Customer Reviews

Sunbeam 7530 Rocket Grill Electric Grilling Appliance, White

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I bought my Rocket Grill about a week ago from the TV add. I usually shop Amazon when I see something on TV that I like but this time it looked so good I just called up and did the deal on the spot. I could have saved a few bucks had I gone to ...zon first and ordered on line.

Even so I am very pleased with the item to the point I wanted to share the experience with those now thinking of buying one.

To me the best feature is that just like the other reviews, there is no clean up. I figured that was a bit too good be true and it almost is. So far, the only clean up needed was to sponge off the lid. A very slight residue of oil will settle on the inside of the lid as the heated steam from the cooking process rises and passes through. The lid is extremely easy to remove so this kind of clean up is almost negligible.

Let me tell you, I've tried a bunch of kitchen grilling systems. There are those where I would set it and forget it, infra-red convection whiz-bang thingies with huge plastic bell shaped lid, toaster ovens of different varieties and a score of others. They all have their cooking gimmicks and most do a good job of cooking as promoted. BUT THE MESS they made always ruined it. Clean up took longer than the cooking did so after a few tries, those devices were stored and not used. Eventually they would be given to a family member (heh), sold or donated.

The Rocket Grill is a keeper and I will use it regularly. Last night I made two frozen filet mignon steaks today I heated up previously cooked rotisserie chicken, made some hot dogs and a grilled ham and cheese sandwich.

Haven't needed to wash a thing. The secret is in the parchment pouches into which the food is put and within which the food is cooked. Essentially all the grease, fat, spatter, etc is retained inside the bag. Nothing but the steam gets out. No spatter, no cooked on grease, no crumbs, no kidding !!! Nuff Said ... get it !!! You'll love it.

I will address some of the negatives that people have brought up about the Rocket Grill, but first I must say that even for a cook this device was pretty damn impressive. I got it as a gift and expected to chuck it after an obligatory attempt at "grilling". As a cook, you aren't always in the mood to create something elaborate at home. So seeing it's description I immediately decided I would limit it to dry rub grilling and expected a dried husk of chicken to appear at the end (heck, it drains away the juices, I like the juices). When I cut open the breast, I was shocked to find a perfectly cooked piece of chicken with juices gushing out of it (obviously they didn't all drain out) and the outside sufficiently grilled. It actually tasted great. I was amazed at how quick it took. I rarely eat frozen but had to try it and unexpectedly had the same result.

If you don't have to cook for a family this is an option for a quick no hassle, tasty meal. But there are some potential drawbacks I will discuss for those that are thinking about whether this is a good choice for their kitchen and lifestyle:

1. Meal for two at best: I have had no problem cooking meals for my wife and I. I usually place two items, side by side, and they are ready at the same time. I however, have a slightly larger appetite so I place a second item if desired in while I am beginning to eat. Works out even better as I have a warmer second serving that if they both came out at the same time. Sandwiches are usually a one at a time affair though and that is not as fun but I usually through the first in the warmer and the other one is done in minutes.

2. Avoid overly wet rubs: If you use a really wet rub then you will run into the issues that some have had, breaking bags. I usually use dry or slightly damp rubs, if I use a wet one I pad the excess moisture. Do this and you won't have the breaking bag syndrome.

3. If you cook there is enviromental impact! Yes, you have to use bags (recurring revenue is very lucrative for sunbeam) and that will add to what you put in landfills. However, there is the cost in the amount of water and soap used for cleaning the pots and pans if you cooked something in a more conventional method too that is completely avoided by using this device. If environment is a concern with cooking, I suggest switching to a raw food diet. The other serious concern here is the use of Silicone to make the parchment nonstick, which is non-biodegradable and which likely will also be in your food. One the other side though, many also have teflon pots and pans, so what is worse? I can't say.

4. It's only a gimmick if you don't use it. I have found a perfect and consistent use for mine...it gives me a chance to make a quick and easy, yet still intensely flavorful main course on those busy nights I don't want to spend 45 minutes cooking. I have about 10 different rubs at any given time on hand ready to go, rub it on pop it in, prep the sides and a meal for two in 10-15 minutes that tastes like it took an hour or more.

Ultimately, if you use it appropriately(drier rubs, sandwiches and the like) and are looking for a quick flavorful alternative that usually requires no clean up then this will likely be a fit for your lifestyle and not a gimmick. I have probably eaten so much teflon in my lifetime I am not put off by silicone coated parchment paper, heck I use a Silpat too. As for the landfill issue, in my mind it seems a wash with all the water and soap I would have to use to properly clean my pots and pans (or George Foreman grill) to do the same job.

