Recently, I’ve been lucky enough to be gifted a George Foreman grill by a generous family member, and I’ve come to realise it could be the best kitchen item I have ever owned. I mean, this thing beats a sugar thermometer. Here are four reasons to set you on your way to buying one yourself.
1. You can make a killer grilled cheese
The first reason why this grill should live in your kitchen is also the last thing to happen every night of freshers’ week: the sacred 3 am toastie. There’s little else that makes you question the existence of sadness in the world than the first bite of that perfect grilled cheese while hammered in your kitchen after a chaotic night.
A hot meal (of sorts) like this can purify any liver, lead you stumbling in cheesy ecstasy to a much-needed bed, and make the hangover the next morning all the more easier to bear.
2. Your friends will do you favors in exchange for using your grill
Reason number two is how this one piece of kitchen equipment can catapult you to the top of the social hierarchy. It’s amazing how two hot metal plates and a hinge can have people cosying up to you quicker than Hilary Clinton to milennials. Everyone wants in on the toastie game, and there’s no shame in using this to your advantage to earn yourself a few favours here and there.
3. You can cook everything on one grill plate
George Foreman grills aren’t just limited to toasties. You can go wild and cook your whole fry-up on there. If you start with the bacon, you can minimise the amount of oil you need by reusing the natural fats that coat the grill as it cooks, so you can just slap your hash browns, tomato, and egg straight on there afterwards.
Reduce your washing up by cooking everything on the same grill plate, then giving it a wipe down afterwards and emptying out the fat catcher. In the words of Lionel Richie, it’s easy like a Sunday morning.
4. You can light a cigarette on it
I’ve learnt from mates that many kitchen appliances have uses beyond what’s on the box, and in this case the George Foreman can work much like the humble toaster: it can light your cigarettes.
After a flat party has peaked and people are beginning to collapse onto beds-slash-sofas-slash-floors, lighters quickly become rarities for the few remaining troopers still awake. At this point, people get creative, and the grill comes into play once again.
#SpoonTip: It’s worth noting that most kitchen alarms are heat alarms, not smoke alarms, so you technically can smoke in your kitchen, but you still really shouldn’t.