger, and how quickly it congealed.
The george foreman was faster and easier, and would have been easier to clean up if I hadn't left it for two days.
You can't adjust the heat or even on/off or time on my cheapo george foreman, there is only on and off, which are determined by plugging or unplugging it--this has occasionally resulted in my unknowlingly leaving the foreman plugged in for hours at a time.

I highly recommend george foreman grill. I keep finding new things to do with it, and the differences in the way it cooks a real burger is miniscule (and this is the ONLY way to cook one of the frozen patties that are 70% fat).

Adam

raldrik · Wed, February 4th, 2004, 09:58 PM

I just got my forman this week and it rocks.

Meals cooked thus far:

Chicken - lemon pepper, garlic, and buffalo (cooked plain add hot sauce)
Pork chops
Cat fish - cajun style used cajun spices and put a thin sliver of lemmon on it that was great.

Tomorow is salmon and chicken..

I love the forman so much. Just make sure you defrost anything you put on it. It does not do frozen well. But everything i have made is excelent.

Berran · Wed, February 4th, 2004, 10:08 PM

I've been using the foreman grill for over a year now and love it! I dont burn stuff like i used to and everything is evenly cooked from both sides. Also great for throwing a boneless skinless chicken breast on and having it ready fast!

Shane · Wed, February 4th, 2004, 10:26 PM

I throw frozen chicken breasts on it all of the time and I find it works great. My tip as far as the Foreman is concerned is get a real one. I too have the on/off using the plug version. I'm not sure, but I think the "plates" (for lack of a better word) can be removed and put in the dishwasher. That alone would be worth the money to me.

mwarren19 · Wed, February 4th, 2004, 11:40 PM

Can someone please tell me the best way to clean the GF Grill???? I go thru too many paper towels...Is this the only way to clean it????? Thanks

Adam_S · Thu, February 5th, 2004, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwarren19

Can someone please tell me the best way to clean the GF Grill???? I go thru too many paper towels...Is this the only way to clean it????? Thanks

Yeah you want to use paper towels because even the light abrasive of say a green nylon/plastic scrubby can be bad for the coating on the griddle. Likewise soap can be hard to get off without using water, and you don't want to use a lot of water on it. My best advice is to clean it when it is moderately hot, either plug it in just as you begin cleaning or, clean about five-ten minutes after unplugging it when you finish.

map200uk · Thu, February 5th, 2004, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam_S

Yeah you want to use paper towels because even the light abrasive of say a green nylon/plastic scrubby can be bad for the coating on the griddle. Likewise soap can be hard to get off without using water, and you don't want to use a lot of water on it. My best advice is to clean it when it is moderately hot, either plug it in just as you begin cleaning or, clean about five-ten minutes after unplugging it when you finish.

Agreed,

we got one ages ago, and well its great, but cleaning it is a bugger yea

I do as you said, clean it whilst its still hot, if you leave it to cool down, scraping the stuff off isnt fun

Mark

Two Step · Thu, February 5th, 2004, 08:30 AM

To all GF grill masters

:I have found that when cooking chicken breast on the GF that they come out a little dry and rubbery. Any advice on how to correct this problem would be much appreciated.

LaTouche · Thu, February 5th, 2004, 08:45 AM

To avoid the dryness of the chicken brest, i marinade my chicken for a little while before cooking it. My favorite marinade is greek oregano and feta. Very good stuff, it keeps the chicken juicy and has a better taste than just chiken alone!

CattleProd · Thu, February 5th, 2004, 10:21 AM

I've also found that marinading helps a lot! Also, play with the cooking time. I have the on-off unit, and find that 6-7 minutes is the best time range, closer to 6 minutes seems to be better.

-CP

(I really need an avatar!)

GettinFit · Thu, February 5th, 2004, 01:12 PM

I've had my George Foreman grill for a few years now and I use it almost every day. I have one that you can adjust the settings on it from low to high (it's the large model) The trick that I've learned is to leave the lid open until the meat is almost finished cooking, then close it and set it on low to finish it off and to drain the fats. By cooking it on low towards the end, it ensures that the meat doesn't dry out or turn extra crispy on the outside. This works the best on chicken and pork. For steaks, it is a little tricky to cook the meat to the appropriate temp. I've found for a 6oz filet that if you cook it on medium for 5 minutes on each side....the turn it WAY down to low and close the lid for another 5 minutes...you'll have a perfect medium rare steak...YUM! Make sure you use some non-stick spray on it for easier clean-up. I use a soft-bristle kitchen scrub with a handle to clean mine and it works really good. Make sure to clean it while it's hot or you'll ruin the coating by scratching the surface too hard and keep dipping the brush in water...it should turn all the muck into a bubbling goo which is easy to wipe up with some paper towels and make the grill look like new. Hope that helps some of you.

raldrik · Thu, February 5th, 2004, 04:35 PM

ummm isnt the whole point of the forman to cook both sides at the same time?

I have found 6 minutes on the little one with a thawed chicken breast is anything but dry or rubbery. I always make sure I preheat it and only do 1 breast at a time unless they are very small.