The George Foreman grill is a godsend for simple, fast cooking. At FlyingCracker we have successfully grilled steaks, hamburgers, cheese sandwiches, fish, boneless pork chops, chicken, quesadillas, and Portabello mushrooms on our small George Foreman. Typically we use the original small Champ Grill (seen at right) but sometimes must resort to the larger Family Size Plus Grill if we have a lot to cook indoors. Either does the job and both work well.
Cook Times
- Hamburgers - 2-1/2 to 3 minutes
- Grilled Cheese sandwiches - 3 minutes
- Fish - 2-3 minutes, depending on thickness
- Vegetables - 1 minute
- Pork Chops - 4 to 6 minutes, depending on thickness
Cooking Tips
Cook food sans bones. Bones, such as found in pork chops or some steaks, prevent the grill surfaces from effectively touching the meat. This leads to uneven cooking and long cook times. Just say no to bones.
Preheat the grill. This is a simple matter of plugging it in and waiting until the orange light goes out, usually 3-4 minutes.
Food should be at least 1/2 inch and no more than 1-1/2 inches thick for successful grilling. In fact, 1-1/2 inches is marginal for the Champ.
Try to ensure the food has fairly parallel even surfaces, without big lumps or valleys. Spherical food like meatballs and tomatoes just don't cook well on this grill.
Flipping or rotating food halfway through the cooking process can make a big difference. Thicker (1-1/2 inch) food items make the lid and bottom of the grill not quite parallel. Rotating or flipping (the food) allows all food surfaces to contact the grill.
Don't overcook. Believe me, the tendency to leave food on the grill too long is common. You rarely need more than four minutes to cook an item that will fit on the grill.
Prepare the rest of your meal before cooking. The George Foreman grill cooks so fast you can easily have your main course cooked and ready well before anything else. Think ahead - prior planning prevents piss-poor performance.
Cleaning
The George Foreman grill can be very easy to clean or very hard to clean; the choice is up to you. The trick to easy cleaning is to use a damp paper towel (or two) immediately after cooking. Before you eat, wipe down the grill with a paper towel. Be sure to get all the crannies where the ridges join the flat surfaces. Be sure to wipe the outer channels as well, and don't forget the top grilling surface. Continually refold your paper towel to expose a clean surface. Once your paper towel comes away clean the job is done. This is much faster and easier than waiting until the grill has cooled - by then the spillage has hardened into an unmanageable mess. You can use the provided cleaning spatula but you exert more effort and time.
One important note: Use caution: this cleaning method can easily lead to burned fingers.
Conclusion
Simply put, a George Foreman grill should be in every kitchen.
For bigger items (tenderloin, ribs, corn-on-the-cob) or a larger party, consider the Weber Genesis Silver B gas grill. We have more information on the Weber Genesis here.