What's to be done with a griddle?

Eviledna

Hey Folks,

I have just invested in a George Foreman Grill/Griddle and although I am delighted at the thought of easy pancakes/perfect eggs tomorrow morning, I am a bit stumped when it comes to recipes for this thing.
Any George Fans out there? It would seem that apart from a few chicken skewer recipes there's not much to be had on the internet.

Any tips would be much appreciated!:)

tSubh Dearg

I cook thinly sliced courgette on it. Brush with olive oil, cook till brown, sprinkle with a little salt. Tasty treat!

I also find that marinated chicken breasts and lamb chops cook really well on them also. Plus sausages are great!

Dizzyblonde

I too use mine for marinated chicken, steak, sausages etc. It's handy for toasted sandwiches, panninis and wraps too.
There are lots of recipes on the GEORGE FOREMAN site too.

Eviledna

Thank you tSubh Dearg and Dizzyblonde, both lovely ideas, will definately try the courgette, sounds mighty, tried a panini lastnight and it turned out great!

The grill attachement is great, but does anyone else have unique ideas for a griddle?

Pigletlover

I only use mine for toasties and burgers (the amount of fat in the tray after cooking burgers is scary), but you can use it to cook pork chops, lamb chops, chicken fillets and anything else that you would normally grill or fry. It works best for thinner cuts of meat as it tends to dry out thicker cuts.

the beer revolu

Any time I used one for anything other that toasties, I found that it just didn't get hot enough to really brown meat properly unless you cooked the life and moisture out of it.

Eviledna

Really? Sounds like a dodgy george to me, mine is crazy hot and does burgers in a flash.

DadaKopf

Why not just use a stovetop cast-iron griddle pan?

the beer revolu

eviledna wrote: »

Really? Sounds like a dodgy george to me, mine is crazy hot and does burgers in a flash.

Nope was "the real thing". BTW same things were around 30 years ago but without all the George marketing. Nothing new, just cheaper and more plasticy now.

Eviledna

DadaKopf wrote: »

Why not just use a stovetop cast-iron griddle pan?

Because I have a george griddle and want to use it!
Any recipes for the normal type of griddle then?

the beer revolu, I didn't mean it was a knock-off, I meant that it might be broken;)

The Sweeper

eviledna, I find that Griddles aren't as good as grills for some things - for instance, lamb chops - I like the fat on a lamb chop to be crispy, unctuous and browned. I get that under a grill. On a George Foreman, it just turns into a gelatinous mess.

Where it does work is on things that re tastiest when seared - tuna steaks, for instance, or butterflied chicken breasts, or minute steaks to be used in steak sandwiches.

P. Breathnach

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

I like the fat on a lamb chop to be crispy, unctuous and browned. I get that under a grill. On a George Foreman, it just turns into a gelatinous mess.

Let that be a warning to you! How do you think it ends up in your digestive system?

Sparks

the beer revolu wrote: »

Nope was "the real thing". BTW same things were around 30 years ago but without all the George marketing. Nothing new, just cheaper and more plasticy now.

Yup.

The Sweeper

P. Breathnach wrote: »

Let that be a warning to you! How do you think it ends up in your digestive system?

Digested?

The fitness and nutrition forums are over...

/points

...there.

Supercell

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I too use mine for marinated chicken, steak, sausages etc. It's handy for toasted sandwiches, panninis and wraps too.
There are lots of recipes on the GEORGE FOREMAN site too.

That site is brilliant, loads of nice recipes there.

DadaKopf

eviledna wrote: »

Because I have a george griddle and want to use it!
Any recipes for the normal type of griddle then?

the beer revolu, I didn't mean it was a knock-off, I meant that it might be broken;)

Well, I mean, no recipes as such. I have a Chasseur griddle pan with, you know, with the raised ridges. What that does is burns where the ridges contact with the meat and allows fat/juices to fall between the ridges, burn and jump back up, slowly caramelising the meat.

I use it to cook meat, I haven't done vegetables. And I don't do 'recipes' with it, I just cook the meat with some seasoning. So...

