I got my George Foreman G-broil grill last week, and now I’m finally getting around to doing my review. I’ve been cooking up a storm with it, just haven’t had the time to pull a review together until now. Without further ado, here’s my video. But don’t forget to read on afterward for a more thorough analysis.

I’ve wanted a Foreman grill for many years, not only because it makes healthy cooking a breeze, but because I think food just plain tastes better without all that grease. Sure, it needs a little fat in it to give it some flavor, but it shouldn’t be swimming in it! The grill’s sloped design and grease catcher thingie eliminate virtually all excess fat.

And over the past two years, I’ve found two more reasons to want one: Hubby and Pumpkin. Both of them have stomach problems, and if they eat too much grease, they get awful stomachaches. So you could say I was an eager beaver about the opportunity to try a George Foreman grill.

Putting It to the Test

As soon as I opened the box, the first thing that struck me was what a fine-looking little appliance this was. Mine has a nice stainless steel finish, and the design is oh so sleek. But kitchen gadgets are more about function than form, right? So I started cooking with it in short order.

The first thing I cooked on it was frozen hamburgers. That didn’t go so well, but it was my fault. I was so excited to try it out that I didn’t read the directions, which plainly stated that it cooks much more quickly than a standard frying pan. So I kind of burned them. You can be sure that I read the instructions before trying again.

The steaks (shown in the video) turned out much better. I cooked them for around 6 or 7 minutes, and they were scrumptious. Even with the quick cooking and lack of fat, they turned out quite tender. They even had that grilled taste, minus the gas or charcoal flavor.

I even did something that I never do: I cooked something other than a grilled cheese or microwave meal for my lunch. I put a frozen chicken breast in the fridge to thaw the night before, doused it with barbeque sauce, and slapped it on the grill. Add some bagged salad, and you have a delicious home-cooked meal for one in minutes.

Features

The G-broil is a newer model, and it comes with lots of awesome features. Including:

• An on/off switch. It sounds simple enough, but the older Foreman grills didn’t have them. They just came on when you plugged them up. As a person who is jumpy about little electrical sparks, I greatly appreciate this.
• A timer. I still haven’t gotten brave enough to put the food in, set the timer and walk away until it beeps, but this is a great feature. It comes in handy for the five-minute warm-up time, if nothing else. And once I get more accustomed to how long it takes to cook things, I’m sure I’ll get plenty of mileage out of it.
• Removable non-stick grilling plates. This is probably my favorite feature. The plates come off easily, and they’re even easier to get clean. They are dishwasher safe (for those of you who have a dishwasher that works, unlike me), and you can wash them off by hand in no time flat.
• Hinge-lock lid. This is wonderful for cooking large foods, or for melting the cheese on your burger without scorching it. And if you want to make a dainty little grilled cheese on sandwich bread, this will keep it from getting flattened. Just remember that you’ll have to turn it over, because it won’t be in contact with the top plate to cook on both sides like everything else.

Darn Near Perfect

There’s not much I would change about the G-broil. It cooks food quickly and deliciously, and it is wonderful for those who are into healthy living (or those of us who just hate grease). The only thing I can think of that I would change would be to add temperature control, since I’m so accustomed to it. But with a little practice, I think I’ll manage just fine without it.

If you need to lose weight or watch your fat intake, I highly recommend this beauty. It makes eating the foods you love a possibility even if you are on a strict diet. And did I mention that everything I’ve tried on it (except maybe the burnt burgers) tasted great?