We've had a George Foreman Champ grill for a while now. It was one of those purchases which Ryan really wanted, even though I was happy making burgers in a pan. I think it boosted his machismo or something but, to me, this little white "grill" isn't really an ode to anyone's masculinity. LOL
It's been used quite a few times since we got it, although it isn't something we always use on a weekly or even a monthly basis. It is nice for a couple reasons but there are a few setbacks which would prevent me from buying this same model again. I'd be interested in a bigger, better Foreman grill, however.
The Champ grill so marketed as an easy to clean counter top grill with bun warmed. Unfortunately, anything which is a feature of this grill pretty much comes up short. In fact, there are a few ways in which this machine does not measure up.
For starters, the Champ grill is quite small. It suggests you can cook two burgers on it at the same time, but that's really not true. It's a bit large for one patty but you won't get two on there unless they're tiny. With a width of just over 6 inches, including the parts of the machine which are not the grill, I think this is easy to understand. It's not much fun to wait for 1 burger to cook and it certainly puts a damper on trying to eat together. In this respect, the grill doesn't hold up very well and I could just as easily use a pan to fry up a few burgers at a time.
And if two burgers won't fit on the grill, do not expect two buns (which are usually a bit larger) to fit in the bun warmer. Honestly, the bun warmed didn't seal the deal for us, although it seemed like it would be interesting. We quickly stopped using it for a variety of reasons. The buns became crushed in the warmed because of the size. They also became soggy from retaining the moisture of the grill. The cover was also very weak and continued to fall off when we could lift up the lid of the grill. In the end, I think it broke and we threw it away. For something we were only mildly interested in, having warm buns sure was a hassle.
Although small, the grill worked well. It heated from both the top and bottom and your burgers can get some nice grill lines. I imagine it would also work well with sandwiches and paninis but I haven't tried. I did fry up a chicken breast on the Champ grill a time or two and it's definitely important that your meat is off a uniform thickness otherwise the thicker area will remained uncooked while the thinner burns. I'm not a big fan of having to pound out my meat so this is a bit of a hindrance.
The burgers are always tasty and the house smells like a real grill it going, however. If you don't want any frills, the George Foreman Champ Grill is a decent product but if you're looking for a little more, I'd skip this one. Some critics mention that there is no timer on this grill which would be nice. The instructions did include estimations for how long food should be cooked and we never have had a big problem with food being too undercooked (I should mention I like my burgers well done and sometimes I've had to toss a burger back on the grill) or burned. I also like that I can flip the top part of the grill up and toss some cheese on my burger to melt a bit.
One of the positive features of this grill is that is is tilted slightly. Provided with the grill is a small tray to catch the grease that drains. This makes it a bit more healthy than grilling in a pan. Furthermore, having a top portion of the grill means it's less mess than frying in a pan. None of my pans have lids so there's always a lot of messy and, sometimes painful, splatter from the grease. Nevertheless, the decline sometimes causes the food on the grill to slide forward and it doesn't cook as evenly. It's not a huge deal to move the meat but it may mean it takes a bit longer to get all of it cooked or that some parts burn.
As well as the tray, the grill also comes with a little, notched plastic spatula which doubles as a cleaning tool. The spatula is really flimsy and doesn't work well as a spatula at all. However, I do not want to use metal implements with the nonstick coating and other spatulas are a bit too big to work with this so it's a bit of a hassle. The make of the spatula and even the tray is rather flimsy, although they are dishwasher safe. Plastic is pretty prevalent in the grill and I think it would seem a sturdier product if it were made of a more quality material. However, besides the warmer tray, I have not had any issues with the quality of the grill itself except for the fact that the nonstick coating has started to come off. As you can guess, this makes food stick to the grill as well, making it more difficult to clean.
And difficulty cleaning is the number one fault I can find with this little machine. The grill plates are not removable so they cannot be fully submersed in the sink or washed in the dishwasher. The instructions tell you to simply wipe it down and it will be good as new but, let's face it, that's not entirely sanitary. One thing I do like is that the spatula doubles as a cleaning implement whose notches fit over the grill so you can scrape food and grease off, right into the tray. We always forget to do this immediately after using the grill, though. I have to turn it back on the heat up the grease and such.
So once the majority of food and grease is wiped off, you can just wipe this down, right? Kind of. With a damp washcloth, sponge or paper towels (I usually use the latter), you can wipe down most of the machine but the ridges make for some nooks and crannies which are not all that easy to clean. Add to it the flaking off of the nonstick coating and it does become more difficult.