However, if you need to feed more than two people at once, are looking for a really moist rub/marinade grilling experience, concerned about chemicals that may get into your food and don't trust the FDA, or find that putting silicone coated parchment paper into our landfills is worse than wasting water cleaning then this is definitely not your product.

My first indoor grill was a small George Foreman grill. It wasn't that bad. A year later I upgraded to a much larger Sunbeam (not this one, but a George Foreman clone). The problem with the Foreman type grill is that you have a lot to cleanup. Sure it only takes 2-3 minutes, but i'm lazy and I don't like doing it. Actually sometimes it takes way longer than that. I don't like how it cooked food. Sometimes the outside will look burnt to a crisp and the inside is still pink! I always thought someone should come up with something better.

Well, now they have (I can't wait to see how many people think I work for Sunbeam!). I saw this advertised on TV one day and it looked like a good idea, but I didn't like how you had to keep getting new bags for it. I also disliked how they didn't list the price of it on the commercial.

I did some research online and saw a video review of it and they had some good things to say about it so that sealed the deal for me. I bought it with 2nd day delivery.

I've only used the product for one day and just had to write a review of it.

The first thing I put in it was a somewhat large T-bone steak that was not frozen. I preheated the grill and had trouble getting it into the bag. The bag ripped about 1 1/2" inches. This is because it was tricky getting a large steak in the bag and it weighed a lot. I put it in for 13 minutes on the "Bone In" setting and when it came out it was near perfect. Honest. No pink for the well done setting, just the way I prefer it.

The fat was all in the bottom of the bag. I had a small little puddle of oil in the bottle of the grill, but it's easy to clean. The tray on the bottom you don't need to clean much. 95% of the fat and juices go into the bag. The tray on the bottom is less than a half inch in depth.

I tried a piece of frozen skinless/boneless chicken and when it first came out it looks undercooked, but again it was perfect. To me, chicken comes out somewhat dry on the Foreman grills, but not so on this so far. The food seems to be cooked evenly the entire way through. One side doesn't appear to be cooked more than the other.

Now the negatives. I can't see this being used as a replacement for a stove for a family. You can only cook one thing at a time with this. The bag is pretty small. I live alone in an apartment, so no big deal.

I can see this being very popular soon. Once they get the price down to fifty dollars and the bags are at every store it will possibly replace the George Foreman grill. Maybe not since the large George Foreman grills can cook enough grilled foods for an entire family. This cannot!

I don't like the idea of buying replacement bags. It seems like this is the way they'd make money off this thing. Hopefully they'll be easy to find in stores someday. I doubt i'll be going through my 46 bags in one month. It's not really that big of a deal AT ALL.

The price isn't that good yet. It's a new product, so it will be cheaper in a few months I think. I don't regret buying it yet and i'm looking forward to trying more things in it.

NOTE: I've been using it for a few weeks now. Almost every other day. Foods always comes out OK. Using bags doesn't bother me. I have a ton of them left.

I once turned the timer to the right and nothing happened. Apparently it was a one time only thing. I pressed it in a little and I guess it was stuck.

BTW when you put the bag in and take it out you CAN accidently touch the plastic up top where you mount the bags. It's just warm to the touch. It won't burn you. Just a note for those like me that were curious.

I've tried everything but fish so far (I don't like it) but will try that soon. Hamburgers are ok, but the ones i've tried (95% fat free) were nasty. I don't blame the grill though.

As if I haven't already said it, this blows away the George Foreman Style grills by far. Not if you need to grill a ton of food for a large family. Don't give me that thing about "ohh..but you need to buy expensive bags!". Big deal! Nobody is getting rich off selling you 20-40 cent bags.

I received the Rocket Grill, and right away went to the grocery store and bought stuffed salmon with crabmeat to experiment... with the "new gadget". Readers... YOU WILL NOT BELIEVE IT !!! Two PLUM pieces of stuffed salmon went into one parchment bag, and 4 (FOUR!) MINUTES LATER.. I HAD GRILLED STUFFED SALMON TO PERFECTION !!! What I enjoyed most, was that it was not HOT, but it was WARM and COOKED! and READY TO EAT! In 4 minutes, my mind could not process how soon the cooking and quality took place, but "HEY! I was EATING in 4 MINUTES" !!! Later in the day I made a grilled mozzarella and ham panini... this time only in... 3 (THREE!) MINUTES! I have NEVER EVER had a QUALITY SANDWICH AT HOME !!! Once again, not too hot, but perfectly WARM, the mozzarella was actually CHEWY! and not dripping... and the panini bread actually turned crispy, and as we all know, the cheese usually "melts..." and "sticks" to the bread. This time it turned into the BEST CHEWY MOZZARELLA and ham sandwich I have EVER had at HOME! I LOVE THIS THING! I cannot wait to make a THICK butterflied pork chop tomorrow, and the following day a NICE and PLUM bacon wrapped filet mignon! Also forgot to point out, this is perfect for small families, the parchment bag accomodates up to 2 (two) portions.
Also perfect to watch your diet!
Two words: BUY IT!

