298535 Tue Sep 21 00:34:52 -0700 2004 25 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1651111 I have the really large George Foreman Grill. I never use it. It makes cooks my meat flabby and gray. Cooks Illustrated magazine says it's good for grilled cheese sandwiches, okay. I have finally found something I can use it for. I cook sausages on it. It takes about 10 to 12 minutes. I'm happy. Good luck. Tue Sep 21 00:34:52 -0700 2004 0 Hershey Bomar 1 1651113 You are the first person I have heard with such a bad reaction to the grill. I LOVE mine, for: chicken breasts, steaks, salmon, lamb chops and pork chops. Tue Sep 21 01:08:54 -0700 2004 1651111 0 DK 2 1651115 I love to do salmon on mine, as it makes it a lot less oily. The grill also makes the best (and easiest) quesadillas, I make them all the time now! And unless you're using the grill for weight loss purposes, it helps to use the grease catcher accesories to keep pouring the juice back over whatever you're cooking, every minute or so, which prevents meats from drying out too much. That's what I didn't like about the grill at first. Oh, hot dogs too..natural casing of course, they come out so crispy! Tue Sep 21 08:56:43 -0700 2004 1651113 0 coll 2 1651124 Well, I don't love mine (I too find that it retains too much moisture, steaming rather than grilling), but have found things I like to use it for. Eggplant, tofu (believe it or not), actually, that's all I can think of. I'll have to try the quesadillas! My take on it is that it can be convenient for some things, but if I have a nice piece of meat or fish, I would rather not risk it on the forman. Tue Sep 21 11:21:02 -0700 2004 1651113 0 shrimpbird 1 1651114 Gotta disagree. With the exception of beef and lamb, which end up tasting steamed, I use mine for all sorts of things-- sausages, fish, poultry (chicken and duck legs, especially), pork chops, asparagus, zucchini, peppers, onions, eggplant, sweet potato slices, grilled fruit, panini sandwiches, and calzones, to name the frequent fliers. It's great for making apple turnovers and other "hot pocket" type dishes. Try the asparagus spears, sprayed with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper before you grill them. Tue Sep 21 08:49:19 -0700 2004 1651111 0 EMDB 1 1651119 I used mine like these other folks until I got a house and a grill. The one thing we still use it for (and probably don't need to but it's easier) is quesedillas. Tue Sep 21 10:39:05 -0700 2004 1651111 0 dude 1 1651123 God, no! My feelings about my GF grill are the closest thing to a meaningful relationship I've ever had! Salmon, thick tuna steaks made rare, and bangin' burgers.It over-cooks if you're not careful, but it is my fave tool in the kitchen, after my espresso machine. Tue Sep 21 10:52:09 -0700 2004 1651111 0 sing me a bar 1 1651127 I find it's the most efficient way to cook fish. Ends up moist with nice grill marks and crispy skin. Cooks quickly although I wouldn't follow the little red timer. The best part is it's easy to clean up and any lingering fish scent is taken care of with a brush of paper towel soaked with a little vinegar. My apartment has very bad ventilation so this is a big deal. I think not having to use oil helps cut down on the grease vapors as well. Tue Sep 21 12:01:54 -0700 2004 1651111 0 rose 2 1651131 I found cleaning it the most annoying part of the experience. Tue Sep 21 12:20:36 -0700 2004 1651127 0 Curt 3 1651133 I used to think so too, till I learned about the wet paper towel trick... While it's still hot place a thick fold of moist paper towels on the grll and close it for a few minutes and then wipe it clean. It's really easy. Tue Sep 21 12:28:48 -0700 2004 1651131 0 DK 4 1651150 Hmmmmmmm. I'll have to try that. Now, if I can only remeber where I buried that sucker! Tue Sep 21 15:03:20 -0700 2004 1651133 0 Curt 4 1651180 When I was using my george foreman grill a lot, it had it's own sponge designated for cleaning it. I would get the sponge really wet, make sure the grill was pretty hot, and then just squeeze lots of water onto it. As long as it's hot enough, the water makes all the mess just drip off the grill and into the little pan. Then a quick wipe down finishes the job. It takes about 3 minutes. The only problem is that the sponge gets a little nasty/burned - necessitating the designated foreman-cleaning-sponge. Tue Sep 21 19:40:46 -0700 2004 1651133 0 atwood 3 1651135 I totally agree. I think I have used mine 2 or 3 times, and find that it's not worth the hassle. Although the quesadillas are sounding like a good idea. Tue Sep 21 12:35:42 -0700 2004 1651131 0 valerie 3 1651147 In the latest version of the GF grill, you can remove the grill parts and wash them. I haven't used it, i actually just threw my old GF grill away, but I saw it on the Today show. Tue Sep 21 14:38:53 -0700 2004 1651131 0 rkn 4 1651154 I have an old fashioned GF grill, and one from Sur La Table - La Flame is what it's called on the box. The LF has removable grills, and they reverset to a flat side - the grill opens to stand flat, so that you can use it as a griddle. It also has adjustable heat, although it doesn't heat up as high as the GF. I use them both. Tue Sep 21 15:38:30 -0700 2004 1651147 0 LBQT 1 1651128 "It makes cooks my meat flabby and gray." It will, if you do not follow directions. If those are your results, either you have a defective grill or you are not letting the grill preheat. That is also why cooking sausages is making you happy, no preheating required for sausages. Since sausages are making you happy, I doubt your grill is defective. Tue Sep 21 12:08:30 -0700 2004 1651111 0 Alan408 1 1651134 I love my grill and the GF Contact Grill is great for whole chicken and roasts Tue Sep 21 12:28:58 -0700 2004 1651111 0 ValL 1 1651139 I use mine for bacon, too. I haven't noticed the gray meat issue - if the grill is hot enough, I get nice grill lines, just like a regular bbq (although there's still no comparison with the taste from a real bbq grill!) Tue Sep 21 13:10:14 -0700 2004 1651111 0 LBQT 1 1651248 Am I the only one who, with absolutely no first hand experience, likens the George Forman grill to the vegetable chopper, the pasta pot with the strainer built into the lid, Chef Tony's amazing knives, and the hundreds of other products "as seen on TV"? My gutteral reaction is similar to my perception of Rice-a-Roni, Chef Boyardee, Lean Cuisine, Hot Pockets, and the thousands of other pre-packaged foods. Hey, maybe I'm being judgemental and am totally missing out on the virtues of all of these products, but my knee-jerk reaction is "that isn't food" and "that isn't cooking." BK Wed Sep 22 12:55:10 -0700 2004 1651111 0 BK 2 1651262 You're definitely not the only one. There's nothing you can do with a George Foreman Grill that you can't do with a pan -- if you insist on grill marks, get a grill pan. If you want a pannini maker, get a pan and a brick, etc. And unilke the Foreman grill, you can actually change the temperature of a pan to suit what you're cooking in it. But we're definitely in the minority. All of the products you mention have been HUGE sellers. I'm sure you won't be surprised to learn that Chef Tony's knives were selling like hot cakes last wekend at the LA County fair along with the other usual suspects -- chopers, slicers, juicers and sets of very mediocre pots and pans. Ron Popeil's Showtime Rotisserie Oven, I've heard, has worldwide sales of hundreds of millions of dollars. Wed Sep 22 14:25:57 -0700 2004 1651248 0 PeteEats 3 1651268 How could I leave Ron Popeil out of my post? On a semi-related note, the one and only redeeming moment in the "original" Iron Chef USA (the one hosted by Bill Shatner) was how foolishly Ron Popeil came across. :) BK Wed Sep 22 15:13:56 -0700 2004 1651262 0 BK 3 1651430 "You're definitely not the only one. There's nothing you can do with a George Foreman Grill that you can't do with a pan -- if you insist on grill marks, get a grill pan. If you want a pannini maker, get a pan and a brick, etc." Sure, it's a luxury, and there's nothing you can't do with a food processor that you can't do with a knife and more time, or a stand mixer compared to your hands or a bowl and a wooden spoon. You could say the same with electric/buffet skillets, microwave ovens, and a million other helpful kitchen tools. There are good time savers, and bad time savers. I'm not necessarily counting myself as one, but there are some serious hounds and good cooks here, with actual experience using the things, who consider the GFG and its more expensive brethren to be a real time saver or a stove top supplement. Thu Sep 23 16:59:29 -0700 2004 1651262 0 emdb 1 1651413 Two words for you French Fries Trust me. They're awesome!! Thu Sep 23 16:22:18 -0700 2004 1651111 0 jessicheese 2 1651420 One word for you,,, HOW!??? Thanks Thu Sep 23 16:29:24 -0700 2004 1651413 0 ChowFun (derek) 3 1651554 Get the foreman nice and hot and layer the fries on it. Cook them until they're crisp! I like to turn them a bit for even markings, but that's more of my obsessive compulsive cooking. You should see me make lasagne=) Fri Sep 24 14:40:35 -0700 2004 1651420 0 jessicheese 4 1651564 are you using frozen, or fresh cut? this sounds interesting. I have a grill, and i only use it for one thing- we have one family member who is beyond picky- will only eat boneless, skinless chicken- no other kind of meat!! The foreman grill cooks it fast and doesn't dry it out,so that is what we use it for. but- french fries are another one of the less than 12 items she will eat, so maybe i can use it for two things, now. Fri Sep 24 16:15:55 -0700 2004 1651554 0 macca