# George Foreman Grill



## Hawkshot99 (Dec 10, 2008)

So I live in a small studio apartment.  I have always loved to grill at home, but there is not the room to have even a real small grill.  So my mother gave me her George Foreman grill.

I HATE this thing.  It is impossible to tell when the steak is ready.  The other day was my first attempt with it.  I cooked a 1" thick steak for dinner.  I had it cooking for 8-9 mins. till the outside of it didnt look grey.  When I cut the thing open and tried to eat it.....Well lets say i think my shoe soles are more chewable.:blink:  I still ate it because i am cheep:smash:

So tonight I pull out another steak and go to cook it.  I now know to not cook it too long after the previous experience, and my mother telling me she will only cook it for a few mins. when she used it.  I took the steak off after 2 or 3 mins.  It looked identical on the outside to the one I way over cooked.  When I cut it open, it looked purple.:angry:  So back on the grill it went.

At least i can still make a good box of Kraft Mac-n-cheese!:lol:


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## Paul (Dec 10, 2008)

I love my Foreman grill. I like to wake-up to the smell of bacon, so I lay three strips on the Forman grill before I go to bed at night. When my alarm goes off, I plug in the grill, and a few minutes later I wake up to the smell of crackling bacon. Its delicious and nutritious.


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## Moe Ghoul (Dec 10, 2008)

It's great for bacon, grilled sandwiches, but they suck with meats and poultry. I think it ends up steaming the meat in it's own juices, not really grilling.


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## GrilledSteezeSandwich (Dec 10, 2008)

For a one inch thick steak on a George Forman grill 8-9 minutes is way to long..I'd got with 5 minutes max..and you can always broil steak in the oven..that's the way I like to do it..you have to flip the steak but it seems juicier..


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## hardline (Dec 10, 2008)

Hawkshot99 said:


> So I live in a small studio apartment.  I have always loved to grill at home, but there is not the room to have even a real small grill.  So my mother gave me her George Foreman grill.
> 
> I HATE this thing.  It is impossible to tell when the steak is ready.  The other day was my first attempt with it.  I cooked a 1" thick steak for dinner.  I had it cooking for 8-9 mins. till the outside of it didnt look grey.  When I cut the thing open and tried to eat it.....Well lets say i think my shoe soles are more chewable.:blink:  I still ate it because i am cheep:smash:
> 
> ...



go to good cookware store and get yourself a good grill pan. you will be very happy


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## skibum9995 (Dec 10, 2008)

I love mine. It took me a few weeks to get cooking times for different things figured out, but it has been worth it.


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## deadheadskier (Dec 11, 2008)

hardline said:


> go to good cookware store and get yourself a good grill pan. you will be very happy



exactly

a nice cast iron grill pan will due just fine.  Go three minutes a side on medium high heat, then throw it in the oven for 8 minutes at 400....perfect medium rare for a 1 inch steak depending on the cut.


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## frozencorn (Dec 11, 2008)

I used to love it when I lived in a small apartment in Brookline. 

Now? Between the outdoor grill, grill pan, grill skillet, panini maker.....I can't remember the last time it emerged from storage.


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## severine (Dec 11, 2008)

George Foreman grills are a PITA to keep clean. If you want something like that, get the Cuisinart Griddle/Panini thing. It has removable plates (one set flat, one set ridged) for easier cleaning and you can use it flat, too, like if you want to make pancakes and sausage/bacon at the same time. If you insist upon cooking meat on one of those, you have to remember that you're cooking both sides at the same time so it should take half as long as usual. But really, you get better flavor with other options than those tabletop plugin type grills for meat. I'd recommend cast iron, too, but honestly, I only cook steak on the outside propane grill. I have never cooked one on the stove or in the oven.  (Though I once did have a George Foreman grill before the propane grill... I was less than enthused with the results...) There's no need to for me to prepare otherwise these days with a grill 3 feet outside the door.


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## hammer (Dec 11, 2008)

severine said:


> George Foreman grills are a PITA to keep clean. If you want something like that, get the Cuisinart Griddle/Panini thing. It has removable plates (one set flat, one set ridged) for easier cleaning and you can use it flat, too, like if you want to make pancakes and sausage/bacon at the same time. If you insist upon cooking meat on one of those, you have to remember that you're cooking both sides at the same time so it should take half as long as usual. But really, you get better flavor with other options than those tabletop plugin type grills for meat. I'd recommend cast iron, too, but honestly, I only cook steak on the outside propane grill. I have never cooked one on the stove or in the oven.  (Though I once did have a George Foreman grill before the propane grill... I was less than enthused with the results...) There's no need to for me to prepare otherwise these days with a grill 3 feet outside the door.