This grill has become my most used small kitchen appliance. I use it several times a week, and sometimes every day.

It is perfect for a single person or couple as it cooks one or two pieces of meat very quickly. I can now make a quick healthy lunch or dinner in about 10 minutes. So, I am never too busy or too tired to cook something good for us. I can pull the meat out of the freezer and have it on a plate ready to eat in less than 10 minutes. I love that. And the best part is no clean up.

Be sure to read the directions or you will end up like my husband and get your meat stuck in the machine. You must warm up the unit for 5 minutes, while you place the meat in the bag and add your seasoning. Then hook the bag on the hooks on the top of the machine. Set your timer (I found it requires less time than recommended in the booklet for most things) and let it cook. When the timer goes off, wait about 15 seconds before raising the lid, or turning off the machine, so the grill plates will release. If you turn off the machine before the plates release, you will think your machine is broken. It is not. Turn it back on, close the lid and reset the timer for 30 seconds, then let it go through the release. The unit will not work right without closing the lid.

It also has different pressures applied by the plates. If you cook soft meats on the bone in/frozen setting, it will flatten them out. Be sure to change the settings for the appropriate meats.

I have cooked chicken, fish, porkchops, hamburger patties, and veggies in the grill, with no clean up. The grilling time takes some practice, I generally cook things initially at less than the recommended time and then check them to see if more time is needed.

I am so glad I took the risk of buying this NEW item with only one review at the time. It does what it says to PERFECTION! Great for singles or familys on the go. There is ZERO cleanup. You can come home starved and drop in a huge frozen chicken breast and in 8-9 min you have a healthy dinner. Think it's going to be a great weight loss tool. All the fat drips into the bottom of the bag. If there were 10 stars I would certainly give it. It even makes great grilled cheese sandwitches in 2 min. The deal that Amazon gives with free shipping and the $[...] promotion makes it a STEAL!

This thing absolutely does what it says it does. Cooks fast, healthy, NO cleanup. Cooks things better than the any other home electric grill I've seen and actually puts real nice grill marks on the food. Works great for steak, chicken, pork chops, hamburgers and sandwiches. My old grill will be on the table at my next yard sale. I only wish I had invented this grill or had stock in Sunbeam. I'm seriously betting this thing is going to sell big numbers it's that good.

I really like my machine. But I think "grill" is misleading. You get nice "grill" marks, but these are more like tattoos. There is absolutely no grill taste to the food. I even think there's less than you get on a hot skillet. So, if you really want your food grilled, use the grill or broiler.

That said, the pluses are too strong not to recommend this "cooker". I bet "No cleanup" is what got most of us to pay attention. And it sure delivers there. Another nice thing is that the food stays juicy, and whatever juice escapes you can recover from the bag. And the food that's coated with seasoning stays coated.

This has to be a perfect gift for a student. Just tell them not to try to grill cheese sandwiches or dry their socks.

The reviewers are all correct about how this thing "grills" anything
you put in it quickly. However........and a BIG however for me......
is that once you close the lid you are at TOTAL mercy of the grill...
it is IMPOSSIBLE to see if it is overcooked..and the guide only helps
a little...it is far from accurate. I have had to regrill a couple of things..and I have had the displeasure of OVER grilling a couple of things so far..I am sure I could get it down to a science after a while..
BUT..the biggest drawback for me is the odor that this thing puts out while you are grilling.. A very sickening "new gadget" smell. Like you need to cook a bunch of things in it before this smell quits emating
from the machine during the cooking cycle. It is bad enough for me to stop using it and try to find someone to give this machine to.
2 stars....only because it DOES what it says it will do...sorry...but I have to tell it like I see it.

First let me say that I was very skeptical having been disappointed so many times before and having a graveyard of unused appliances. I bought this at Bed Bath and Beyond and used the 20% off coupon to boot. This made the $80 plus tax a tempting value. I first tried hot dogs which I love on my barebeque. I used some reduced fat which usually don't come out that great. Well, to me and my wifes suprise they tasted better than on the grill!! Grill lines outside and moist and tender inside. The small amount of fat was in the collection lip on the bag below. Since then we have cooked sausage, chicken hamburger and pork and continue to be amazed at the taste, quick cook time and no clean up, thats right none!! Juat ahut and put away. We have had several cooking grills and several George Foremans and this wins hands down! Highly recommended