Grilling machines

The grill in our oven has ceased to work so I am thinking of buying one of those lean, clean grilling machines. What kind is best?

What features are worth considering? Do plates detach for cleaning? Is the melt feature useful?
Or is it the kind of gadget that's used for a while then consigned to the back of the cupboard?

I have a george foreman grilling machine and find it very useful although it is the kind of the thing that could end up being consigned to the back of the press. The plates don't detach but I give mine a wipe with kitchen paper after every use which keeps it clean. Its handy for a "fry" i.e. sausages, pudding, rashers (but not eggs ) Also good for salmon fillets and chicken breasts. A friend cooks mince on hers but I haven't tried that yet. Also reasonably good for melted cheese sandwiches mmmm

Thsnks, Aonfocaleile. I am particularly interested in the "melt" kind where the top plate as it were hovers over the cheese like in conventional grills.

on George Foreman grills.

Mine was sent to the attic for storage recently. I found it too awkward to clean and I prefer to grill rather than fry. As usual once the novelty wore off it took up residence in the kitchen press.

Thanks for the link, great stuff......I went back to 2005!

Sue Ellen said:

As usual once the novelty wore off it took up residence in the kitchen press.

Click to expand...

+1

Haven't bought anything 'newfangled/funky' since 1988.

They're quite scary when you see the amount of grease emanating from a 'healthy' piece of lean meat. They do seem to dry the meat out too imo. Although you do get used to not cooking it for too long.

I got a George Foreman grill when I rented a place that had the grill inside the oven (darn silly idea to make ovens like that, if you ask me, since it means the oven can't be used at the same time). Anyway, as Pique said, it can dry out some meats (particularly chicken and steak), but I find it ideal for sausages and rashers. It's also great for making paninis, or toasted sandwiches with large slices of bread that don't fit in a standard sandwich toaster. The 'melt' feature wasn't available when I got mine, but I would definitely have opted for that if given the choice.

The newer models come with detachable plates, which would be worth considering. That being said, it doesn't take much to clean the ones with fixed plates - just wipe the plates with hot, soapy water while the grill is warm.

I see Jamie Oliver has brought out a Tefal one, wonder if it is worth a look?
"Which" reviewed George as a "Best Buy" and is to review Jamie shortly.

Use ours a lot. Must disagree with other posters as I find it cooks chicken way better than any other method, its just easy to overcook as it really only takes a few minutes for lovely moist chicken and its easy to clean (just make sure you do it when its still warm)
I like the idea of the melt feature as its great for toasted sandwiches as it is but cheese on toast etc would be great.
Oh and I keep it on the counter top all the time as normally if I put something in the cupboard it will never see the light of day again

Thanks for all the advice. I bought the Jamie Oliver and it is working out very well!