A good bang for your buck

My last George Foreman grill stopped heating on the bottom, so I decided it was time for an upgrade. Here is my review of my new grill, after using it for 2 months.

Cooking area:
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One good feature of this grill in particular is its large cooking area. The small-sized George Foreman grills are good for burgers or tiny steaks. If you plan on having company over, this grill can cook 2 prime rib steaks at the same time.
The downside on unit size is storage space; I had to re-organize my cupboard to find a space for it. This won't be an issue for most homes, but bachelors beware, this unit is probably as wide as your monitor.

Temperature control:
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I like the digital temperature control compared to the sliding switch kind, however I feel as if I have been robbed of some degrees of freedom. The temperature can only be controlled in 20 degree increments, from 300-400. So there are really only 6 settings, 300, 320, 340, 360, 380, and 400. The sliding thermostat had a more solid feel and the continuous scale gives you more precise temperature control. On the other hand, it wasn't calibrated, so you didn't really know what the temperature was. Having said that, the sliding temperature control on my other grill never strayed from 'medium'.

Ready Alarm:
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This model grill gives a considerate 'beep' when the grill is warmed up, and flashes the temperature while it is equilibrating. This makes cooking easier as you know exactly when the grill is ready. On the other hand, other grills have a thermostat light which goes out when the grill is heated, but you have to pay attention to the light or the tiny popping sound the thermostat makes when switching off once cooking temperature is reached.
Having said this, with a digital display and beeping alarm, wouldn't it have only made sense to build a timer into this unit? That way you could get a beep when your food was ready, rather than when to start cooking. Maybe that's just me.

Cleaning the George Foreman:
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The George Foreman comes with two plastic grooved spatulas to clean the grill. Throw these back in the box. Although they will work, my brother found a much better way to clean the grill. Simply unplug the unit after cooking, and while it's still hot (and while the fat tray is still under the unit) wipe the cooking surface with a wet sponge. Let the water fall into the fat tray. This will keep the surface from scratching, and leave it spotless. No soap is necessary.

ON/OFF Buttons:
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The purpose of these buttons are somewhat of a mystery to me. The instructions recommend that you do not keep the unit plugged in when not in use. So plugging the unit in, then turning it on, or turning it off, then unplugging it seems like a wasted step. I usually only use one side to cook, then I leave the other side turned off. Does this save energy? Probably not. If temperature control went from 0 to 400 then the ON/OFF switches would be unnecessary. I suppose they included them for automatic shutoff.

Automatic Shutoff:
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This unit will shut off automatically, 1 hour after starting to cook. I've never reached this time limit since most foods I cook, even large steaks, take less than 15 minutes.

Quality of Cooked Food:
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Some people are fanatical about the George Foreman grills. If you are looking to buy this grill for health reasons, don't bother. Truth is if you buy a pan with slatted grooves, you'll drain off about as much fat as the George Foreman does. The incline of the grill and the fat collection dish are overrated for health benefits.
On the other hand, this unit is very easy to clean, heats up quickly, and makes a great tasting steak. Some people complain that because the fat is drained, meat ends up tasting dry. This is true if you leave the meat on the grill for too long. It only takes a frozen steak about 15 minutes to cook through, especially with this high-powered unit. Vegetables take much less. Its usefulness in the kitchen places it in higher priority and use than my toaster. I was worried when I first received the George Foreman (it was a present) that it would remain on my shelf and collect dust. I'm happy to report that I've gotten very good use out of it, and it makes grilling a snap.

Looks:
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The flying-saucer like style of this grill with the digital display gives it a sleek look. It's definitely one of the nicest looking George Foreman grills. After all, looks do matter! It would be nice to see one of these grills in black or chrome, simply because after a while the white plastic tends to yellow on the sides, close to the heat. Also, if you scrub or nick the plastic, you will get black marks.