# Is there anything a george foreman grill can't do that an outdoor grill can **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2015, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864 "2015-10-17T01:52:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/21 "2015-10-17T13:00:15Z")
It is possible to use a Forman to cook a hamburger with pseudo grill marks on it, but the end result is really a fried hamburger. You may as well fry it in a skillet. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/22 "2015-10-17T14:32:15Z")
There is barely anything a Foreman grill can do that an outdoor grill can. Foreman grills can barely cook rather thin pieces of food, that’s about it. Virtually any frying pan can do everything a Foreman grill can, and do it faster and better. However, if you can’t tell the difference in taste between a hamburger and a circular piece of Styrofoam then I strongly recommend the George Foreman grill. ---
**Author:** ![northporlarbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7bcc69/32.png) [@northporlarbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/northporlarbear)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/23 "2015-10-17T15:43:06Z")
That grill sounds like a boxer. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/24 "2015-10-17T16:07:03Z")
I can’t find any online confirmation but does anyone remember that grill that used crumpled up newspaper as the fuel? I seem to recall that was what Foreman was the frontman for many moons ago. Did I dream this? ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/25 "2015-10-17T18:58:20Z")
We use newspaper in a chimney lighter to start the charcoal, but I don’t think you can really cook with it alone. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/26 "2015-10-17T18:59:34Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I can’t find any online confirmation but does anyone remember that grill that used crumpled up newspaper as the fuel? I seem to recall that was what Foreman was the frontman for many moons ago. Did I dream this? There was a gizmo that would roll newspapers into a firelog. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/27 "2015-10-17T19:04:51Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > I can’t find any online confirmation but does anyone remember that grill that used crumpled up newspaper as the fuel? I seem to recall that was what Foreman was the frontman for many moons ago. Did I dream this? I believe the newspaper was just to start the charcoal in a little fold up grill. I recall seeing those advertised in CA because lighter fluid for starting charcoal had been banned. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/28 "2015-10-17T19:06:50Z")
Don’t get me wrong, it seemed ludicrous to me but I distinctly remember an infomercial advertising a cheap grill that was designed this way. Maybe it was a dream. Lol ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/29 "2015-10-17T19:48:41Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > Don’t get me wrong, it seemed ludicrous to me but I distinctly remember an infomercial advertising a cheap grill that was designed this way. Maybe it was a dream. Lol I think I was mistaken. It was charcoal that was banned in CA at the beach so the little grill was said to work with newspaper instead of charcoal. I don’t think it could burn very long with just newspaper, but you can get a very hot flame from newspaper for a short time, good enough to cook a thin hamburger or a hotdog on. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/30 "2015-10-17T19:55:29Z")
I found it! It was the “Qwik–Cook Grill” Youtube link of infomercial: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/jBCrMDgeRY4/hqdefault.jpg "Qwik Cook Grill Chicago Summer infommercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBCrMDgeRY4) And though the video is apparently lost to the ages, Dick Butkus was the spokesman at one point not Foreman. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/31 "2015-10-18T00:17:49Z")
Well, outdoor grills can actually make good hamburgers, so there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/32 "2015-10-18T00:59:38Z")
> [@Robert163](#): > > Interesting > I love charcoal but hate propane. Taste the meat, not the heat. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/33 "2015-10-18T03:12:23Z")
I thought the plus was that unlike a skillet or frying pan, the fat would drip away into the channels in a Foreman grill. If you don’t have a handy propane grill outside, I think a Foreman grill would be handy when it’s freezing outside for chicken boob, burgers, or hot dogs. Maybe not too thick steaks too. ---
**Author:** ![actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@actualliberalnotoneofthose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/actualliberalnotoneofthose)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/34 "2015-10-18T03:56:59Z")
I thought the whole point of the Foreman Grill was so perpetually dieting non-cooks could heat up meat and remove a lot of the fat, thus making eating the meat and enjoying it pointless/impossible. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/35 "2015-10-18T07:00:13Z")
Wow. I love my George Foreman grill and use it a couple times a week. It’s certainly not a charcoal grill, but it cooks what I need pretty quickly without the added oil of frying. I can clean it in about a minute and it’s much easier than washing an oily pan. Turning it off isn’t that complicated: I unplug it! When it dies I’ll get another one. Looks I’ll be able to go to the second-hand store and get a barely-used one for cheap. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/36 "2015-10-18T11:28:11Z")
Seems to steam, and not sear. I have one, but seldom use it. Really, is there something a cast iron skillet can’t do that the George Forman can? Other than cook on both sides at once. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/37 "2015-10-18T12:10:51Z")
It’s a completely different method of cooking. It can’t safely get very hot because the PTFE will decompose. So you’re cooking conductively only. Whereas a grill has a high temperature radiative heat source. ---
**Author:** ![sparky\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/77aa72/32.png) [@sparky\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sparky_1)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2015, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/38 "2015-10-18T13:22:05Z")
Whenever I use a GF grill, I am impressed with how good the food comes out. Typically, I either burn or undercook on a charcoal grill. Having said that, I hardly ever use my GF grill because of how difficult it is to clean after. I feel like I waste a bunch of paper towels trying to clean the grease off without burning myself. Though perhaps the GF grills have changed and made cleanup easier? ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/39 "2015-10-19T14:51:52Z")
I don’t always toast marshmallows. But when I do, I never use a George Foreman Grill. Continue burning the roof of your mouth with a molten ball of sugar, my friends. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [October 19, 2015, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864/40 "2015-10-19T15:28:30Z")
A GF grill does in fact drain much of the fat into a channel outside the grill itself. A charcoal grill simply allows much of the fat to drip into the fire. Not much difference there, except that I find a charcoal grill easier to clean. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-anything-a-george-foreman-grill-cant-do-that-an-outdoor-grill-can/734864.md?page=3)