George Foreman GGR240L Indoor Outdoor Grill Review
Convenience and versatility have typically been one of the common traits shared by the George Foreman line of grills. The George Foreman GGR240L Indoor Outdoor Grill endeavors to share this philosophy while also providing you with a little bit of the look and feel of a traditional propane or gas grill.
It stands 38-inches high on a single pedestal with five sturdy feet. If necessary, the pedestal can be removed to sit securely on a tabletop or counter.
Most apartments, condominiums, and other multifamily housing rules allow for it to be used on a balcony or patio. However, it’s still wise to check with your manager to make sure! If you are going to use it indoors on a cold or rainy day, it is still possible for certain foods to produce enough smoke to trigger a standard smoke detector. So, you’ll want to place it near your oven’s vented hood, near an open window or patio door.
The 240 square inch, non-stick cooking surface is slightly angled toward the central drain channel, which then discharges any drippings of runoff into a catchment tray located in the base. The size of it and configuration can allow you to grill more food than you might think. The designers at George Foreman claim that it can grill enough for 15 people. However, this might be an overstatement.
Construction & Ease of Assembly
The George Foreman GGR240L Indoor Outdoor Grill requires a minor amount of assembly, but nothing that can’t be completed in just a few minutes.
The non-stick surface of the removable grill plate is intended to be durable. However, like all non-stick surfaces that handle a lot of cooking use, they will need some daily care to prevent scrapes and other surface degradations.
Grilling Performance
Like many electric grills, the GGR240L offers the convenience of electricity. It preheats faster than a traditional charcoal or electric grill, and the grilling plate maintains that heat well.
However, like many electric grills, it also struggles to achieve very high heat. This probably isn’t an issue if you want to grill up a mess of hot dogs or even grill up some burgers for your buddies. If you want to put the perfect sear on a Steak or crisp the skin on a chicken breast it might deliver underwhelming results.
The domed lid is lightweight and helps to hold in heat as well as steam. This can be especially nice for dryer pieces of meat or something that you want to primarily cook on one side and flip to finish skin-side down. One complaint with the lid is that the unit does not come with an easy way to hang it. Meaning you have to think up a safe, clean place to put it when you are flipping the food, or you will have to hold it awkwardly in one hand.
It’s also worth noting that while an electric grill can indeed create very pleasant cooking smells, it cannot produce the kind of smoky flavor or fire-kissed aroma that you might be used to in a more traditional grill.
Grilling Areas
The George Foreman GGR240L has a 240 square inch non-stick cooking surface. It is slightly contoured and features a central channel to direct runoff to the underlying catchment tray.
It’s worth noting that the catchment tray cannot be accessed to empty it while you are actively cooking, or while the cooking surface is still hot. This can lead to an overflow issue is you have a long cooking session with a greasy piece of meat or a great deal of excess marinade runs off.
Special Features
Being able to remove the pedestal stand can be helpful both for storage as well as times when you simply want to use it as a tabletop grill. This can also be a helpful entertainment feature if you want to invite friends over for a Korean barbecue experience.
Ease to Clean
So long as you are taking measures to prevent overflow issues with the catchment tray the George Foreman GGR240L is relatively easy to clean. Once it has cooled down, the cooking surface is easily detached and can be gently washed in warm soapy water. Any stuck-on material can be gently wiped away with a nonabrasive sponge.
It’s important to take care in preserving the non-stick surface. You should avoid grilling with metal tools and you should never scrub it with an abrasive sponge or something like steel wool. Even minor defects in the surface can gradually worsen with time and successive grilling sessions.
The catchment tray should be emptied out and gently washed after every use. Just make sure everything has thoroughly cooled before handling.
Warranty
The George Foreman GGR240L comes with a 3-year limited warranty from the manufacturer. Many retailers also offer a very affordable 3 or 4-year protection plan. It also comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee.
Conclusion
Being able to grill indoors or outdoors with an electric grill can be very convenient. You don’t have to fuss with bags of charcoal, canisters of propane, ash cleanup or any of the other headaches that come with traditional grills.
The price point for the George Foreman GGR240L is also relatively friendly considering the quality and convenience of the unit. Just take care to properly clean and maintain it, and you should be able to grill in times and conditions that a traditional grill cannot.
