Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285

For several years now I have owned a George Foreman Grill. When these first came out I thought that this is going to be one awesome appliance to have in the kitchen.

When using the grill the food came out wonderful and it was so fast but the problem with it was the cleaning.

To me it took too long to clean. The grills would not come out to be placed in hot soapy water so I never felt the George Foreman Grill was completely clean.

At the first of the year I was in a local high volume discount store and came across the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285.

The features looked like something I really wanted in a grill.

Parts and Features of the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285

Cover, Nonstick Grill Surface, Base, Timer, Drip Cup, Support Let, Spatula/Scraper and the Grill Surface is removable to wash.

The removal grill surface is what sold me on the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285. I can now at least feel like I have cleaned the grill and not putting it away dirty.

When first using the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285 you take the grill surface out. There is a locking tab at the back of both grills. You take your finger and slide it back and the grills come out.

The bottom grill has a drain spout for the grease to flow into the drip cup. Place the grills in a sink of hot soapy water and wash, rinse and dry and replace them. You have to move the locking tab in order for these to be replaced then slide it back to lock. Your grill is ready to use now.

The drip cup fits into the side of the grill. No external cup filled with grease to be knocked over. There is a small grip on the side of the cup for easy removal.

The grease cup is emptied, and washed the same way the grills are. I have even placed mine in the dishwasher on the top rack and it comes out clean and not warped.

The grill can easily be opened to lay flat if you want to cook that way but remember there is only one grease cup and top side of the grill will puddle if you cook this way.

There is a support leg on the top of the grill that you flip out it you want this fully opened to lay flat.

On the bottom of the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285 there is a cord wrap. No more loose cords floating around in your kitchen cabinets.

The Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285 plugs into a standard 120 volt AC plug. No special wiring or plugs needed for this.

The Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285 measures about 11 ½ inches wide by 8 inches deep by 4 ¾ inches high. The feet on the bottom are spaced 8 inches apart on the back bottom and 5 five inches apart on the front bottom. All four feet have rubber grips on them.

This makes for a well balanced unit that doesn’t rock or slide around.

With the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285 you get a 45 inch cord. This is nice for those that have electrical plugs spaced far apart.

Getting started using your new Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285

After your grill has been cleaned you plug it into an outlet, turn the timer on for five minutes. Spray the grills with a non stick spray and wait until the timer goes off.

When the timer has gone off you are not ready to cook. Place the meat or vegetables you are wanting on the grill and close the lid. Set the timer for the desired time and wait.

The timer of the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285 is on the very front of the grill. It goes from zero to fifteen minutes. I have never had to set it longer than the maximum time.

Also on the front is a small cooling guide that will help you get started if you happen to loose the booklet that come with the grill.

There is a booklet that comes with the grill that gives you approximate times for different food items so use that to get an idea of how long to cook your meal.

Remember that the outside does become hot to the touch so use care. I have not had to use potholders for opening the lid but you might want to consider using them.

Steam does escape from the front and that might cause a scald if you aren’t careful.

I have found that 15 minutes is long enough to cook two half inch rib-eye steaks to well done without being rubbery.

Chicken and hamburgers come out so wonderfully cooked. If you want to marinate them do so as that adds some wonderful flavor.

I have found that I can cook three larger than average size burgers, four boneless chicken breast on this.

If you have a family larger than mine then this might not be large enough for you. There are two of us now where there used to be five.

The grills are easily cleaned as stated above and the outside is just as easy. Wipe with a hot soapy rag, rinse and dry. That is it.

You can store the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285 on its side or lay it flat in the cabinet. Whichever way you prefer it is easily stored.

The Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285 is used at least twice weekly in my home and has performed like a dream every time.

The only thing I can see that some would call a problem is the food doesn’t brown as well on the top as it does on the bottom.

I haven’t found this to be any burden at all. I just use the spatula that comes with the grill to flip the food during the last half of the cooking time and it seems to brown evenly.


There is a two year limited warranty that comes with the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285.

I have only owned this for 5 months and have not had a single problem with it so I do not know how the customer service is or how well the warranty works.

If the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285 comes in any other colors except white I am not aware of it.

White goes with everything that I have in my kitchen so that isn’t a problem for me.

My final recommendation on the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express Contact Grill 25285

You won’t be disappointed if you decide to purchase this. It cost less than the George Foreman and with its one minor flaw it is still just as good for cooking and much better for cleaning.

Thanks for reading.