NOW WE'RE GRILLING!!!

I mentioned my new "Foreman type" grill in my second post and I thought I'd write just a bit more about it and why I invested in it.

Some might wonder why one of these grills would be a requirement for my new diet. It's simple - less fat in the food means less fat in me. The fat that cooks out of the meat goes right down the channels and down into a catch tray. Sure, the same thing happens on a normal outdoor grill, but apartment dwellers have to keep those quite far away from the building and the weather doesn't always cooperate.

The model I bought is the Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express 25325 just like the pic at the top of the page except that mine is white. This is my second grill like this, the first being an actual George Foreman grill that was actually rather small. Sure, there are brand name Foreman grills on the market with many of the same features and the same size as this one. The reason I chose this particular model was that Wal Mart actually had it in stock that night. Oh yeah, it was cheaper, too.

The smaller Foreman grill I have (which will soon go to a new owner) has one big drawback for me - no removable grill plates. My roommate always said it was easy to clean, but somehow water always seemed to get where it shouldn't when I cleaned it. No, it wasn't plugged in when this happened, but it carried with it some of the essence of the food that was being removed from it. The next time it was fired up, you'd smell it. The new Hamilton Beach has the removable grill plates. Much easier to clean.

One feature that this new grill that's not found on a Foreman grill (as far as I know) is that the top can flip all the way over, doubling the cooking area. A little leg folds out from the lid and presto - mucho cooking area! OK, so you have to flip the food and it takes longer to cook, but it's there when you need it. There's even a little spout to carry the grease from what's normally the lid into the catch tray.

Another feature that this grill has that my older Foreman doesn't is a timer. The timer has to be running for the grill to be powered up. It's not necessary, but it's nice.

The first meal cooked on the new grill was mahi mahi steaks last night. Just as wonderful as I remember them. My roommate doesn't think as highly as I do about them, but that's OK. She can have what she wants and I'll have the chicken or fish on the grill.

If you don't already have one of these wonderful little appliances, I highly recommend picking one up. Fast, healthy cooking was never easer.