New 360-Degree Indoor Grill

Oh it's big, all right. It will handle grilling 6 medium-sized burgers or 4 skinless chicken breasts in a single bound. It's the new 360-degree indoor grill by George Foreman. This appliance requires a commitment not only because it costs more than the smaller indoor grills, but because you'll need to clear some major cabinet space for this baby. I think it's worth it though.

The one thing you will also need with this grill is a counter top area with enough cabinet clearance so you can prop the top of the grill up while you are loading on your food to the bottom plate, without hitting something. I have an electrical outlet on my kitchen island so that worked perfectly (no cabinets above this counter space.) When you see the size of this thing, you will understand why I raised this issue.

I have been using my smaller indoor grill for panini sandwiches for a couple of years now so with this 360-degree griller, I can make several sandwiches at a time...definitely a plus when you have several hungry teens in your kitchen.

This grill also comes with upper and lower plates for making quesadillas and a lower plate to make pizzas, which admittedly I haven't had a chance to try yet. One tip on the quesadilla plates though...Use gravity to help you keep your cheese in your quesadilla and not in the drip tray. Set your folded quesadilla so it isn't open on the down side of the 360-degree grill. Using less greasy (and slippery) reduced fat cheese will also keep it in your tortilla too.

One of the biggest differences I can see with this new grill, besides its grilling capacity, are the temperature control options. You can dial in LOW, MEDIUM, and HIGH.

Temperature Settings
According to the company that makes and distributes this George Foreman grill, Applica:
LOW works best for reheating fully cooked foods.
MEDIUM LOW works for sandwiches and wraps.
MEDIUM works best for vegetables.
MEDIUM HIGH works bests for vegetables, fish, pizza, quesadillas, pork, poultry and lamb.
HIGH works best for beef.

Here's a recipe for easy grilled asparagus that is designed for any indoor grill!

Easy Grilled Asparagus

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus spears (about 20 spears)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground salt

Preparation:

1. Preheat indoor grill (like the George Foreman) to Medium-High. Meanwhile use a silicon brush or pastry brush to lightly coat the outside of asparagus with olive oil.
2. Lay asparagus over bottom grill (either direction works-going with or against the grooves) and lower the top grill. Cook until asparagus is just tender but still a little crispy and bright green (about 6-8 minutes, depending on the thickness of the spears).
3. Place grilled asparagus on serving plate and sprinkle some freshly ground salt over the salt. Simple but delicious!

Yield: Makes 4 servings
WebMD Weight Loss Clinic Members journal as: 1/2 cup vegetables without added fat
Nutrition Information per serving: 36 calories, 2 g protein, 3 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat, .3 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 147 mg sodium. Calories from fat: 45 percent.

Related Topics:

• Indoor Grilling: Tips and Recipes
• Healthy Cooking with Elaine Magee, RD
• Healthy Cooking Newsletter - recipes, kitchen and shopping advice in your inbox