George Foreman GGR50B Indoor/Outdoor Grill
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of George Foreman GGR50B Indoor/Outdoor Grill
Customer Review: Good replacement for a small gas grill, works fine in frigid temps, clumsy lid.
Summary: 5 Stars
I usually buy a $100 gas barbecue grill which lasts for about 2 years before it rusts out here in Pennslyvania. Using gas tanks is an extra expense, and the whole unit is an eyesore on my porch. It's just me and my wife we need it for.
I gave this George Foreman a shot after I ditched my gas grill. Over the past few weeks I've learned to adjust for the way it cooks, and the meat has met my satisfaction. I've been using it in 15F temperatures, calm winds, and without the lid, works fine.
My only problem with this unit is the lid. The first time I grilled, it was pork. I used the lid on the unit with the handle turned to the vent position. I came back 5 minutes later, and the entire pork was poached on the top. That was my lesson to cook without the lid, unlike a gas grille which has lots of louvers and you can close the lid without killing the meat.
Also, when you use the lid, lots of water condenses inside the lid, runs down the lid, and ends up in the drip tray. I made the mistake of carrying the grill into the kitchen after cooking two little pieces of meat outside the garage, the watery meat drippings splashed out of the hidden pan, ran through the bottom of the unit, and left me with a nasty trail to clean up.
The second time I cooked with the lid "hanging off the back" as pictured. For some reason, maybe I set it there too lightly, the lid fell off, hit the ground leaving a big dent in the aluminum. This fall broke the tang on the black plastic that keeps the lid in the range of the vent position.
I've used it a few more times over the past weeks and didn't have any additional issues. The grille is easy to clean, and now that I don't use the lid I barely have any drippings in the tray. The unit sits nicely in the garage and we haven't bumped it over, since it's round and the feet don't stick out too far.
I paid $100 for my last gas grill which lasted two years (ignitor stopped working first year). It also cost me about $20 a year to keep the gas tank filled up. So a yearly cost of $70 for gas, plus a little more to buy a wand lighter.
I paid $65 for this electric grill, I expect it to last for five years based on the fact it's just aluminum and plastic... won't rust, and electric griddles last that long. Uses about one kW*h to cook a meal, that's half an hour at 1600W. Which is a dime. So once weekly usage would be roughly $5 a year.
Therefore, I estimate the cost to use this unit is $14 a year, vs. $70 a year for gas.
If you like to cook cylindrical meat like hot dogs (I don't), I would be concerned that it could roll off the grill, since the grille surface goes to the edge. If you place the tubes of meat along the grate direction, I'm sure they won't roll off, but you won't get nice stripes across the meat.
The first time I used the unit it was windy, so I cooked in the garage. The pork I cooked really smelled up the garage. I'm glad I didn't use it in the kitchen. I consider this an outdoor only unit.
Pros:
* The ability to cook with electric and get good charbroil taste.
* Attractive unit, stores safely indoors and takes up minimal space.
* Heats up quickly.
* Meat won't stick.
* Easy to clean.
* Don't have to mess with a gas tank, can store inside.
* Will probably many years.
* Lower purchase/maintenance cost vs. gas.
* Safer than gas, no flame and no lighting.
* Won't run out of fuel while cooking.
* You won't lose you meat falling down into the fire.
Cons:
* Clumsy lid that breaks and dents when it falls off.
* Single small lid vent is not sufficient to allow moisture to escape.
* Cord could be longer.
* A little more difficult to get the meat fully cooked without overcooking it, not as predictable as gas.
* You MUST have plastic utensils to avoid damaging the teflon.
* Ignore the picture, utensils do NOT come with the unit.
* If you want to cook for a lot of people, you'll need to buy more units.
I give it 4 1/2 stars, but since there isn't that option I give it 5.
Customer Review: No-fuss, no-muss outdoor barbecue!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first time to purchase and use my own barbecue grill. We just moved to a house with a big sunny patio that was just screaming for a barbecue. I read lots about different kinds of grills on amazon and other web sites, especially customer reviews. I had decided on the Weber gold grill, since that seemed to be the all-time favorite. I had concerns about the environmental and health effects of the smoke/pollution caused by traditional grilling, but I thought it was one of those things I'd simply have to deal with, if I wanted to cook tasty food on our wonderful sunny patio.
