The Delonghi Alfredo Indoor Grill: Puts the George Foreman Grills to Shame

As my fiance and I get set to begin our lives together, we have been going through the shower experience and I have been introduced to the wonders of Williams-Sonoma. What a store! One thing they have that I have not seen anywhere else is the Delonghi Alfredo Indoor Grill. Yes, it is the same basic philosophy as the George Foreman indoor grills; a way to continue grilling indoors when the weather gets cold and wet.

We got both types of grills and we very quickly gave the George Foreman grill to my fiance's parents. What did we see with the Delonghi that made us make this decision? Quite simply a more modern looking design, a more sensible cooking style, and a previous bad experience with the Foreman grills.

The Alfredo is a very good looking grill. Compared to the cheap looking Foreman grills, the Alfredo is the BMW 5 Series to the Ford Festiva. While there is nothing wrong with either, the BMW is clearly the better looking of the two. The design is modern while also being sensible and durable.

What really matters is how it cooks, though. The Alfredo cooks like a dream. The big difference between the the Alfredo and the better known Foreman is that the Alfredo is more like a grill. Rather than having the food rest on a surface that is constant, the Alfredo uses "bars" in the same fashion as a normal grill. There are numerous bars that cover the 140 square inch area just like with your outdoor grill. The grease and other droppings fall into a collection area just like with a normal grill. The finished product looks just like it would if it was coming off a typical grill. The finished product- most importantly- also tastes just like it came off a traditional grill.

A big difference from a traditional grill is that this one is electric. What this means is that the grill will cook as evenly as it possibly can. You can use all 140 square inches and not worry about being near the flame in order to get everything cooked evenly. You can also select a temperature to cook the food. What this means is that the food is cooked more evenly and you can avoid burning things. You also can clean the Alfredo easier than other grills. Going back to the Foreman models, I always had difficultly cleaning mine. The Alfredo is a joy to clean. Most everything drips into a removable collection area that can be dumped into the disposal. You can then throw the collection plate into the dishwasher and move on to the surface itself. The cooking surface can be removed and placed in the dishwasher as well. Hallelujah!!!

What else? The Foreman grill does not have a splatter guard so you have to watch where you cook. In other words, you do not want to be too close to a wall or you will end up with splatter on the wall. The Alfredo has a removable splatter guard that prevents this from happening.

I highly recommend the Alfredo. The grill is easy to use, cooks evenly and retains the taste. The cleaning process is as easy as can be since it involves breaking things down and putting them in the dishwasher. The one gripe I have has nothing to do with the grill. I am just not a fan of grilling indoors. You can use you normal grill year round unless it is very cold. Think about it: You are standing beside a fire when you cook so moderately cold temps should be no big deal. Otherwise, this is a wonderful grill.