George Foreman G5: Someone Listened

Although our second George Foreman grill cost 30% more than our original, the benefits over the old model are well worth the difference.

You can read my clever review of our last grilleration titled, "You Bought a What?" under Salton Large Family Sized Grill GR-30, written in May of oh-one. How time flies when you're writing Epinions!

Back in oh-one my "cons" were, "Steaks are better done outside. Cleanup's a mess. Booklet short on recipes." I should have added that the GR-30 was missing any sort of temperature control or a way to turn it on and off, besides plugging and pulling the plug.

With the G5, four of my five "cons" have been corrected. Thanks to "tough triple-coated, scratch-resistant," non-stick coating and mobility, all five removable plates can be placed in the dishwasher. Cleaning the older GR-30 required a lot of resolve and the ability to accept advice from casual "non-cleaners."

George also provides a 125 page cookbook, published in Rocklin CA, that actually looks and reads like one. It includes such goodies as "Breakfast Tacos" and "Cuban Sandwich & Croque Monsieur."

An adjustable temperature control has also been added, although you have to time what you're doing. When you turn this timer to L., M, or H, the red indicator light lets you know that the electricity is flowing. An additional green light lights up and then goes off when the set temperature is reached. At first the lights seemed counter intuitive to this operator. To me green means "go" (cook) and red means "stop" (don't cook). Maybe the G6 will address my mental glitch? OFF permits you to disable the lean machine without pulling the plug--a true technological miracle.

My only "con" to remain unchanged is that steaks really are better done outside, preferably over real charcoal liberally sprinkled with mesquite.

In my previous review I should have mentioned that the "mean, lean, fat reducing grilling machine" produces the best pork chops on the planet. We all brag about our mother's cooking, even pork chops that were usually either too dry or too fat. Pork chops cooked on George's lean machine are neither. They are perfectly lean and perfectly moist. In other words, perfect.

Besides correcting the deficiencies, George's 5th generation grill (grilleration G5) has considerably expanded its capabilities by incorporating five interchangeable plates. In addition to two grill plates, there is a griddle, waffle maker, and panini (sandwich) press. You can even bake on this baby. Each plate has two "stay cool handles," pulled-out to remove from the grill and pushed-in to seat in place. As far as I've been able to determine, the plates do not fit unless they are in the proper location--which fosters a sort of "musical plates" challenge until you become used to the design.

We've used the G5 for the old standbys, like hamburgers, and they all have turned out nicely. Vegetables, which we don't do often enough, are a special treat. Waffles were a pleasant surprise, as perfectly done as any we've ever had.

Thanks to a one inch floating hinge, this lean machine has two stances, level or tilted. The machine is tilted to allow fat to drip away into a separate, provided tray. Otherwise, the level position is used.

We like the G-5's size because it takes up less counter space than most portable cooking devices, and does not inflict back injuries when lifted. So far the 84 square inch cooking surface has been more than adequate. If we ever have to cook for the Prussian Army, for example, we may need to haul out the old machine, which we kept just in case they (or hoards of relatives) show up.

Cost varies, so be sure to shop. We paid $130 before there was competition. Today, Amazon has one seller listing them at $90. If you buy online be sure to figure S & H charges in your overall cost.

A final note on disparaging remarks concerning G-5's appearance: One reviewer described it as "near-ugly." The reviewer obviously has no taste or he/she would recognize that The Next Grilleration George Foreman G-5 is truly a masterpiece of industrial art. Last Yuletide we were drawn to the machine--how should I put it? Perhaps from a lyric in South Pacific, "across a crowded room." The store was jammed with kitchen appliances, floor to ceiling and wall-to wall, yet this red beauty drew us like a magnet.

Shucks, I've even considered purchasing one just for display in the living room. It looks like--well, ready for lift-off.