I don't know why I didn't buy that charcoal grill; I had it in my shopping cart at amazon for like a week. I guess I was still worried about the environmental thing. I went back to looking up electric grills, and as before, I noticed most of the reviews were pretty wishy washy. Then, all of a sudden I noticed all of the excellent reviews for this George Foreman grill. Some of the people said the food tastes just as good; some said they actually PREFERRED this to the charcoal grill, and some of them said you can grill outdoors without all of the hassle and mess of charcoal. Oh, I hadn't thought of that particular advantage! I'd love to have less clean-up to do. Another thing: I don't know much about making a fire and cooking with it (this was something I figured I'd learn, trial by fire, as they say, once I got my charcoal grill). So ... even though I had planned on learning it, I do have lots of other things to do in life, and if there was a way for me to get the effect I wanted (outdoor cooking), without having to learn how to deal with charcoal, etc, well, all the better.
And, the Weber grill was like 50% more expensive than the George Foreman. So I decided, why don't I just buy the George Foreman, and if I don't like it, I can always buy a charcoal grill later. In fact, I figured I was going to need at least 2 grills when I throw a backyard party, so why not just start with the cheaper, easier solution and see how it goes.
So I got the George Foreman, and it has been a big hit! When the food is cooking, it smells so good! Smells like a real barbecue to me, even though there's no charcoal smoke. I'm vegetarian, so we've only cooked veggie stuff on the grill ... apple-sage artisan veggie sausage links, tofurkey dogs, asparagus, eggplant, veggie skewers (onions, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, red peppers, whole garlic cloves), and buns. We tried roasting corn on the cob directly on the grill as shown in the picture, but it got too dry. So we wrapped the corn in aluminum foil, and it comes out so juicy! Yum! Everything else we've tried comes out perfect, directly on the grill. We use the grill on the highest temperature setting "5," and pretty much keep the lid closed the whole time. This electric grill makes so much sense. We have outdoor electrical outlets in the back of the house ... why go to all the trouble to make a fire with charcoal when we can get the job done with electricity!
I think it will work out awesome if we just get a couple more before our big housewarming party. My boyfriend says people will complain that it's not authentic, if we don't have a charcoal grill. But the thing is: the food is delicious, it's easier to clean up (in fact, REALLY EASY!), it's better for the environment, it's healthier for us (cleaner air to breathe, and less risk of burns or starting a fire, esp. when children are around), and the real fun is being outdoors in the sun, smelling the food cook, and enjoying each juicy morsel hot off the grill, which is definitely what you get with the George Foreman. So if people think I'm wimpy/selling out, well, that's their problem. The same people who can't see how sensible this is, surely think I'm wimpy for being vegetarian. So who cares what they think!
I love the grill, and I think most people who try the food cooked on it will love it, too.
Customer Review: A Great Indoor Grill
Summary: 5 Stars
I had a smaller foreman grill before I purchased this product. I liked the small one, but it was too small to cook dinner even for two. I don't like to have half the meal done while I am waiting for the rest, also, the food was a little dry which I thought might have been from the two sides pressing down on the meat.
So I went looking around. I checked out the red foreman that is around 100 dollars, but it felt cheap to me, not to mention I thought it was still a little too small. My expectations were that I wanted to be able to grill four burgers and chicken at the same time. The other two sided grill that I considered was the cuisanart one. It felt extremely durable and very versatile, but then I didn't want to spend that kind of money, around 100-150 dollars.
Thanksgiving came around and they had this product on sale for dirt cheap, 42 bucks. I did the free ship to store. It received excellent reviews, but I couldn't find it in the stores where I live to see it before I bought it, so I purchased it blindly and waited anxiously to receive it.
I had the opportunity to test this baby out a couple of times and I love it. I really had no clue what the size was when I order it. Picture a your normal household outdoor round charcoal grill, that is basically the size of this foreman. Lots of people complained about the stand saying it wasn't stable, I think the company who makes this grill listened and changed the way the poles fit together to make the stand. The directions still mimic the old poles, but I have no problem with how sturdy it is. The nonstick feature is excellent as always. The meat stays extremely juicy with the lid on.
Also, it is an indoor outdoor grill. I live in an apartment and don't have a patio or balcony, so I use this inside. There is little or no smoke, but some steam will rise out when you take the lid off. As far as cleanup goes, you could just take a paper towel and wipe it off, but I take the grill off and clean it in the bathtub.
You could actually cook for a real family of four with this grill with no problem. You could easily cook for 6-8 people with no problem. I think the meat is alot juicier than the two sided grill. This grill will get hot leaving those grill marks in the food, I thought it would't do that. I have cooked chicken on it and burgers so far, I still have to try steaks on it.
I highly recommend this grill. The cord is about 6.5 feet long, so you might need a heavy duty extension cord if you plan on using this on your patio outside.
