Review: George Foreman GFO240S Indoor/Outdoor Electric Grill

• August 9, 2015
• James Skemp
• review

Can't replace the clam shell models

A couple years after college I started hearing about George Foreman's lean, mean, cooking machines. Since I was living alone at the time, and wasn't much of a cook, I decided to try one of the early models, with the plates that could not be removed. I enjoyed it quite a lot, making burgers, chicken, pork, etcetera quite often, which I would normally have gone out for in the past. However, after a number of years I upgraded to a model that had removable plates, and continue to use it.

So with that said, I've been a fan of the George Forman indoor grills for almost a decade.

When I saw this indoor/outdoor grill I decided to give it a try. I thought it might be a little large, but since I usually end up grilling a good amount of chicken at once, and currently have to make three batches out of what I cook, I figured I would give this a try.

For someone who lives in an apartment with a smaller kitchen the 15 serving size model is going to be pretty unwieldy. My counter-tops only have one open side (they're on the outer perimeter next to the walls), and I had some difficulty getting this setup in a good location. However, there's very little assembly required for indoor use.

For outdoor use some assembly of the stand is required, as it doesn't have a base tall enough by itself that it could be set on the ground like some more standard outdoor grills (contrary to what the box photo suggests). A three prong-capable extension cord may also be required, depending upon whether you have an outdoor plug and where you have to place the grill.

I had pretty significant difficulty washing this in my apartment's sink due to the size of the unit. My sink is one that has two tubs, and while you wouldn't want to submerge this anyway, it was a tough balancing act to get it over the sinks. Sadly, even if I were to use it indoors I feel like I'd rather clean it off outside, for ease. Living in a state that gets snow in the winter, this realistically means I won't use it as much as my indoor-only model.

Finally we have the design of the grill. It looks pretty much like a standard grill. However, George Forman grills, to me, mean the clam shell design, with both sides being cooked at once, with proper drainage of grease. I thought this model might expand my horizons, but I still prefer the 'improved' grills I've been using all these years.

So while this has a market, I'm afraid that as an apartment dweller, with an apartment-sized kitchen, who lives in an area that gets cold part of the year, I'm not a fan. It's a nice enough product, but the George Foreman GFO240S Indoor/Outdoor Electric Grill will see limited usage from me.

For the above reasons I give this product a neutral 3 of 5 stars. It does it's job, but functions more strongly as an outdoor grill.

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