Customer Reviews

Health Smart Open Faced Indoor/ Outdoor Grill

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a great grill for those who like to grill steaks but cannot use a gas/charcoal outdoor grill for whatever reason. The last apartment I lived would not allow ANY grilling outdoors (which is really sick as I live in South Florida and it is currently the only US region that is not freezing this Jan 2, 2009 with the exception of Hawaii). I was skeptical at first but this grill does great work on those thick sirloin steaks we buy at Costco. I had mine for probably 7-8 years 1-2 times a week before it recently just quit heating up. The non-stick surface had worn away some time ago but who cares it still cooked great steaks. That's pretty much all I used it for other than toasting garlic bread.
I didn't even realize you could use it outdoors until I starting searching online for it this week.
It is not the same as a gas or charcoal grill. I have a charcoal grill at my building where I live now but by the time you lug the charcoal, fluid, utensils, etc down the elevator to the community grill, light the coals and then WAIT for them to get red hot, we still use this little grill more often. You don't have to have all the planets aligned to use this one on a weeknight (weather, charcoal, fluid, and TIME!).
I don't know why people complain about it being slow I always used the highest setting and could sear and grill 1-2 inch thick steaks to medium well in 20 minutes. I have never owned a gas grill so I can't compare, but it's a whole lot easier, convenient & faster than charcoal grilling that's for sure. You can't get the taste of over the fire grilling of course, but they sure are tasty in their own right when I shake granulated garlic and freshly grind black pepper on the steaks before grilling.
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We bought this grill after a friend used it when we were over for dinner. It is slower than a charcoal/gas grill, but really does a fine job on the food. It is large enough for 4 nice-sized steaks, but not so large as to be difficult to handle/store. The grills went right into the dishwasher, unrinsed, and came out clean as a whistle. When the weather is nice, we plug it in outside on the porch. Otherwise, I just use it on the kitchen counter. Just be a little bit patient, and you will get the hang of cooking times (as opposed to a regular outdoor grill).

I have actually owned the Hamilton Beach Indoor/Outdoor Grill twice in the last ten years. The first one I bought in Germany while married to a soldier and living in military housing. I made the mistake of giving it away once we transferred back to the United States when I became interested in the George Foreman indoor grills. What I did not like about the two-sided George Foreman indoor grills is that when you closed the lid, oftentimes food might fall out--particulary if you were making shiskabobs or wanted to cook a lot of food at one time. You also could not really see what was going on between the lids. With the Hamilton Beach you have plenty of surface to put as many as six skewers of food on. You can watch the food cook, know when to turn it over and even grill some vegetables on the side. I learned to line the bottom of the grill with foil and to prepare the grill with cooking spray to make cleanup easier. Another thing that helps is after you are done cooking, unplug the grill, wet some paper towels and put them on the grill while it is still warm. It makes cleanup a breeze. Additionally I also do not understand why some say it takes a long time to heat up the grill. This is certainly not true with mine. It only takes a few minutes. All in all I would really recommend this indoor grill especially to those of us who live in apartments that do not allow outdoor grilling of one's own.

Just got this product. Easy clean up.Lightweight.I've never had an indoor grill before; so it is hard to compare. Cooks with less heat than outside grill - slower.Saving 5 rating for more use.

This is a great product. I rarely use my gas fired grill anymore. It's very easy to clean as well. Several of my friends purchased them and they love them as well. I have not had a problem with insufficient heat as reported elsewhere. The adjustable heat control works fine. All in all we are very satisfied with this grill.

Spend your money on another grill. It does not get very hot! It takes forever to cook.