+1

We only use ours for paninis.  Tried cooking bacon on it a few times, and it was OK for that, but we just cook the bacon in the cast iron pan now.


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## MichaelJ (Dec 11, 2008)

+1 on the cast iron grill pan. Get that thing raging hot and it's a great alternative to using an actual grill outside. My only caveat: I highly recommend you have a real hood over the stove that vents outside. High heat on cast iron cooks meat (red or poulty) beautifully, but puts out a good deal of smoke and steam.


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## ctenidae (Dec 11, 2008)

GrilledSteezeSandwich said:


> For a one inch thick steak on a George Forman grill 8-9 minutes is way to long..I'd got with 5 minutes max..and you can always broil steak in the oven..that's the way I like to do it..you have to flip the steak but it seems juicier..



A broiler is just an upside-down grill, after all.

Do like the cast iron grill pan, though, despite the smoke.


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## Johnskiismore (Dec 13, 2008)

Haven't owned one of these grills myself, but a buddy of mine who did took a while to cooking meats to his liking.

Cast iron grill pan is the way to go!


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## skibumtress (Dec 13, 2008)

IMO, I don't like the GF Grill.  Pain in the arse to clean for about 60% of the things I've used it for.  I've found similar such grills that are much easier and faster to clean.  On the other hand perhaps they've improved them since I got mine.


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## hardline (Dec 14, 2008)

ya i forgot about the smoke in the grill pan if you dont have a good hood put a fan in the window.


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## RootDKJ (Dec 14, 2008)

skibumtress said:


> IMO, I don't like the GF Grill.  Pain in the arse to clean for about 60% of the things I've used it for.  I've found similar such grills that are much easier and faster to clean.  On the other hand perhaps they've improved them since I got mine.


I'm with you.  When I lived in an apartment, I used this for "grilling"  Also works well for French Toast & eggs.
https://secure.lodgemfg.com/storefront/product1_new.asp?menu=logic&idProduct=3943





Super easy clean up.


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## Black Phantom (Jun 28, 2011)

Anybody still use these? Haven't used mine in 4 years. Tough to clean.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 28, 2011)

nope

still on the cast iron


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## o3jeff (Jun 28, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> nope
> 
> still on the cast iron



I have a cheap cast iron grill pan and it is a pain to clean it, any tricks? Are the expensive ones easier?


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## deadheadskier (Jun 28, 2011)

I actually use just a straight flat bottom cast iron pan that is well seasoned.  Wipes clean with a paper towell like a non-stick pan.

I'm not sure if you can season a cast iron grill pan like you can a regular pan as the ridges would probably prevent the oil from being absorbed evenly.

I do have a non-stick grill pan that I use for Paninis.  That doesn't work so hot for steaks though as it doesn't get as hot and conduct heat as well.

Until I get an outdoor grill that has an infrared burner, I'll stick with the cast iron.  I don't find a typical outdoor grill gets hot enough to get a good sear on a steak like I can with cast iron.


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## Black Phantom (Jun 28, 2011)

o3jeff said:


> I have a cheap cast iron grill pan and it is a pain to clean it, any tricks? Are the expensive ones easier?



Never use soap on it. Hot water, steel wool, scrub. 

Dry thoroughly. Wipe interior of pan with oil. Put away until next use.

Never use soap.

Cast iron is probably one of the best items to cook with.


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## Black Phantom (Jun 28, 2011)

For the record, cast iron is cast iron. Price is relative to where you purchased the item.

Cast iron will pretty much last forever. They are great finds at yard sales etc.


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## deadheadskier (Jun 28, 2011)

I visited my father in VT and cooked steaks in my cast iron this past weekend.  After I was done cooking, I set the pan aside and said, don't clean it, I'll take care of it.

I found it soaking in soapy water in the sink after dinner :smash:

Now I've got to go through the whole process of seasoning it all over again


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## o3jeff (Jun 28, 2011)

The surface of mine is pretty rough and everything seem to get stuck in it. Will take a closer look at it tonight when I get home since I bought it a few years ago and haven't used it much cause of that.


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## wa-loaf (Jun 28, 2011)

Got one, never use it. Too much work to keep clean and there's no temp control.

Have a nice old cast iron pan I use all the time. Mostly just for pancakes and grilled cheese. I should use it more for other things.