• Steak: leave out of the fridge to get to room temperature, rub olive/sunflower oil on it and season well with sea salt and pepper, on a high heat, cook to your liking.
• Duck breast: leave out until room temperature, score the skin every centimetre in a cross-cross pattern (cut lightly into it, this helps the fat render out and skin crisp up); cook the skin for 4 minutes on a medium heat, the flip around for 2 minutes, turn again and put the pan in an oven at 180-200c for about 8-10 mins.
• Pork chops/fillets: same as steak, but slightly undercook, salt, pepper (or marinade in something)
• Venison steaks: possibly best cooked on a stainless-steel, non-stick frying pan, cook on a nearly-high heat; it's lean meat so marinading can help keep it moist during the cooking.

I haven't yet tried a spatchcocked poussin, half-chicken, pheasant, quail, you get the idea...

Mellor

DadaKopf wrote: »

[*]Venison steaks: possibly best cooked on a stainless-steel, non-stick frying pan, cook on a nearly-high heat; it's lean meat so marinading can help keep it moist during the cooking.[/list]

Do you use wild or farmed venison?

I found that the cuts in the shop are a little too "pre-cut". As in Steaks and roasts come in perfect shape cuts. To get this I imagine the outer layers are removed. Probably used in venison sausages and similar. Its a shame, as I normally get wild venison and found the outer parts to be nicer, with fatty deposits at the edge. The fat is very soft and comes away easily.

I like to remove it and use it in the pan first in place of olive oil. It breaks down and then the steak is added. Its the same as what happen when any meat is cooked (as you described above) But this away allow the fat to fully break down, before meat is added. Cook to medium rare, tasty

DadaKopf

Mellor wrote: »

Do you use wild or farmed venison?

I found that the cuts in the shop are a little too "pre-cut". As in Steaks and roasts come in perfect shape cuts. To get this I imagine the outer layers are removed. Probably used in venison sausages and similar. Its a shame, as I normally get wild venison and found the outer parts to be nicer, with fatty deposits at the edge. The fat is very soft and comes away easily.

I like to remove it and use it in the pan first in place of olive oil. It breaks down and then the steak is added. Its the same as what happen when any meat is cooked (as you described above) But this away allow the fat to fully break down, before meat is added. Cook to medium rare, tasty

I dunno, got them in F.X. Buckley (they also do shoulder for around €6.

That sounds great, Mellor. Where do you get your venison steaks?

P. Breathnach

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

The fitness and nutrition forums are over...

/points

...there.

I like to cook food. There is nutrition involved. Mind you, some chefs like to ignore that.

One of the selling points of the George Foreman grill is that it enables the production of healthier meals. [I don't actually buy into that: the grill sweats off as much fat, and I use my griddle mainly for making panini.]

Eviledna

It's funny that despite the "healthy" connotations to the George, this is what they advertise to do with my one:rolleyes:

As you can see, the flat griddle is on the side of the grill. Excellent for making low fat banana pancakes in the morning,but not as useful as the grill for dinner.
Thanks one and all for the replies, you are a helpful bunch:pac:

P. Breathnach

eviledna wrote: »

It's funny that despite the "healthy" connotations to the George, this is what they advertise to do with my one:rolleyes:

So it can cook for only one person at a time?

the beer revolu

eviledna wrote: »

Because I have a george griddle and want to use it!
Any recipes for the normal type of griddle then?

the beer revolu, I didn't mean it was a knock-off, I meant that it might be broken;)

That's possible.
If I wanted one of those grills I'd have no shame in a Lidl one anyway;)

Dizzyblonde

For me, the best thing about the George Foreman as opposed to a griddle pan or grilling is that I can put the burgers, chicken fillets etc in, set the timer and I don't have to watch over it. It's not great for every type of meat but it's dead handy for some things and has the added benefit of not splashing the hob and worktop.

The Sweeper

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I like to cook food. There is nutrition involved. Mind you, some chefs like to ignore that.

