Why I love my George Foreman grill

So many of us have kitchen gadgets and equipment gathering dust through under use.  I have a Kenwood Chef (wedding gift, I don’t use it because it sends flour and sugar everywhere), bread maker (wedding gift, leaves a hole in the loaf, OH is fussy about bread), popcorn maker (review item, handy on rare occasions).  But there’s one which I use fairly regularly and that’s the George Foreman grill.

I bought my old one years ago when I house shared, but it was only a 2 portion one and the plates weren’t removable so it was a nightmare to clean. All these years later, I had to give up using it because it wasn’t cleanable any more.  I’ve recently upgraded and I’m pretty excited about it.

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We are a bit spoilt with our kitchen – we’ve got an Aga (which is old and doesn’t retain the heat very well so at the moment, it’s not really good to cook on it unless you’ve got a long time to wait) and an electric oven which doesn’t really have a separate grill as it’s fan assisted.  But having the George Foreman grill helps with quick grilling, toasted sandwiches and much more.  Plus it means less washing up.

The new George Foreman I bought is my new favourite gadget in the kitchen.

What I love about my new George Foreman grill:

It’s 5 portion (at a squeeze).  It means there’s no problem cooking 5 burgers (because they’ll always want more than 1), chicken breasts, kebabs and paninis.

It stands up vertically.

The plates come out – they’re supposedly dishwasher safe, but I hand wash just running hot water, and a spot of washing up liquid. Easy cleaning.

They’re as healthy as ever dripping any grease and fat out.

They’re quick to cook – sometimes it takes less time to cook than it does to preheat.

They free up oven space for other things that need different temperatures.

You can cook so many different things on them from steak to chicken, fish to chargrilling vegetables or fruit, toasting sandwiches and more.

The light tells you when it’s hot enough.

It comes with a leaflet of recipe ideas – it’s always good to get some inspiration.

What’s not so great:

It’s heavy – not surprising given it’s a 5 portion size.

I’m not so keen on the black, but the model I wanted didn’t come in the metal finish.

It would be nice to have a timer on it.

So this summer I’ll be making the most of it and using the grill for lots of healthy lighter meals.

Meal ideas:

Kebabs – chicken, veg or fruit

Schnitzel – breaded chicken

Fish – if you don’t want bits falling off either cook whole with the skin on, or pop into a greaseproof paper envelope or [amazon_textlink asin=’B001UHNMLQ|B078VRSBRL’ text=’toastie pocket’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’bubbaandme-21|bubbandme04-20′ marketplace=’UK|US’ link_id=’d52f037d-74c4-11e8-95c9-09248916e7d4′]

Toasted sandwiches – cheese or tuna melts, or why not go retro with a jam sandwich (watch out, it’ll be scolding hot)

Grilled corn on the cob or peppers

Cheese stuffed chicken

There’s lots more at Foreman Grill Recipes blog, or just convert your grilled recipes. The model I have is the [amazon_textlink asin=’B077Q69TJ9|B00LU2HXOS’ text=’large 5 portion health grill with removable plates’ template=’ProductLink’ store=’bubbaandme-21|bubbandme04-20′ marketplace=’UK|US’ link_id=’8ddc4666-74c6-11e8-8546-cb0270632030′].

Just remember the cooking time is lower than in the oven or a normal grill

Are you a George Foreman grill fan? What do you cook on them?