Hello everyone,
I've decided that I'm treating myself this weekend with a couple inexpensive items, a toaster oven and some sort of george foreman type grill. The smaller ones of each, it's only 2 of us.
So, any suggestions? Which ones do you guys have?
I know that I want a grill with a removable grill for easier cleaning. My mom has the original small GF grill and it's a hassle to clean.
I'm not 100% sure about the toaster oven, it seems like a good thing. What do you use your toaster oven for? Besides toast? It seems like it would be good for cooking small dishes and not have to heat up the big oven.
What are your opinions?
Thanks
Sarah
Sarah, not an answer to your question, but a plea - if you do find a great grill with a removable grill for cleaning would you please either post here the make of it, or PM me with it.
I too have the original small GF grill and the size is perfect just for us two but I'm with you, its a nightmare to clean.
I love my toaster oven! I think it is a Black and Decker but I'm not sure. It does have bake and broil as well as toast so I use it quite a lot. In fact, I make Taco Bake in an 8x8 glass dish inside the toaster oven. I cook pork tenderloin in it all the time (also my son's popcorn shrimp). I use it to dry bread that I use for WW bread crumbs. It hold six slices of bread. I use it for pita bread pizzas if I am only making a small number - I think two fit. I've used it to bake chicken and to broil fish.
I have both the small GF and the large one. I bought mine before they came out with the removable grill. I use my small one quite often for cooking steaks and turkey fillets as well as fish steaks. I've done vegetables too. I save the big one for times when I really need it but it is wonderful for hamburgers when we have a crowd over. Oh, I love hotlogs on the GF too.! I haven't had too much trouble cleaning mine. I just wet a paper towel while the grill is still hot and then lay it on the grill and close the lid. It then cleans easily.
Artemis,
I did an amazon search and did find several with removable grills, but they are the bigger ones:
This one looks interesting, but I don't like to buy things without having a personal referral. I tend to research a product online, then go buy it at a local store so I can return it easily.
Black and Decker has a 4-in-1 contact grill that has interchangeable sandwich, grill, waffle, and griddle plates, But I havne't been able to find it anywhere but at Kmart.com. So....???? http://www.kmart.com/catalog/product...4-in-1%20grill
Long time, no postin'..... I was just lurking for a bit, and I couldn't resist sharing my favorite indoor grilling tool. I've never been a big George Foreman grill fan, but I love my stovetop grill. I've had mine for a couple of years now. It's a great solution for apartment dwellers like myself who have no place to store an outdoor grill. Cleanup is pretty simple.
I don't have an indoor grill but I do have a toaster oven and use it as an oven more than a toaster. I usually use it if I have a small amount to bake or if I don't want to heat up the oven, which heats up the house. I have a Delonghi toaster oven and I use these small rectangle baking dishes (either Emile Henry or LeCreuset) that fit perfect and are a snap to clean up.
Talking about ovens, my microwave oven is on it's last leg and when I replace it I was thinking of getting a Microwave/Convection combo. Does anyone here have one? I would love to get some feedback on how they like it. I desperately want a double oven but don't have enough room for one unless I move walls in my kitchen.
I just bought the Hamilton Beach one that is shown in the link posted below. I love it! I got mine at Walmart for $49. I just take off the griddles and throw them in the dishwasher. The grease/juice catcher is also a lot neater than the old GF one I had. It slides in and "locks" in place unlike the GF one which could easily move, letting grease run all over the counter top. I love that you can even throw a frozen chicken breast on it. I keep a bag of those Tyson boneless/skinless individually separated frozen chicken breasts from Sam's in the freezer for emergency "what can I throw together that's SB friendly" dinners.
I strolled around the store where I had a gift card to see if they had anything, but didn't see anything that jumped out and said "buy me." I like the feng shui idea, it's got to move me to want to buy it before I will spend any money and the store has to make me feel good... how sad is that?
Hi Nillawaver,
Which size do you have? I did a search on Amazon to check and there are several I may not buy it from Amazon, but I do a lot of research, read the customer reviews and such.
Leslie, How long have you had the Hamilton Beach Grill? Have you had any problems? Is it a good size?
I'm also on the look out for a descent non-stick skillet for eggs. I don't want to spend a lot of money, because I tend to mess it up by cooking too hot or dh "helps". I'm thinking that a trip to Wally-world or Target is in the works soon.
I have both a GF gill and a toaster oven. I use the grill all the time. It is great for healthy food. I use it to grill meats and vegetables. Marinade the meat in seasonings and grill away. It is great for chicken, pork, beefsteak and salmon. I also use it to grill sandwich. Mmmmm….
I have a small toaster oven also, and it really doesn’t get much use.
I don't use my toaster overn because it takes up too much counter space and I can't be bothered getting it in and out of the cupboard. I have the regular GF grill and really don't find cleaning it onerous. I may invest in a smaller one since I'm cooking just for one these days.
I was thinking of getting the toaster oven a little bit smaller then my microwave, then sit it on top of the microwave. Do you think it would work or does the oven get too hot?
I know I'm being compulsive about this, I mean, please it's 2 small appliances, what's the big deal? It's because I have a cabinet full of small appliances that I thought would be good that I don't use and dh gets a little annoyed.
My last splurge was the ultimate pancake maker before I started SBD. I found that pancakes, even made with healthy, good SBD friendly ingredients sing their siren songs at me until I've slowly eaten every one of them. And they do taste good! So, I've found it's better not to make them or at least not in bulk. My crockpot is part of the great appliance wasteland, because it's the old type and a hassle to clean.
Sarah
I have a 2 person GF and love it. It's relatively easy to clean too (even if you leave it out for a few days, opppsss! ) I've used it for burgers and chicken and salmon even.
We are registering for a toaster oven though. There are some things that we'd love to make in the summer but we live in an apartment and it gets hot in there quick with the oven on!!!
Hi Sarah just thought I would chime in and let you know that at my office we have both a small microwave and a small toater oven. The toaster oven sets on top of the microwave all the time and we don't have any problems with either of them even when they are both working.
I'm hoping Santa will bring me an indoor grill this year. Good luck in finding what you would like to have.
Hi Nillawaver,
Which size do you have? I did a search on Amazon to check and there are several I may not buy it from Amazon, but I do a lot of research, read the customer reviews and such.
I'm also on the look out for a descent non-stick skillet for eggs. I don't want to spend a lot of money, because I tend to mess it up by cooking too hot or dh "helps". I'm thinking that a trip to Wally-world or Target is in the works soon.
Thanks,
I have the DeLonghi Alfredo Ultima Toaster Oven which I don't think they make any more (it is at least 4 years old). It was probably one of the lower end models but I have really used it. I also noticed that they have Toaster/Convection combos, they are more pricey but might be worth the investment.