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## from_the_NEK (Jun 28, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> Until I get an outdoor grill that has an infrared burner, I'll stick with the cast iron.  I don't find a typical outdoor grill gets hot enough to get a good sear on a steak like I can with cast iron.



Tip for searing a steak on the grill:

1. Melt 2 Tablespoons butter in a coffe mug and get a regular spoon.
2. Pre-Heat grill on high.
3. With Grill still on high, throw on the steak. Immediately take a scoop of the melted butter with the sppon and throw it down under the steak on the burner/heat diffuser.
     a. The goal here is to get a hot-flame up.
4. Let the steak sit in the flame for 15 sec and flip. Reapply butter to get flame if necessary.
5. After the sear is complete reduce heat and cook to desired temp.
     a. If there is leftover melted butter, I put it on the steak while it is cooking.


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## drjeff (Jun 28, 2011)

Use my GF grill pretty regularly.  Great for making a quick grilled cheese for the kids.  And I use it almost exclusively for ground turkey or chicken burgers, which along with slices of avocado make up a good deal of my evening meals these days in my current training regime.


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## hammer (Jun 28, 2011)

Ours just gets used as a panini press.  If we want to cook burgers we always use the Weber gas grill.


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## Nick (Jun 28, 2011)

When I had an apartment, I had a small propane camping grill (I think it was a Weber) that I would use. I would just go outside to the front of the house, light it up, grill, and be done with it. It worked really well. 

It was this one right here (LINK)


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## Black Phantom (Aug 5, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> I visited my father in VT and cooked steaks in my cast iron this past weekend.  After I was done cooking, I set the pan aside and said, don't clean it, I'll take care of it.
> 
> I found it soaking in soapy water in the sink after dinner :smash:
> 
> Now I've got to go through the whole process of seasoning it all over again



Did you re-season your pan? If so, which process did you use?


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## ctenidae (Aug 5, 2011)

I wouldn't use steel wool to clean my cast iron. If just wiping it out doesn't work, here's my method:

Scrape it out really well.
Get it NASA hot
Deglaze it with some water.
Let it boil for a minute, scraping it out with a wooden spatula to loosen the chunks
Dump the water out
Dump in a couple tablespoons of Kosher salt, scrub aroudn with a paper towel.
Rinse, heat it up until dry, put some oil in it and wipe it around.

Slicker than Teflon ever thought about being.

My cast iron was used by my grnadfather when he ran a mobile kitchen in the East Texas oilfields in the '40's, then my Dad took it to college with him, and I took it to college with me. Hopefully my kid will take it to college with him.


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## deadheadskier (Aug 5, 2011)

once you oil it, you don't cure it in the oven?  That's what I always do.  350 degrees for about an hour.


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## Black Phantom (Aug 5, 2011)

deadheadskier said:


> once you oil it, you don't cure it in the oven?  That's what I always do.  350 degrees for about an hour.



I think cten is talking about cleaning, not re-seasoning.  I have heard of the salt method and it makes sense. I am going to try that after next usage.

How did you re-season it after your father soaped it up?


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## deadheadskier (Aug 5, 2011)

cleaned it pretty much the same way as cten to start from scratch.  heat pan in oven at 350 for 30 minutes.  take it out and rub veg oil all over the surface with a rag.  put back in oven for an hour.


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## ctenidae (Aug 5, 2011)

Black Phantom said:


> I think cten is talking about cleaning, not re-seasoning.  I have heard of the salt method and it makes sense. I am going to try that after next usage.
> 
> How did you re-season it after your father soaped it up?



I find the salt to be the perfect abrasive- it's harder than gunk, but softer than iron.

I've never done the in-the-oven seasoning for new cast iron- I go with the NASA hot stovetop method, liberal application of oil, and let it cool naturally. The high heat carbonizes the oil sufficiently, I think. YMMV.


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## snoseek (Aug 5, 2011)

I cook with cast iron almost always for any kind of sear. To clean I just simply srub with oil and kosher salt and a paper towel while its still hot. this works fine 90 percent of the time and keeps it in good shape.

A George foreman grill would work fine if you just pulled the steak out to room temp before cooking and resting before cutting. Most people are turned off by the idea of leaving meat out at room temp for 1-2 hours but it is key.


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## deadheadskier (Aug 6, 2011)

definitely key to leave the steak out for a solid hour before cooking.  Also key to leave it unwrapped in the fridge for a solid 24 hours before cooking.


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