All She Wants For Christmas Is a George Foreman Grill
Seems a surprise that a forward-thinking school like Evergreen State College would settle for such bland, boring institutional offerings. Especially when there's an organic farm on campus.
So, I'm going to try to put a few presents under the tree that will help put some meat back on my daughter's bones. (She's experienced the reverse of the famous "freshman 15".) I'm open to cooking-in-the-dorm-tool suggestions, but one thing I know I'm going to give her is a George Foreman Grill.
My nephews gave me one for Christmas many years ago and, at first, I thought it was a gag gift. Those original ads were so corny, right?
But once I started using it, I was sold. It now lives on my kitchen counter, a deeply entrenched part of my daily cooking routine. Don't laugh. It makes excellent toast and incredible panini, not to mention quesadillas and burritos and, yes, it also grills fish and meat and poultry and tofu in a jiffy. I no longer fry bacon up in a pan. It's my kitchen's most valuable player.
I keep thinking I'm going to need to upgrade to a new, spiffier model, but not until mine conks out. And, like the boxer that shares its name, this champion just keeps on going round after round.
Anybody else share my unbridled enthusiasm for "the lean, mean grilling machine"?
--Leslie Kelly
Joe on December 10, 2009 at 04:47 PM
The foreman grill is great, especially if you get the removable plates. Much easier to clean. Another choice may be the magic bullet. It takes up very little space and makes great smoothies for a healthy breakfast that I use regularly (although in college, I may have used it for other drinks at night :).
Jeff B. on December 11, 2009 at 06:44 AM
I highly doubt grills are allowed in dorm rooms. Usually the only cooking appliances allowed are hot pot, coffee pot, and microwave. Grill + teenager = extreme fire hazard (yes, even smart teenagers get distracted). At least get one with an auto shut-off. I snuck a toaster oven into my dorm room, so I'm not trying to be preachy. But it popped open when it was done cooking, so technically that's an auto shut-off... :)
ck on December 11, 2009 at 04:08 PM
A compact rice cooker can be a versatile choice. There are cookbooks devoted to rice cooker meals.
As for the grill, Jeff's right -- check the dorm regulations before you buy. Information on what's allowed and what's not is generally available on the unprotected portion of the housing site. Possessing things that generate a lot of heat or that have the potential to cause fires can be grounds for eviction from dorms on certain campuses.
The other thing to watch for if you're looking at microwaves and other safe but power-hungry devices like mini-fridges is to see whether your kid's dorm has a cap on wattage (microwaves), cubic space chilled (fridge), etc. That stuff also is generally very well spelled out on the school sites, and yes violations are evictable offenses.
Ahh, but at least we finally know why there are such runs on 700-watt microwaves every fall, even at Amazon, huh?
gbob on December 12, 2009 at 06:33 AM
Gotta agree about the foreman when it comes to bacon. Now that it's getting cold, bacon is something I crave....but it's a pain to cook without grease splattering everywhere and to get that perfect crispy bacon taste. I've been experimenting with different ways. Here's what I found.
Microwave: Don't bother. Anyone who thinks they can cook bacon in a microwave is nuts and their table should be avoided.
Oven: Nice, but it takes too long to cook, and seems like a bit of a waste of energy. Clean up is a bit of a pain with the pan full of grease. (use a wire rack, btw, over the pan.
Griddle: My former favorite, but there's grease all over the place after. During nice weather I'll take the griddle outside and cook it there.
Waffle Iron: I like this a great deal. I got the idea from Alton Brown, and it works well. The only problem is that it doesn't cook that many pieces, and the act of cleaning it will ruin the tempering of a good iron.
Foreman grill: Yeah. This is where it's at. No mess, easy clean up and the results are perfect bacon in a quick time. Set the bacon down, walk over to get the eggs and toast ready and you're good to go.
Quilly Mammoth on December 12, 2009 at 07:22 AM
I mentioned to a friend that I had once made dinner in a motel room using nothing other then a coffeemaker. She recommended this book. Many of the recipes are simply too time consuming; however it inspired me to make a pretty good Seafood Bisque soup in one. There may be better books out on the subject.
My wife and I now see it as a challenge to cook a meal in our motel room on our once a year expedition from the midwest to Chattanooga...when we first started making the trip we were very short on funds. Doing it on a regular basis??
But if the Foreman is out a coffee maker, an electric kettle and a small micro will still do well. Ya'll did did see that article in USA Today about food quality in government supported programs?
http://www.amazon.com/Cooking-Without-Kitchen-Peter-Mazonson/dp/0963706217
kiwikit on December 12, 2009 at 07:23 AM
Cleaning these things is a cinch. Just put a few wet paper towels
in when you take out the food while it's still hot. In a few minutes everything is wiped clean and then dried with another paper towel. I've been doing this for five years and it really works like a charm.
Can't wait to try bacon!
john williams on December 12, 2009 at 09:18 AM
I must agree that the Foreman Grill is an irreplaceable everyday kitchen player possessed of remarkable versatility. Question for the group: where does one find replacement parts (such as drip trays) for the units?
Louise on December 12, 2009 at 09:23 AM
Our GF Grill also sits on our counter and is a part of daily life, although I don't use it as widely as some of the suggestions here. I would counter to the dorm argument, though, that this is no different than a hot pot or a hair straightener (and I guarantee there are more than a few of those around!). My straightener doesn't have an automatic shutoff, and neither does the grill. The difference is that the grill is sitting up on feet and none of the hot plates touch the cabinet or anything else - UNLESS you leave or put something here (like wet paper towels!). The straightener lies on the counter, though, and has left a mark on mine. One solution for an auto turnoff for the grill would be to always hang something prominent up (a funky coat hanger or some other reminder) when you begin grilling and even if you still forget - if your roommate sees it and knows the system, it will remind her/him, too, if left on.
Didi on December 12, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Great article and comments. I've been a little embarrassed about how much I love my GF. It started out as a joke gift to my son who ridiculed it and passed it on to me. I use it almost every day but hadn't thought of toast and bacon. I can't wait to try them. Thanks for the tips.
Thomas on December 12, 2009 at 03:31 PM
Yeah, I'd take a mini one when traveling using hotels without microwaves... just pop a frozen veggie* burger in a foreman grill.
* ie, no fat / mess or smoke is the main reason.
Omnibus Driver on January 01, 2010 at 12:55 PM
How about a 1.5 quart crockpot?