Cleaning a George Foreman Grill

I really love cooking with my George Foreman Grill, and so does the rest of the family. The problem arises when they walk away from the grill after using it without cleaning up the mess. As the grill has more use it seems that it gets harder to clean. It can still be cleaned without damaging the grill.

I have found that starting out cooking on a properly prepared grill really helps with the clean up process. Even though the grill's surface is a non-stick surface, it does get sticky and hard to clean—especially the grill plates. To help reduce the sticky stuff being left on the grill I like to use cooking oil spray on both the top and bottom grill plates.

The grill comes with a grease-catching tray. Using this tray is essential in collecting the oil and grease that drips off the food while cooking. I found that if I am cooking meats with a high fat content that I need to watch the tray closely. Sometimes it overflows, creating a mess with grease everywhere. The tray slides under the grill just enough to catch the drippings.

As soon as I am finished cooking I unplug the grill. Then I take a couple sheets of paper towels and moisten them, placing the paper towels onto the grill. Then I close the lid to let the moistened paper towels do their magic. After enjoying my meal about thirty minutes I go back to the grill and the grill plates are now cool enough that I can clean them. Wiping the grill plates with the paper towels that soaked up some of the cooking residue, and then taking a clean paper towel and wipe off the grills once more.

After the grill has had a chance to cool off it's time to do the actual cleaning of the grill. It is always best to do the cleaning as soon as possible. The longer the grill has to cool off the harder it is to remove all the grease and residue. Make sure that the grease collected in the grease tray is thrown away in the trash. (Grease going down the drain is not a good idea; it can clog the drain.)

Now that the grill is completely cool I use the plastic spatula that came with the grill and scrape any remaining residue that remains. There are special sponges that are made exclusively for the grill and they can be found at Bed Bath and Beyond or Target. Still, any sponge can be used with just a little bit of dish soap and water. Using the same sponge I wipe the outside of the grill clean, including under the lip of the grill. After wiping down the grill with the sponge I dry the grill using paper towels.

The George Foreman Grill is clean and I put it away so it is ready for the next time I want to use it.