Customer Reviews

Hamilton Beach 25219 HealthSmart Contact Grill, White

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This grill seems inspired by the smallest George Foreman grill, the "Champ." But there are some significant differences: (1) The Champ has a square grilling surface. This one's is oval, with perhaps a slightly smaller area.

(2) The Champ has an open front, with a separate little splash tray that's supposed to catch drippings. This grill has a lip surrounding most of the front, except for a 2" well that drains into an integrated drippings drawer. (3) The Champ is tilted forward to force liquids to drain out. This grill is basically level, with drip channels.

So I bought this one, which seems less messy -- especially for gooey stuff like cheese panini -- and more flexible. If you block the well with a strip of cardboard, you can even use it to cook omelettes or a kind of waffles. The only downside to the lipped front (vs. the Champ) is that you need to scoop veggies off the grill, rather than simply dragging them out the front. There is no timer or on/off switch -- you just plug/unplug it.

The upper plate floats maybe about 1" above the lower plate. If you want to press thicker panini, consider the Hamilton Beach 25450 Panini Press, available on Amazon for about 2-1/2x the price. It similarly doubles as a contact grill, but it's larger in all dimensions, with about 3"-4" of vertical float. (Its plates have pinstripe ribbing, though, so don't try using it for eggs or waffles.) Or the similar Breville SG620XL, which has flat plates that can be used for fried eggs or pancakes.

This grill has a smaller surface than the smallest Foreman, but so far everything I have wanted to grill has fit (steak of any size might be a problem). Fat drainage is far better than the Foreman, with the little drawer beneath catching the drippings. I don't find this any easier to clean, though (too bad the grill parts aren't removable). Only real complaint is that the drippings drawer is not in any way attached to the grill, so when you pick it up to remove it from a cupboard to use it, or to return it to the cupboard, you have to grab it in such a way to hold the drawer in place (or go back to get the drawer separately). Can't imagine why they didn't include some slides on the side to hold the drawer up with the unit. Otherwise, a nice little grill. Certainly well worth the price.

I like this product, it works great, but the nonstick coating on the bottom is wearing off already, and I've only had it a few months, and have only used it 10 - 15 times.

The unit looks larger than the George Foreman grill, weighs less (lower shipping cost), and is substantially less expensive... If you click on the button to compare with top sellers, you can see several differences.

One difference is that this model has a timer. The Foreman grill doesn't. Both include the utensils and drip tray. The George Foreman grill has an optional bun warmer, this one doesn't. You don't really need a bun warmer, you can just toast the buns on the grill surface. Not to mention the price goes up for the bun warmer model. I've also read bad reviews about the bun warmer causing soggy bread, only handles one bun at a time, and getting burned trying to close it.

Hamilton Beach is a well known brand name. Although I've read real bad reviews on their blenders, I've owned other products of theirs without any problems. All in all, looks like a better buy.

I love this little guy. Heats up fast and hot. I've owned a couple Foreman grills and they seem cheaper and quality, and don't seem to get hot enough to always give you nice grill marks on your meats. This is wonderful for singles or couples to cook up a couple burgers or a steak etc. Also makes nice panini. I've had mine over 2 years and its still running strong. What a bargain!

I live alone so this little grill has come in handy for cooking burgers and small steaks. It takes six minutes to warm up so I plug it in when I get in the door and by the time I get my act together it is ready to go. Burgers and steaks taste almost as good as from the outside grill and the grill 1s very easy to clean. Any extra grease runs off into a little plastic pan which can go in the dishwasher.

I bought two of these over a year ago. I gave my retired parents one and keep the other. They clean up with ease
and cook really fast. I cook chicken breast and beef patties the most with mine, but have used it for a lot of other items.
My mom liked hers so much that she gave both of my siblings one for Christmas presents. I'm trying to decide who's left on my list that might enjoy one.

The Hamilton HealthSmart Grill is a glorious piece kitchenware I Love it, It allows you to lower your fat intake as well as count calories. It's wonderful for Meat, bread , grilled vegetables and even grilled fruit. When it comes to dinner, With the Hamilton Grill it's a no-brainer makes cooking enjoyable. The clean up is a cinch. I use my grill very often because it's healthy, easy and fast. I recommend the hamilton for every one...........................

I've owned one of these grills for a couple of days over a year now. It's the only electric grill I've owned or used, so I cannot compare it to others. I can say that it is extremely simple to use and that overall it works quite well, and that I am glad I have it.

When I cook skinless chicken breasts on it they come out fine but a bit drier than when I bake them in a toaster oven, but the grill cooks to a safe poultry temperature in less than half the time so there's a trade off. The grill is great with vegetables and tofu. It's great for cooking hamburger patties made of lean and extra-lean beef, and it's also great when cooking fatty, greasy Angus beef burgers. But cleaning up after cooking anything fatty and greasy is a real pain (but that's the case if one is cleaning a frying pan as well).

I thought to write this review because I just cleaned the grill after it was used to prepare Angus burgers. I always have to use several paper towels to get all the grease off the grill, and that's after using the plastic scraper that comes with it. I suppose I could use a sponge, but then I'd have a permanently greasy sponge, and I'd rather not. So I use paper towels, hot water, and dish soap, and it takes some effort to get into all the nooks and crannies, not only on the grilling surface but around the hinge area, etc. But the burgers come out great, and when I catch them when they are just done - by testing them with a battery-operated meat temperature fork - they are moist, juicy and tasty. If I let them cook too long they get dry.

Before I had the grill I cooked burgers in a no-stick frying pan, and unless I covered it with a splatter screen, there would be grease all over the place to clean up, and even with the splatter screen some grease always got through. So at least with the grill all I have to clean up afterward is the grill itself (and the removable grease trap). Part of what makes cleaning it a bit of a chore is that the grilling plates are fixed to the grill and therefore you can't just put them in the sink and slosh away until they're clean. You have to be careful that you don't get water anywhere where it could damage the electronics. If I had to buy an electric grill again I'd seriously consider spending more to get one with removable grilling plates.

For what I paid (twenty two exactly and "free" delivery with Amazon Prime), this is a good unit for cooking for one or two people.

I am glad i bought it. I had the GF small grill but wanted a larger family size. I am too cheap to pay the 99.00+ for the family GF grill so i bought this one and I am so glad i did. We started a Healthy eating plan a month ago. IF it were not for this grill i would not have lost 17 pounds in 36 days. I cook everything on this grill. My (teens) also love it. so fast and Fat free cooking could not be easier. I have even cooked eggs on this. a fast spray with non fat cooking spray and BAM you are cooking away. Can not go wrong on this one.