I finally had dinner with George last week.
George has been around for more than 15 years. But I somehow resisted the urge to get better acquainted; even when George was the lean, mean star of the burger and chicken breast feasts.
Despite my friends praising his helpfulness, I didn't want more complications in my life, and that included any unnecessary gadgets in my kitchen.
But, after all these years, we somehow connected; not through Facebook or e-harmony, mind you. A chance conversation kindled my interest, and, with the introduction of a friend, I finally did dinner — with a George Foreman Grill.
You've probably spotted one of these handy-dandy little machines at a garage sale, or have left your own forgotten in the back of one of your cupboards. After all, the George Foreman Grill was the top-selling small kitchen appliance in the early 2000s, dovetailing with the Atkins, South Beach and other low-carb, meat-friendly diets of the day.
In 1994, houseware manufacturer Salton Inc. was looking for a way to market its dual-sided electric grill, called the Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine.
Because of its slanted design, the fat from the cooking meat ran into a drip pan at the bottom of the grill. To "brand" their product, they turned to heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman. He had the perfect "lean, mean" persona, and his infomercials scored a knockout with the public.
Worldwide product sales were more than $375 million in 2002 alone, as the empire expanded with larger grills, removable plates and other bells and whistles. It became part of pop culture — in an episode of "The Office," Steve Carell burned his foot on a George Foreman Grill. And just last week, it figured in a story line from the TV show, "Glee."
But it's hard to say exactly how a relationship loses its luster.
Some people have faithfully used their indoor grill over the years. But for many, the novelty wore off, and it became just one more bit of counter clutter. They put it away, and never bothered to drag it out again.
Some complaints about the original machine: it's tricky to clean off the burned-on grease, since the machine can't be immersed in water and the grilling surfaces aren't removable.
There's no temperature control (except for unplugging it), and meats that are unevenly shaped don't cook uniformly. The small machine can only make one or two servings of food at a time, so cooking for large families is impractical. And since you don't get the smoky flavor of an outdoor grill, some people found it's just as easy to heat up a pan on the stove.
But, fans can point out advantages as well. The two-sided cooking surface is great for cooking both sides of a thick, sloppy sandwiches. You don't have to flip the sandwich over as you do in a pan, and risk losing part of the filling.
Some people say they first use the grill to cook slices of onion, zucchini, and other vegetables, and then they add these to their sandwich before grilling it. One caveat: sturdy, dense breads seem to work better than regular, soft sandwich bread, which tends to get mashed down in the grill.
They're perfectly sized for empty-nesters,and solo diners, and practical for college dorms.
To deal with the cleaning mess, stick a few layers of wet paper towels in the closed grill after it's been turned off. Wait for the moisture to steam off some of the stuck-on charring, and it will be easier to wipe off.
Another trick: Place the food you're grilling in between parchment paper when you place it on the grill.
If you have one of those small grills sitting at home gathering dust, maybe it's time to get reacquainted. If you thought it was only good for burgers and boneless chicken, here are some other options.
Pesto Chicken Panini
For each sandwich:
1 hard roll or hoagie bun
1-2 tablespoons chive-flavored cream cheese
10 fresh basil leaves (or 1 tablespoon prepared pesto)
5-10 fresh spinach leaves
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped cooked chicken
1-2 thin slices tomato
5-6 kalamata olives, halved
1/4 cup shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
Preheat George Foreman grill. Slice the roll in half. Spread cream cheese across both cut halves. On the bottom half, evenly layer the basil leaves or pesto, then spinach leaves, then chicken, tomato and olives. Sprinkle cheese evenly over all, then cover with top half of bun.
Place in hot grill and lightly push on the top to flatten bread slightly. Grill 2-3 minutes, or until bread is toasted and cheese is melted. — Valerie Phillips
Ham & Apple Melt
For each sandwich, you need:
2 slices bread or flatbread
2 slices cheddar or Swiss cheese
3-4 thin slices of apple (enough for one layer across the bread)
2 slices ham
2 teaspoons soft butter
Preheat grill. Spread 1 teaspoon of butter on a slice of bread and place it buttered-side down on a plate. Cover bread with 1 slice cheese, then apple slices, then ham, and the last cheese slice. Top with second bread slice. Spread remaining 1 teaspoon of butter on the top of the bread. Transfer to hot grill, lightly pressing down on the sandwich at first. Grill for 4-5 minutes, or until bread has grill marks and cheese is melted. — Valerie Phillips
Pecan Crusted Salmon
1/2 teaspoon oil
2 4-ounce salmon fillets, about 1/2-inch to ¾ inch thick
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 tablespoons maple-flavor syrup
1/4 cup chopped pecans
Lightly brush grill with oil, and begin preheating it. When grill is hot, place the 2 salmon fillets on it. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper to taste, and close the lid. Cook for 3 minutes. Lift the lid and quickly sprinkle pecans across the top of each filet, until they are well-covered. Set the grill lid down and finish cooking for 1 more minute, or until flesh looks opaque, flakes easily with a fork, or is 135-140 degrees with a meat thermometer (temperature will continue to rise slightly after removal from grill). Before serving, drizzle maple syrup over the salmon. Serves 2. — Valerie Phillips
Chile-lime Quesadillas
1/4 cup ranch dressing
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon lime zest (finely shredded outer peel of lime)
4 8-inch tortillas
1 cup cooked, chopped beef or chicken
2-3 Anaheim chiles, roasted and peeled, or 1 small can whole mild chiles, cut into strips
1 small avocado, thinly sliced
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Begin preheating grill. Mix dressing, cilantro, lime juice and zest together.
When grill is hot, place 1 tortilla on the grill. Working quickly, spread a heaping tablespoon of dressing evenly across the top half of the tortilla. Top the tortilla half with 1/4 cup beef or chicken, 2 strips of chiles, 1 or 2 thin slices of avocado, 1 tablespoon salsa and 2 tablespoons cheese. Fold the other half of the tortilla to cover the filling.
Place the lid down and cook 1-2 minutes, or until tortilla is crisped with grill marks. Repeat for each quesadilla.
Serve while hot with additional salsa. Makes 4 quesadillas. — Valerie Phillips
Savory Portobello
Burgers
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Lawry's Grill-Mates Applewood Rub, optional
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder or flakes
Several grinds of pepper
Pinch of sugar
2 large portobello mushroom caps
2 hamburger buns
Condiments as desired
Mix vinegar, oil, water and all the seasonings together in a zippered, quart-size plastic bag. Add the 2 mushroom caps and marinate, refrigerated, for 1-2 hours.
Preheat grill. Remove mushrooms from bag, and place them on the grill, with the mushrooms' gill side down. Grill 2-3 minutes, or until heated through. Serve on buns with condiments as desired. Serves 2. — Valerie Phillips
Chicken Quesadillas
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup chopped chicken
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/2 cup salsa
8 flour tortillas
Preheat grill. Mix soup, chicken, cheese and salsa. Place one tortilla on the grill, spread 1/4 of the chicken mixture evenly across the tortilla. Top with another tortilla, and close the lid of the grill. Grill 2-3 minutes or until grill marks appear on tortilla and quesadilla is heated through. — Adapted from Campbell's Soup
e-mail: vphillips@desnews.com