Sorry, I have to be honest here - you're really annoying me and I'm finding it terribly difficult not to be personally abusive to you.

So I'll leave it here: please put me on ignore, because I'd rather not have to read your uppity preaching about food and nutrition on a forum about cooking and recipes, especially when it's in direct response to my posts. I've already mentioned that there's a fitness forum on here, so if you want to discuss food as fuel, it's a better venue.

One of the selling points of the George Foreman grill is that it enables the production of healthier meals. [I don't actually buy into that: the grill sweats off as much fat, and I use my griddle mainly for making panini.]

The production of healthier meals benefits far more from the inclusion of select ingredients - read whole grains, fresh fish, green leafy vegetables - than the use of a cooking method that tries to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. If you want to eat healthily, don't buy cheap sausages. As opposed to cooking them on a griddle, gasping at the fat that drains off and then chomping your way through the papery remains.

I'll stick with eating lamb chops around three or four times a month when they're in season as local produce, grilled to create a tasty, crispy, melting effect, and ignore you, if you'll accept the fact that I'm really utterly uninterested in your commentary on whether or not that's good for me.

Minder

eviledna wrote: »

It's funny that despite the "healthy" connotations to the George, this is what they advertise to do with my one:rolleyes:

As you can see, the flat griddle is on the side of the grill. Excellent for making low fat banana pancakes in the morning,but not as useful as the grill for dinner.
Thanks one and all for the replies, you are a helpful bunch:pac:

P. Breathnach wrote: »

So it can cook for only one person at a time?

You seem to be suggesting that the food in the picture is a meal for one. That, after pontificating about the strip of fat on a lamb chop. Troll.

Dizzyblonde

Minder wrote: »

You seem to be suggesting that the food in the picture is a meal for one. That, after pontificating about the strip of fat on a lamb chop. Troll.

+1:mad:

MJOR

I have a tiny one called a baby george and I make all my toasties and wraps on it. I do chicken and sausages too....

Steak goes dry as ****e on it though

P. Breathnach

Minesajackdaniels wrote: »

Sorry, I have to be honest here - you're really annoying me and I'm finding it terribly difficult not to be personally abusive to you.

So I'll leave it here: please put me on ignore, because I'd rather not have to read your uppity preaching about food and nutrition on a forum about cooking and recipes, especially when it's in direct response to my posts. I've already mentioned that there's a fitness forum on here, so if you want to discuss food as fuel, it's a better venue.
...
I'll stick with eating lamb chops around three or four times a month when they're in season as local produce, grilled to create a tasty, crispy, melting effect, and ignore you, if you'll accept the fact that I'm really utterly uninterested in your commentary on whether or not that's good for me.

I suggest that you take things down a notch. I think it is fair to link the ideas of cooking and healthy diet, and I don't think you should suggest that it should be inadmissible here.

I don't much care if you consider my comments on food and cooking to be uninteresting to you. Discussion on a forum such as this is for all to read; it's not a one-to-one interaction. Others can read and agree or disagree either openly or without taking the trouble to post. And you are free to ignore my views or express disagreement with them.

But let's not get personal ("uppity preaching"). I do not see why I should be precluded from reading what you say when what you really seem to want is not to read what I might say.

And, truly, I am not posting to stir up trouble. I am articulating a point of view about food and cooking.

P. Breathnach

Minder wrote: »

You seem to be suggesting that the food in the picture is a meal for one. That, after pontificating about the strip of fat on a lamb chop. Troll.

I thought I was using a little irony in an attempt to amuse. Sorry if I missed the target.

Eviledna

Oi! Could we stay on topic please?:mad:

Meh.

ANyway, update for those interested, turns out that you can make sauteed potatoes on the thing! Lovely with some minced garlic and rosemary.:)

Honey-ec

The only thing I use my "George Formby" for is panini - for anything else, the cleaning afterwards far outweighs the "benefits" of using it, particularly when you can achieve the same results from a stove-top griddle pan.

Actually, another thing it is good for is grilling halloumi cheese.