Sanyo HPS-SG2 Indoor Barbeque Grill with 120-Square-Inch Nonstick Cooking Surface
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Sanyo HPS-SG2 Indoor Barbeque Grill with 120-Square-Inch Nonstick Cooking Surface
Customer Review: Awesome Value & nice size for 2 apartment people
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this at the end of December 2009 for $35 at amazon. I wanted something that I could cook steaks, burgers, chicken breasts, etc in the kitchen. We recently moved into an apartment so I can't use my gas grill. I grimmaced at the thought of broiling or the George Forman type devices. With the latter, you don't have control of the temperature unless you spend some serious money. Also with the clam shell cover, you get un-even heat betweeen them and they are too small to cook two large steaks. I saw items similar for this relatively new style indoor grill with grooves and a drip pan. I was struck by the low price and positive reviews. Some are larger, more expensive and have a glass cover. I decided to go for the lowest price so I don't loose money on another, possibly crappy, kitchen gadget.
Well I love it! It isn't the same as an outdoor gass grill, but an good compromize. I use seasoning, meat hammer and thinner cuts than on the outdoor grill. I also used the the glass lid from my electric dutch oven to cover to keep it from loosing moisure. You get a tender, good tasting serloin or ribeye. And it can go from cold to preheated to a cooked steak in less than 15 minutes. I doubt you can ever replicate the flavor of a gas grill, but it's the best compromize for the money. It's so good that I don't need steak sauce to cover up a bad steak.
Would I buy it again? YES - although i wish it came with a glass cover like some other brands have. The lid does make a difference in retaining moisture. I might think about buying a competators with a cover someday (unless Sanyo adds a cover in the future). I do love how quick it preheats and cleans up for its small sixe, though. Great for 2 people. I still have some experiments with marinades and seasoning to get the results even better.
Customer Review: Very happy, but a couple of issues
Summary: 4 Stars
I don't have access to an outdoor grill, so this is the closest approximation to that. When I got this and tasted the meat I cooked with it, I immediately stopped using my oven broiler. Folks, it isn't even close. This makes much better tasting steaks than the broiler. And it is easier to use and clean than the broiler. Don't kid yourself, all the grease doesn't get burned away with broiling. Some of it ends up under and around your stove and it's completely disgusting and difficult to clean.
Now for the drawbacks...this doesn't really cook evenly. Often times, parts of a piece of meat will be virtually raw while other parts are well done. Often times, I'll cook meat longer than I'd like in order to make sure that parts of it aren't raw. Or I'll put it in the microwave for a few minutes in order to further cook the rawer parts.
Also, though the grill part is coated with a non-stick material it does get pretty dirty even if you wash it after every use. After several grillings, you have to take time to carefully clean with a small brush (a toothbrush works well). There are many nooks and crannies that your sponge can't penetrate. Besides, you have to occasionally scrub off the accumulated grease with a brush. Also, the back of the grill isn't coated so expect it to get very stained and dark with repeated usage. It's inevitable as the things you are cooking will curl around to impact the non-coated surface and even the cooking spray will burn and darken the back of the grill.
Lastly, expect the paint to chip off the drip pan. This isn't a big issue with me but be warned.
All in all, you get what you pay for with this. It works very well for a $33.00 piece of equipment. But it is flawed as stated.
Customer Review: Not as good as my Contempra Char-B-Que, but not bad
Summary: 4 Stars
After 20 years, my old Contempra Char-B-Que gave up the ghost. I tried the George Forman grill, but absolutely hated it, since it was a nightmare to clean and had no temperature control. Since NOBODY makes an open-element indoor grill any more, I decided to try the Sanyo. It's element is encased in it's aluminum grill, but there are plenty of holes for the grease to drip through into the metal tray below. You put about 1/4" of water in the tray before cooking and the tray practially rinses clean. The grill itself has a non-stick coating which makes cleaning fairly easy. I use a vegetable brush under running hot water to get all the real gnarly stuff off, then wipe it down with a soapy sponge to clean the rest. Although I can't find any warnings on it that say "Do not immerse in water", I decided not to, just to be safe.
The grill has a temperature control which enables you to adjust the heat level for different types of foods. The only problem is that the scale is not linear. While there's plenty of adjustment at the lower temperatures, there is only about 1/4" of adjustment left between 300 and 425 degrees. It's kind of tricky to dial in 350 degrees within such little space, but you get used to it. The little light goes off when grill reaches the selected temperature, which is nice. The grill comes with a fairly decent instruction manual, which gives some guidelines for time and temperatures for some different foods. So far, it seems fairly accurate.
The size is perfect for one to 3 people. The heat seems even all the way to the edges, so you could really load it up if you wanted to. I'm concerned just how long the non-stick coating will last, but other than that, it's a pretty neat grill for the price.
Customer Review: This grill is awesome !
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this grill after reading the reviews and have now had it about 1 1/2 months and I absolutely love it-It's a perfect size for 2 people. I have used it about 8 times so far, and I spray the removable grill rack with no stick spray,set the dial for about 300 degrees and it only takes about 10 minutes to heat up (the dial indicator light will go off)and the grilling times are comparable with my outside grill.
I think the key whether grilling outside, or inside with this grill is the seasonings and after researching the reviews I bought some Mccormick Montreal Steak Seasoning on Amazon (it's also available in most grocery stores)-but you mix 1/4 cup of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, and 2 teaspoons of the McCormick seasoning and brush this mixture on steaks or other meats about 10 minutes before grilling or while grill is heating, and it is GREAT !! I am not exaggerating, the taste is as good as my outside grill. (I will not use the outside grill again unless grilling for more than 2). TIP--you can get a aluminum baking tray for about a buck in a dollar or grocery store to fit over the top of grill for those recipes that call for closing the lid while cooking, but for steaks, chicken breast etc, you don't need it.
I cook on top of my stove that has a vent above it and rarely have to turn on the vent so smoking is not a problem--the removable grill and water pan are about as easy to clean as a dinner plate (only use a warm dish rag with no scrubbing, but I use cooking spray. I don't have a lot of cabinet space, so I just store it in my oven when not in use.
You can't go wrong with this grill--you will love it.
Customer Review: Such a great addition!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this grill and it arrived last week; I have made grilled chicken several times since, and I LOVE this grill. It makes it so easy to get healthy, great-tasting chicken.
The grill surface is small enough to fit well on my counter, but big enough to handle three large chicken breasts cut up in pieces. (I have marinaded chicken after cutting it up in pieces because I like to serve it that way with veggies or over salad. I know it can handle them not cut-up, but I love how quickly the pieces cook on the grill.) The grill gives the meet deep grill marks which is cool, and though of course it's not the same as an outdoor grill, it still tastes way better than just baking. Oh, and even though I forgot to pour in the half-cup of water in the bottom (which helps even cooking) until half-way through the first two times, it still turned out great. I always cover the whole thing with a sheet of aluminum foil (some people have recommended those disposable roasting pans, but this is cheap and I don't have to store it) and that seems to keep any smoke in, no splatters, and helps it to cook.
Clean up is easy. One reviewer recommended that you turn it off and throw two drenched paper towels on there. I do that, and then everything wipes right off. The three pieces come apart easily, and I know you can throw it in in the dishwasher but hand-washing it only takes a second. I spray Pam for Grilling on there, so maybe that helps.
I hoped that this grill would live up to all of the positive reviews, and for me it really has gone beyond what I expected.