What you've heard about the grills is all true--they're really easy to clean, they cook food incredibly fast and evenly, and food really does come out as juicy and tender as the commercials show you. Tell you how good it works: I decided to grill skinless, boneless chicken tenders one night for dinner, but they were frozen solid, and I had a group of surly, hungry family members waiting. Just as a gamble, I put the tenders on the George grill to THAW them a little. Well, they thawed all right and were completely cooked in about 8 minutes. Color me surprised!

I've done steak, pork chops, chicken, and shrimp on this little grill, and with each use, I get better and better at gauging the cooking time. I do recommend that you use cooking spray to further the ease of cleanup because spices and marinades tend to blacken (or even burn) where the ridges press into the meat, and cooking spray will slow/stop that. As there's no temperature control on this model, everything cooks at max power, so time is of the essence in making sure what you're cooking doesn't blacken too much.

The bun warmer does just what it promises--warms. No worries about burning the bread because it doesn't toast; it just makes your breads nice and soft. I enjoy the color choices for the lid with this model--I think it's a fun little extra that gives some personality to a simple appliance (I recommend the purple). There's a spatula and drip tray included, and you'll find that the spatula is better used as a scraper than it is for anything else--it makes short work of removing stuck-on food, etc. You'll be stunned to see just how much fat drains away from your food.

If I had to come up with one negative point about the grill, I'd say this: it's not hard to burn yourself on it. The heated surface extends to the sides of the grill, so if you go to move the whole unit, it's really easy to char your fingers.

It's a great introduction to the George Foreman line of grills! The price is incredibly reasonable, and the machine works so well, you'll be glad you got one.

99 of 103 found the following review helpful:

This baby makes quick & tasty food!  Nov 21, 2001
By yarden "yarden"
I bought the George Foreman grill as a joke for my husband (it DOES say "Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine" on it), but we used it every day for three weeks solid after it arrived. The reason? It's EASY, and the food turns out really tasty!

This particular model is small, and will only cook one or two portions of meat at a time. However, the grill cooks from the top and bottom all at once to cut your cooking time down to mere minutes! The grill is tilted and comes with a trough so that all excess fat is drained away from your food. Pretty nifty! It's also fairly easy to clean up -- you just wipe down the grill and throw the trough in the dishwasher.

We've used the grill for chicken breasts, Boca Burgers, regular burgers, pork chops, steaks, and even bacon strips (it's GREAT for avoiding a bunch of messy bacon grease). It cooks even frozen meat in a relatively short period of time, and it cooks it thoroughly. It's easy to throw something on the grill, sprinkle some seasonings on it (BAM!), and let it cook for a few minutes while you fix the rest of the meal. It is hard to overcook things, and it's fun to have grill-lines on your food.

It took me awhile to believe the hype about the George Foreman Grills, but they are easy to use and deliver good results. In fact, this might be a good way to introduce your older children (12 and up) to rudimentary cooking. The George Foreman grill is a great choice for people who don't have a lot of time to cook & clean, who aren't yet confident cooks or don't have a lot of cooking experience, or for anyone who wants an easy way to make a tasty meal!

51 of 51 found the following review helpful:

Best kitchen appliance ever!  Jan 11, 2002

As someone who hates cooking, and loves microwaves and toaster ovens, the George Foreman Grill has actually made me WANT to cook. All you have to do is brush veggies or burgers with some olive oil and you are ready to go. They cook pretty fast and come out juicy, but without all the grease and fat. Cleaning up isn't as difficult as everyone keeps saying either, as long as you wipe it down right away with a damp paper towel. I'm sure if you let things dry and get crusted on, it's difficult to clean, as with anything. My only gripe about this model is that it is so small. There isn't enough space to grill for more than 1 or 2 people, and if you want to make a large helping of veggies, you have to stand by and grill things in batches. You're better off buying one of the larger ones. The bun warmer works well, but you can only fit one in at a time in order to heat both top and bottom. I'd definitely recommend this product to anyone because it is so quick and easy, and I plan on getting a bigger model soon.

52 of 53 found the following review helpful:

awesome product! makes grilling easy!  Mar 15, 2001
By Victor
i heard so many people say good things about this grill that i decided to get one for myself. it definitely makes grilling easy and fun at the same time. since purchasing the grill, i've cooked bacon, hamburgers and steaks. you can cook a pretty good sized steak but it can't be too big. the grill's big enough to cook 2 hamburgers at a time though. it works really great on bacon, though because all of the fat drips off and then it's easy to dispense with because it runs into the little plastic container that comes with the grill. you have to cut bacon slices in half for it to fit but it's not a big deal.

basically, i would recommend this grill to anyone looking for a fun and easy grilling solution. if you need to cook for large groups of people (4 or more) you'll definitely want a bigger size but it's perfect for cooking for one or two people. it grills foods fast because you don't have to cook one side and then turn it over. both sides grill at the same time and they cook pretty evenly. you have to get this grill!

36 of 37 found the following review helpful:

Useless Bunwarmer Feature  Apr 03, 2001

The grill itself is as advertised BUT the bunwarmer feature on top is useless. It is literally too small to insert more than one bun at a time and is too shallow in that it actually "squashes" ONE bun that has been inserted in halves. This was a normal sized bun, not a large one. If I had it to buy over again, I would go with the cheaper model without the bunwarmer feature on top. It would be the same grill without the useless bunwarmer.

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