George Foreman GRP99 Sandwich Maker

When my boyfriend's mother bought the George Foreman Indoor Grill for him as a birthday present earlier this year, I was far from being a believer. My immediate thoughts were that it would eat up what was left of our minimal counter space, be a bear to clean, and take the flavor out of meals. I envisioned it collecting dust in the cabinet with all the other one-meal-wonders - and we've amassed quite an assortment of bulky contraptions - that despite my best intentions, are never worth pulling out at dinnertime.

Then I witnessed the George Foreman GRP99 Next Grilleration Indoor Grill in action. Now I'm a believer.

It's now possible to enjoy savory grilled meats and vegetables all year long without the hassle. And the kids (ages 11 and 12) actually ASK us to use it! They were never big fans of the charcoal taste from the grill, yet they had mixed feelings about stovetop cooking or baking meats. They're thrilled that they can still get a grilled taste without giving up Dad for an hour during the grilling ritual of watching the coals, watching the coals, watching the coals, putting on the meat, watching the meat, turning the meat, etcetera etcetera. And their dinner doesn't have that "burnt" taste that used make their noses wrinkle in that particular breed of kid-rejection that, even when done out of your line of sight, makes listening to fingernails being dragged along a chalkboard seem like fun.

I doubted whether or not 96 inches of cooking space was enough to feed a hungry family of four. After all, the giver of this gift was a single, older woman who rarely cooked more than one or two chicken breasts or burgers at a time. But we've had no problem with three chicken breasts at a time, or four burgers at a time, and because the grill is tilted to run the fat off (this process is actually called "sluicing"), it's also easy to cook a skewer of veggies on one side and raw meats on the other. The grill comes with its very own plastic, non-scratch tongs and juice catcher. The tongs have not yet melted and the juice catcher has not yet overflowed - a nice feature for a tongless and sometimes papertowelless household!

To our surprise, we found space for it easily and the metallic finish will work in many modern kitchens. Ours is a pel mel, so form is not as important as function. It's about 12" by 17" (with handles) and about 4" tall. It is not too heavy for older or tired hands - no more than 10 pounds.

It heats up quickly, to a maximum of 425 degrees. It also features a timer and a large LCD display that would make this a great gift for an older person who doesn't want to have to worry about turning off the stove. Clean up is easy too with grill surfaces that easily come off, though to be quite honest, you shouldn't need to disassemble the grill each time you clean up. It's very easy to wipe away any leavings or grease from cooking. We always use Pam or another nonstick spray. You'll have no need for those blood pressure dangers, butter and oil, when cooking with this machine. The grill is teflon-coated, making the spray a little redundant but we find that it's easier to keep clean that way. You can use metal utensils and dishwash the grills without destroying the nonstick coating. . . but I wouldn't recommend it.

The Next Grilleration Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine has earned the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. George Foreman, also known as Big George, was a boxing heavyweight turned ordained Christian minister who is known for his Midas commercials and this invention. According to Wikipedia, Foreman has made more money with these machines - over $150 million since the product's launch to be exact - than he made in his entire illustrious boxing career.

Suggested retail price for this bad boy is $119.99, but they can be found much cheaper on the web or in large discount stores. While there seems to always be a "newer" version, this product is the first one with major upgrades over previous models and is probably your best bet. Older George Foreman Indoor Grill models were tougher to clean and the controls were more difficult to see and use. If you're thinking about upgrading, this model won't disappoint you. I'm not quite sure why this model is listed as a "Sandwich Maker" - it's much much more than that. The lid states clearly that it is a "Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machine." And it's signed by Mr. Foreman himself - how could you go wrong?

©2005 Meagan Downey