In the 90’s George Foreman was everywhere. His miracle grill makes cooking easy. While the George Foreman Grill seems revolutionary, this technology has been around since the early 1900’s. At its core, its a simple heating element with a grill plate. However, is this new George Foreman Smokeless Grill any different? It promises to remove the smoke from grilling. This George Foreman Smokeless Grill will take a closer look at its design and features.

What is the George Foreman Smokeless Grill?

The George Foreman Smokeless Grill is a electric grill. Whats different about this from the standard grill is that it reduce the amount of smoke. At its core, there are two heating element, one on the bottom and one on the top. You plug it in and a electric current runs through it. This causes the grill plate to get hot, giving you a cooking surface.

How most of these smokeless grill work is via a filter. A fan will suck in the smoke and filter it through a filter. While it does work, its not 100% effective. Although its still better than the alternative.

Digital Readout

Perhaps the neatest thing about modern technology is the digital display. Instead of the old analog control, you have fancy light and touch screen button. I am gonna go against the grain. While it does look nice, its simply not as functional. Analog controls are quicker and more durable. In my experience, with a digital display, you need to constantly press the button to get the right temperature. This is annoying, with analog, you set the temperature right away and youre done.

Not only that, these digital display are usually made cheaply. The circuit board fries and it renders it useless. So while the digital readout looks great, I think its a poor design.

Cleaning

If its one thing that George Foreman Smokeless Grill does right is cleaning. It has a grease tray and easy to clean grill tray. Because of the nonstick coating, everything can be wiped off. Most of the time, a damp paper towel is all that is needed. However, if you need to, you can remove the tray for easier cleaning. You can even pop it into the dishwasher. Although I dont recommend it if you want to keep the nonstick coating.

At the bottom, you can remove the grease tray. I like to use it to collect rendered bacon fat. This way after cooking, you can reuse it for other stuff.

Size

The good thing about this grill is that its big. Large enough to feed a family of four. This means grilling four patties is not much of an issue. This particular model has 90 square feet of room.

Power

Perhaps the biggest issue with these grill is power. They simply dont get hot enough. Bacon will take 15 minutes. With a pan, you can cook it in 5 minutes of less. The char mark on burgers is weak as well. By the time you get a crust, the food would be overcooked. This issue is not exclusive to George Foreman Grill. Almost all these electric grill are under powered. The temperature range for this grill is around 425 Fahrenheit. But this is often optimistic at best.

With that in mind, you should adjust your cooking accordingly. Grilling vegetables of heating sandwiches are good option. Panini press sandwich works really well in these situation. But I wouldnt use it for steak.

Does the George Foreman Smokeless Grill Really Work?

Yes and no. While it does remove a good amount of smoke. Its by no means perfect. Some smoke do get through but its better than the usual model.

Is the George Foreman Smokeless Grill Any Good?

It good for what it does. But this by no means will replace a true grill. The main issue is that its under powered. But for light cooking, it works just fine. In places like a small dorm or a RV, its great. A good alternative to a grill or a stove. But it will never replace a true grill.

Looking for a Grill Pan? Check out our article on the Best Cast Iron Grill Pan.