One last comparison for those of you looking at other models. Foreman has the GGR200RDDSS out as well, which I finally saw in the store. It doesn't feel as durable as the 50 model. Also, it looked like the grill was screwed on, which could be a pain to wash in the sink.
Customer Review: Much better than I expected
Summary: 5 Stars
I have an old charcoal kettle grill out on the balcony that I use from time to time, but I was frustrated with having to use a big heap of coals just to cook a few pieces of meat and I don't usually do a good job with charcoal anyway. I don't like to fry or broil meat indoors because it stinks up the whole house. I finally started considering electric grills and my wife got me the George Foreman GGR50B.
It's almost unnatural how many people rate this thing at 5 stars - I was fully prepared to be disappointed, since the 'grill' uses direct rather than indirect heat. It's not much different than a fancy ridged electric frying pan, as some reviewers have noted. The probe that fits into the grill surface is very similar to the ones that fit into electric frying pans. All that said, I was looking forward to at least trying instant-on, no charcoal, keep-the-smell-outside cooking.
It came. It went together well (you have to screw the posts together, follow the instructions.) It hasn't caused any power problems yet - perhaps someone's 'new' house has cheap wiring? Cleaning is easy, the non-stick surface means that a little attention in the sink from a sponge or 3M pad has it looking like new.
The real revelation was the food. Like I said, I was prepared to be disappointed, or at least underwhelmed. Instead, everything I've cooked so far has been really really good. Steak? Perfect. Seared for 1/8 inch and cooked yet pink throughout, just as I like it. Chicken? I cut a whole chicken down the backbone and flattened it, mexican style, rubbed it and threw it on the grill, flipped it 3x and boy howdy was that tasty. Juicy too, without being fatty or cooked in it's fat, because there was 1/2 inch of chicken fat in the fat pan and I had no problem getting it to drain in there either. Pork? The chops were juicy, not dried pucks like I get out of the oven. Fish was Ok. Burgers need a little work yet, I think I need to make the patties flatter and perhaps spray on a bit of oil. Spray oil and liquid smoke are two good accessories for this item, veggies absolutely need some spray oil to get their mojo goin'. BTW, keep the cover on while the food is cooking or the surface cools and does not cook properly.
I can't wait to try bacon.
Bottom line, it heats up fast, it cooks really fast, it cleans up easy and the food comes out tasting delicious. No more charcoal, no more stink, no more waiting, no more hassle. I'll give it 5 stars, and that's my honest opinion from experience.
Customer Review: If you like Foreman grills and you like ribs, get this puppy
Summary: 5 Stars
Of all the Foreman grills I've seen and used (and I now own three of them), This grill cooks the most food at a time (even more than the Grande sized steel indoor/outdoor that's [money] more expensive), and in my 30 year old house, I've never had a power outage due to the grill. Those who have trouble with the Grill's electricity might want to look into the deeper problem they're having. It's NOT the grill.Cooking times should be about the same as a gas grill. I cooked chicken, steak, shrimp, and veggie skewers for about 2 minutes a side (for 8 total minutes) per skewer. With the marinade I used, it tasted REALLY good. For steak, go 6 a side. Don't overcook your steak. Leave it Medium rare.
Chicken: 6 minutes a side. Just like steak. I'm talking about skinless, boneless breasts. I haven't tried drumsticks.
For steak, use salt, pepper, accent, garlic salt, and Montreal Steak seasoning on both sides of the cow. Don't use A1, don't use Worcestershire. I swear it'll taste a lot better than the 'burnt' flavor you get from steakhouses who think all it takes to cook a steak is setting it under a flame. Fire shouldn't be your only steak seasoning! And for those who think the Grill doesn't make the meat taste good...well no kidding! That's why you SEASON MEAT. You're cooking on METAL! HELLO!!!!
Washing this thing is a breeze, no matter how long you leave it sitting. I could leave the cooktop sitting for a week, and it'll still be easy to clean. It's easier to clean than the smaller Georges.
Some mention having to turn the meat over when you cook on this grill. That's very true, but you should have to do the same on the smaller George grills, even with the heating element on the top. Even in smaller grills, I ALWAYS turn the meat over halfway. That makes for even cooking. Don't be so lazy. All you have to do is turn meat. Nobody's asking you to cure cancer.
I still use the small Foreman (the family size) for cooking on thick steak at a time or about 3 or 4 chicken breasts. But when I'm cooking for several or if I'm cooking RIBS, I use this dome topped barbeque. It's totally Rockin'!