I tried a tip that went a long way towards cleaning my old George Foreman grill: fold a sheet of lightly oiled aluminum foil on the top and bottom of the cooking surfaces. It conducts heat flawlessly, and all I have to is throw away the foil (or re-use it to wrap up leftovers) and there’s minimal cleanup.
I’m amazed that no one suggested this technique in older Foreman cleanup threads: Help me clean my George Foreman Lean Mean Fat Grilling Machine
What you’re hearing right now is me slapping my forehead.
I started using foil in my oven for allergy reasons, to avoid contamination. But I also love how much easier it makes cleanup.
I know. The amazing thing is that the Foreman grill people don’t include a packet of perfectly sized aluminum foil sheets with each machine, and include instructions in their use.
And in the razor-and-blade models, sell perfectly pre-cut sheets for about 20x the price of an equivalent quantity of generic aluminum foil. Americans would eat that stuff up.
I’m thinking, ‘Jeez, just wipe it down while it’s hot,’ and then see I wrote the same thing 19 years ago in the thread linked in the OP.
Which is moderately effective, especially if you use something soaked in water. Problem is that it still takes a bit of time to clean properly and meantime my food is getting cold. I’d far rather prevent the mess than have to clean it up later.
A couple clean, dry paper kitchen napkins ought to do it. It’s about the same as wiping out a cast iron pan (which could also be lined with foil before every use). And the food isn’t getting cold, it’s cooling to the point you can eat it. How pristine does a grill need to be?
Anyway, I was a college student in 2004 which was about the last time I used a George Foreman grill. I don’t think I ever had one of my own and used those belonging to roommates along the way. They have (he has?) a really small one, smaller than a sheet of loose leaf, and I’ve toyed with the idea of getting one for the lunchroom at work since seeing one at Target for $19.99. I wouldn’t use it for cooking from raw but reheating stuff, warming sandwiches, etc.
I don’t know anything about Foreman grills, but lining an oven with aluminum foil is not recommended by oven manufacturers.
Whirlpool says
Using aluminum foil to keep your oven clean may be tempting, but lining an oven with foil increases the intensity of heat on oven surfaces that can lead to surface damage like scratching or chipping on the porcelain finish and damage to heating elements. It can also prevent even cooking.
GE says
Do not use aluminum foil to line oven bottoms. The foil will trap heat below, and upset the performance of the oven.
Wolf says
Do not place cookware on oven floor or use aluminum foil or other material to line the oven floor or side walls. Failure to adhere to this notice will damage the porcelain and will void your warranty.
Even Reynolds, which makes aluminum foil, says
To avoid possible heat damage to your oven, we do not recommend using aluminum foil to line the bottom of your oven.