HURRY NEVER GOT ANY PLACE FAST until now!

“Hurry never got any place fast!” I don’t know who originated that saying but I can’t begin to count the times my grandmother said that to me as she taught me how to cook.

“The more time you take in preparation and cooking, the better the taste.”

In today’s day and age, who has time to stand over a COOKTOP and “take your time”?

Okay, so I am technically retired but I’m very (rather extremely) active in my civic association and I do have a personal life! Cooking isn’t exactly on my number one list of things to do. More often than not, I race to the freezer around 1 pm searching for something that will defrost in a hurry. More often than that, I realize that it’s getting late and cooking a time-consuming dinner just isn’t going to cut it. Naturally, I opt for the quick and easy.

Unfortunately, some foods aren’t supposed to be cooked – quick and easy. Take chicken for instance. Trying to cook that quick and easy usually results in under-cooked meat. Not good! Same with pork. We’re looking at violent stomach pains, here – not to mention the possibility of a more complicated illness.

About two weeks ago, naturally rushing around preparing for my fishing clubs annual dinner/dance and planning my women’s group tag sale, I realized I’d taken out chicken breasts for dinner. My problem now was that it was going on 7PM and time for a decent meal was running out.

I did the next best thing. I RAN OUT!! I ran (okay, so I didn’t actually run, I drove!!) to Wal*Mart [where else would I go?].

My purpose was to purchase the HAMILTON BEACH MEAL MAKER EXPRESS 25325.

I’d been eying that little appliance for some time but never made the purchase. Now I would! And boy, I wasn’t sorry.

First of all, there is NO TEMPERATURE CONTROL. That’s because this little appliance is designed to cook your food perfectly. It’s factory-set at one designated temperature that cooks your food evenly and thoroughly. All you need to do is SET THE TIMER. When the timer is set, the INDICATOR LIGHT will come on. The TIMER RINGS when time is done!

Keep in mind – there is NO on/off switch. Once you place the plug in the electrical outlet, the unit is ON.

The GRILLING CHART is included with this awesome ELECTRIC GRILL.

Just place your food item on the bottom grid and close the lid. It only takes about 7 minutes for a 5-ounce boneless chicken breast. The best part is, that there in NO pink inside. It’s completely cooked! For easier grilling ALWAYS PREHEAT YOUR GRILL FOR 5 MINUTES BEFORE USING.

The bottom grid has a pre-shaped DRAIN SPOUT to allow a greaseless cooking method. The grease drains into a REMOVABLE CATCH BASIN that is also DISHWASHER SAFE.

Once your cooking is done, unplug the cord and REMOVE THE GRIDS AND PLACE THEM IN THE DISHWASHER! Yep! You read correctly. The grids snap out for easy cleaning and snap back in snuggly to cook your food.

Okay, so you’re the kind of person that wants to grill but you need to cook more than just a few pieces. No problem. The top lid has a built-in, collapsing leg feature that unfolds when you open the lid to its fullest. You now have TWO GRILLS for those extra burgers or steaks.

All washed and ready to store away? Don’t forget to WRAP THE CORD! Huh?? The underside of the lower grid section has a cord wrap for easy storage.

One thing you should keep in mind is that because this appliance operates on two separate heating elements and a wide hinge to allow proper sizing for different food items, STEAM WILL FLOW BETWEEN THE TOP AND BOTTOM GRILLS. Never attempt to open the top without wearing or using some sort of hand protection (pot holder or something similar).

NEVER use steel wool or any kind of abrasive cleaner on the grill. Each grid has a NON STICK COATING that will be damaged by abrasives or non-plastic cooking tools.

I can’t begin to tell you how much I love my new little grill. Aside from my coffee maker, this little thing is getting a LOT OF USE!!