All in all, the George Foreman Champ Grill is a decent appliance to have in the kitchen even if it is a little small and does make cooking easier while reducing splatter, if not quicker. The heating portion is solid product but the grill would be improved with a few features such as removable grill plates to make cleaning more thorough (and dishwasher safe would be good, too!), a stronger spatula/cleaning tool and perhaps a timer or temperature control. I could honestly do without the additional bun warmer and would probably consider a larger George Foreman in the grill. In the meantime the Champ Grill works okay but isn't a miracle worker.
It cooks food evenly, and fast. Warms up in what seems like minutes. I chop one onion and my foreman is already ready to throw on the rub a dub grub. I have the large model like pictured. It doesn't burn my morning sausage. I love it, and its easy to clean. Essential for those days of being locked up in the house during a grueling winter day and be missing the grill. Just bust out our foreman with the bun warmer, some mustard and maybe... some ketchup
NOn stick, fast warm-up time, cooks evenly, works even better than thought, actually something good that was first advertised on TV.
Tip- take ground beef, chopped onions, A1 steak sauce, a pinch of season salt mix all together and throw on your foreman. Add cheese and like YuM!
I really like my George Foreman grill. It's great for burgers and also grilled cheese and just about anything else that you'd normally cook on the stove. It's easy to clean and small enough to fit in a corner.
The bun warmer feature is great and makes for some tasty sandwiches.
This is also great for chicken nuggets, by the way.
This is the first George Foreman Grill that we purchased. It is good for cooking things like hamburgers because it drains so much of the grease out of the meat during cooking. However it tends to leave the meat very dry so it takes some getting used to. When you see what drains out into the grease catcher you will be glad that you aren't eating it. The bun warmer is pretty cook and works well. This machine is pretty small and you can only cook two small hamburgers on it at once or one large one. It works well for serving one person but that's about it. The one thing about this unit that really turns me off is that it doesn't have removal plates with makes it a pain to clean. This is the reason that we ended up getting rid of this grill and upgrading to the large grill with removable plates. It's about double the price but is well worth it.
It was a Christams gift for my boyfriend. It was a little small but will do the trick!
Thermostat Controlled / Non-Stick Cooking Plates / Floating Hinge Evenly Cooks Thicker Foods / Drip Tray / 110 Volts AC / WHITE Floating hinge for even grilling of thicker foods Drip-tray for run-off Bun Warmer Light indicator lets you know when grill is ready Easy to clean Easy to use White finish
Topped by a bun warmer with a transparent lid, this Champ is a variant of the popular George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine. The electric appliance's appeal lies in its simplicity and countertop convenience--not to mention its fat-fighting ability. The double-sided grill (a 6-by-7-inch nonstick cooking surface) cooks burgers, steaks, chicken, sausage, fish, shrimp, and vegetables top and bottom in minutes. (Recipes accompany the grill.) Grill marks not only look appetizing, they contribute caramelized flavor. The bottom grill's deep grooves collect fat, and the grill is sloped so the fat runs off into a dishwasher-safe plastic tray stationed under the unit's front. The nonstick bun warmer draws heat from the grill and can be used while food is grilling or by itself. (The entire unit, grill and bun warmer, turns on by plugging in the power cord.) The warmer heats a burger's bun as well as other bread items, including English muffins, tortillas, pita bread, sliced bagels, and croissants. Because the grill is nonstick, cleanup is a snap: just a quick scrape with a plastic spatula (included) and a quick wipe with a paper towel or a sponge. --Fred Brack
SIMILAR PRODUCTS:
George Foreman's Knock-Out-the-Fat Barbecue and Grilling Cookbook:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=0679771492
Pyrex Storage 10-Piece Set, Clear with Blue Lids:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=B00005B8K5
Proctor Silex K2070H 1-Quart Automatic Electric Kettle, White:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=B00023XCWS
Hamilton Beach 33141 4-Quart Oval Slow Cooker:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=B000A1FFPO
George Foreman CLEANING SPONGES GFSP3:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=B0009AJ1ZQ
ACCESSORIES:
George Foreman 4-Piece Nylon BBQ Tool Set:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=B00005AM7H
George Foreman's Big Book of Grilling, Barbecue and Rotisserie:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=0743200926
George Foreman Indoor/Outdoor Electronic Food Thermometer:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=B00005AM7N
Vacu Vin Vacuum Instant Marinater:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=B000053U7F
Pyrex Programmable Timer:http://bestdeallocator.info/index.php?id=B00004RC4T
An excellent review - and not a bit less On-Topic than our resident
'contributors'....uh....er....ah.... stuff, of late, or anytime. :)))