Customer Reviews

George Foreman GFSG80 Super Searing Grill, Stainless Steel

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I just got this grill yesterday so I can't tell you if the thing will hold up, but it works just as advertised. I had a specific use for the grill when I bought it - I have a smoker and smoke meats all of the time. The flavor is always good, but of course the smoked meat is usually more steamed than grilled. So I wanted a grill where I could throw on a cut of cooked, smoked meat and get some carmelization and crispyness on the outside at the last minute before serving. I can tell you that if you want a grill that can really sear the grill marks onto the meat, this is the perfect tool. It has a feature where you set your cooking temp, and then push a button that fires it up to 525 degrees, and holds the temp there for 90 seconds, whereby it then drops to the pre-set temp. When I put some just smoked country style ribs on the grill, they sizzed and smoked just the way you would want - they got crispy with the grill marks in just a few minutes. I pressed down on the top to get even contact all around.
The grill is not large - basically about 9 x 9 ", but it was large enough to hold 5 good sized boneless country ribs[...]. The hinged top worked great - the ribs where over an inch thick and there was complete contact from the top grill. The grease tray caught all of the drippings, and the non-stick surface cleaned easily with a wet paper towell - do it while the grill is still warm.
The temperature is thermostatically controlled, and it holds whatever temp you set very well. Temps available are 300-425 in 25 degree increments, and of course the searing setting. The manual says not to press the surge (searing) button after the first searing, however being curious I tried pushing it again, and it did bring the temp up again. I think that there could be a grease fire hazard at that temp, so that is probably why they say not to do that. The grill has a small (and quiet) internal fan which cycles on and off to help hold the temperature setting. The stainless steel body of the grill gets too hot to touch, yet the handle never gets too hot - though I imagine it could if you had it running for a long time. It also has a timer that you can set to remind you when your cooking time has been reached. The timer does not shut of the grill when it rings - that must be done manually. The timer minutes and the temp are both shown in a small but very readable LED.
I'll update this review at a later date if parts start falling off or whatever - but for now, I'm very happy with the results.
Update- still working fine as of 11/2011!

This gril preforms as advertized! Clean up is also much improved and easier done when it is cold (no more reheating the unit up or eating cold food in attempt to avoid reheating the unit for cleaning).

The searing part of it is great!

The only possible improvement to this would be to be able to give it the charcoal flavor with this unit - that is merely a dream.

The grilling surface area is DEFINITELY large enough for a family of four.

Should you purchase this and I am totally pleased especially with the stainless steel finish, read the instructions carefully - otherwise you may end up with a darkened countertop - since I heeded that I have had no problem with that.

I highly recommend this product for anyone. I am a widow so I was surprised at the cooking area of this grill - I simply cook more than one item on it at a time.

Barb

I recently received this grill as a wedding gift and have used it a few times since unpacking it. I have to say that I'm very impressed with it so far. At this time, I've cooked center cut porkchops, chicken breasts, hamburgers, and some veggies on the grill and all have turned out perfectly!

I've used the burst feature with a few of those meals and I think that feature is the best part of the machine. The "burst" allows you to sear the meat and lock in the flavor for the first 90 seconds of cook time. After 90 seconds, the temperature lowers to the set temperature and will remain on that temp until the cooking process is finished. Each meal that I've cooked has turned out perfectly - very flavorful and tasty.

Reason I give 4 Stars:
- VERY bulky - the grill is not particularly big, but the casing of the grill is very bulky - it's not a con for myself, but it may be one for those looking for a compact grill and who have less counter space
- No removable plates - although clean-up has not been particularly hard, it sure would be a perk to have removable plates...

All in all, I think this is a great grill and Amazon has the hands-down best price. This grill is at a popular bed and bath chain for $100 - you just can't beat Amazon's prices. If you're looking for a great, all around counter-top grill, this one fits the bill. The floating hinge and burst features allow you to make everything from steaks to paninis - It was everything that I was looking for!

It cooks nicely but the work it takes to clean it makes the item not worth using. It sits unused at this point. There's no drain for the top portion so when it's lifted off the cooked food it just runs down onto the back of the grill and onto the counter.

Unfortunately the first time I used this I received an error message. Something like FNRL. When I called CS they said I probably used the searing incorrectly. I heated up the grill, waited for it to reach temp. Then I placed meat on grill and hit the SEARING feature. The searing high 525 degree temp stayed on for way too long, then gave me the error message. (It is supposed to only stay on 90 seconds, then revert back to the pre-programmed temp). It would not clear. I had to unplug and wait for it to cool down.

The next day I tried it the way CS suggested: I programmed it to the temp I wanted, but did not wait for it to reach the temp. I then put the meat on the grill and hit the SEARING feature. Once again, the error message!

CS has never heard of the error message I gave them. I spent too much money on this to keep getting error messages. Very annoying. Just too complicated to use the SEARING feature.

I returned this unit and would not recommend.

grills OK but have to agree with others that cleaning process makes this seldom used. Can only open 90 degrees which makes it a bit difficult to clean the top grill plate. Better option would be find something with removable plates.

My son convinced me this was the grill to get, and how right he was. I like the Super Searing feature. I seared steaks, and then finished cooking them to a medium rare. Perfect, and easy to clean.

I've had this grill for about a month. It does a very good job. I reall;y like the searing setting. the only thing that keeps this from being 5 stars is the cleanup! Cleaning the top grill is clumbersome. Don't buy the Grill Power book that you can bundle with this unless you are chef and have one huge pantry! the recipes are anything but easy!

As the other review mentioned, mine was broken after first use of searing. I followed the instruction, but after first time use, it kept giving me error message and would not work. In addition, it is really bulky/heavy and takes up quiet some space. I returned mine, and will not recommend it.

This is a great buy!. It does better with thicker cuts of steaks/tuna as thinner pieces won't have contact with the upper grid. The sear function really sears and browns the meat. There is less mess caused by grease spattering, when compared with searing in a pan on a stovetop.