Other than quantity (putting more things on at once) is there anything a george foreman grill cannot do that an outdoor grill can?
You’re not going to get any smoked flavor from a George Foreman grill unless you really mishandle it.
Even if it can do corn on the cob, I’m sure it’s a huge pain in the ass compared to using a grill.
Any tin-foil packet baking type stuff that requires indirect heat.
Dutch oven cooking. Cast iron skillet cooking.
Plus all the flavor infused into all of the above.
The pure, visceral enjoyment of cooking around a smoking barbecue, particularly when you have guests. I just don’t see a half-dozen guys standing around a George Foreman grill, beer in hand…
I’ve never used a George Foreman grill, but I would assume any type of roast would be pretty much impossible, because of size (though I guess you can file this under your “quantity” exception.) The thing is basically like a large panini press, right?
As stated you can’t smoke your meat with charcoal, that is a big difference to me.
But with the advanced version of the Foreman grill you can set the temperature exactly, something you can’t do on a charcoal grill.
There actually are temperature regulators, if you’re into that sort of thing, though the range in that unit is limited from 175-375F. (Plus the OP didn’t specify charcoal grill, and you can control temp on a gas grill, of course.)
Interesting
For some reason BBQ grills are very popular in my apartment complex. I will probably get one. I love charcoal but hate propane.
I haven’t used a George Foreman grill since the very first ones back in the late 90s, so they might have improved since then (please god they have). But the one I owned simply didn’t get hot enough to provide a real sear. The grate of my charcoal grill hits 750-800 degrees easily; more in spots if I’m not really careful how I rake the coals. That kind of heat provides a char and crust that, for things like steaks, chops, and chicken, is both inimitable and absolutely delicious. (Stuff like sausages that take longer and need to cook to a higher temp end up finishing around the edges of the kettle, but they still get that initial sear.)
Smoke, charcoal flavor. It’s a fine grilling tool, but it ain’t fire.
I defy you to do a 20 lb. turkey like I do several times a year.
0r smoke pork bellies into bacon like the 20 lbs. I have smoking all night right now.
Is there anything a Foreman grill can do that I can’t do on one of my charcoal units?
Other than allowing me to stay dry in a rain storm I can’t think of anything.
Speaking as the former owner of one: yes. A George Foreman grill can get you from zero to a nicely cooked single chicken breast in about eight minutes with a minimum of wasted energy/fuel, whereas my charcoal grill is going to take three or four times that long just to get hot, and is going to feel pretty wasteful unless I cook a bunch of food. (I’m anal enough about that last bit that I often use the last of the coals to grill up fruit for dessert, once the main protein and any veggies are done.)
That’s about it. Everything else, real grill wins, hands down.
I think the better question to ask is: Is there anything a George Foreman Grill can do that a frying pan can’t? I owned a George Foreman Grill 10+ years ago, before I owned outdoor gas and charcoal grills and I don’t understand the appeal. Their convenience in cooking is outweighed by their cumbersome footprint and they’re also slightly a pain in the ass to clean. It’s basically a glorified waffle iron, minus the waffle surface.
I’m sure that designs have improved in the past 10 years, but if I’m doing any indoor “grilling” it’s in a Lodge cast iron grill pan. At least you can get a good sear with cast iron, if you don’t mind smoking out your kitchen. It’s still not grilling, it’s frying. As are the Foreman appliances.
I think the better question to ask is: Is there anything a George Foreman Grill can do that a frying pan can’t? I owned a George Foreman Grill 10+ years ago, before I owned outdoor gas and charcoal grills and I don’t understand the appeal. Their convenience in cooking is outweighed by their cumbersome footprintand they’re also slightly a pain in the ass to clean. It’s basically a glorified waffle iron, minus the waffle surface.
Is Robert163 some kind of youtube bot?
no, its a joke, Micheal, from the show the Office, burned his foot with a George Foreman grill…
Kind of a weird way to insert a YouTube link, but it reminded me of another thing I hated about that appliance. No power switch. What the fuck was that about?
I’m saying that past tense, because I certainly hope that ole’ George has seen fit to add a power switch since then. That was a huge WTF?! moment for me, when I realized that I had to physically plug or unplug an appliance to operate it. I inspected every square inch of that thing in disbelief that if it was plugged into a power outlet, it was on. We’re not talking about a clock radio here, this is a high temperature cooking appliance!
Surely they’ve added a power switch by now. Please tell me they added a power switch.
No. Not on the models I’ve bought in the last year or so. I’ve also found the non-stick coating is not very durable at all. Convenient for burgers though.
Wow, how many George Foreman Grills do you own?!
That’s crazy that there’s still no power switch. Like, mind-boggling crazy. I would think that liability alone on house/apartment fires would have forced a change by now. How much cost could possibly be added by a simple power switch? I mean, I would think they would have power switches and auto-off timers. It’s not like anyone is doing a two hour cook on a Foreman Grill.
Crazy.
I was raised in a household where appliances were unplugged and put back in the cupboard after use (I was always envious of my friends who had toasters which were always there at the ready). It’s stuck with me, so the lack of a power button doesn’t bother me one bit. How hard is it to turn off the power point?