Coveting my Foreman

Sunday, January 24, 2010

I’m not much of a cook. In truth, I think I cook about as well as I knit. As long as I have clear instructions to follow, I can typically generate the dish attempted. My plating skills leave much to be desired, but that’s an art form unto itself.

My cooking is somewhat limited by the palate of my household. Hubby has several requirements: no onions, minimal garlic, no fish (unless we’re talking Gordon’s fish sticks), no sour cream, and a host of other random limitations regarding texture, complexity, and ingredients. I should mention that bell peppers and eggplant are on the barred list. My limitations are compounded by a child that has taken to eating the same lunch every day (cheese on sourdough with mayo) and has decreased his veggie intake to nearly zero portions. A sane person can only eat so much pasta with red sauce or white sauce.  I love macaroni & cheese as much as the next soul, but enough is enough.

It's a poor craftsman that blames his tools, but sometimes I wonder if my lack of cooking ability is in any way connected to what I actually have to work with.  We have new appliances (purchased when we moved into the house 4 years ago), but the stove is electric.  I'm definitely a bigger fan of gas stoves, though having a smooth glass top burner is much easier to clean.  The real bane of my existence is the oven.  Every time I make a lasagna or a chicken pot pie, the juices overflow and create havoc.  This happens so often that I now have a routine.  I prep my kitchen with some strategically placed fans, and when the smoke begins to billow, I close off the kitchen from the rest of the house, open up the slider and the windows, and set the fans to HI.

Early on, I tried to block the drips.  I laid a sheet of foil on the bottom of the oven as a barrier.  To my chagrin, the foil melted to the bottom of the oven.  Who knew self cleaning ovens were so much trouble?  On another occasion, I wrapped the bottom of my pie dish with foil, hoping it would catch the overflow.  Result:  The bottom of my chicken pot pie crust didn't cook.  Gross. 

The only appliance that has never failed me is my trusty Foreman Grill.  I stole my parents' grill years ago when my father abandoned it for a sandwich maker.  The grill is a tiny little thing and can barely handle two chicken breasts.  The non-stick coating had long since worn off,  and I needed more capacity.  Also, it wouldn't hurt if the gadget did more than grill.  What about a waffle maker, or even a griddler? 
So, this Xmas, I started researching all-in-one presses.  I was dazzled by the Cuisinart Griddler - Costco was carrying one for the holidays and there was even a coupon.  I had read that the model Costco offered tended to get scorching hot on top, so I looked into the next up model.  The price difference was around $50, but I figured the holiday discounts would be in my favor.  Alas, I was wrong and missed my window.  In any case, my hubby mentioned that he had seen some bad reviews on both models, so I started looking at other brands. 

The obvious occurred to me.  If I'm replacing my Foreman Grill, why not replace it with another Foreman Grill?  I zeroed in on the GRP90WGR Next Grilleration with 5 Removable Plates.  Sadly, it only comes in red.

I kicked the idea around for over a week, finally made the ultimate commitment on Amazon and hit the Place Order button.

My first major meal consisted of 4 steaks and zucchini and asparagus spears.  We ate the leftovers for three days.  It came out better than my BBQ, faster, and easier cleanup.  Pork chops only take 10 minutes.  This weekend, I made waffles.  I think this week I'll get some pizza dough at Trader Joe's and test out the deep dish pizza recipe.  

I'm definitely in love with my new Foreman.  Of all the things I've thrown my money away on, the Foreman Grill is already proving to be a worthy investment.  I'm hoping this is not just a first flush of appliance lust but the beginning of a long lasting relationship.