Foreman Grill Tricks

You've seen former Heavyweight Champion George Foreman pitching his "Lean Mean Fat Reducing Grilling Machines" on those infomercials. Heck - you probably even own one or two Foreman Grills.

You're not alone. Millions of Foreman Grills have been purchased since the first came onto the market. And, if you're like most, you use your Foreman Grill (or grills) on a regular basis.

But there are ways to use your Foreman Grill you may not be aware of yet. Here are a few:

No fuss clean up. If you haven't yet upgraded to one of the newer versions of the Foreman Grill (with the removable plates so you can put them in your dishwasher), you probably know it can be a hassle to remove dried-on crust. You can't really wash it when it's hot, after all. But you can remove the hassle and much of the mess involved. When you're finished cooking with your Foreman Grill (and while it's still hot), place enough wet (not damp) paper towels on the metal plates, then close the lid. This steams the gunk, which makes cleaning your Foreman Grill a snap after it cools off. Just make sure you leave the drip tray in place or you'll have a messy counter to deal with later.

Waffles. Sure, the newer Foreman Grills have multiple plates - one of which is a set for making waffles. But you can also make waffles on the older models. All Foreman Grills come with a drip tray and some come with two. If you Foreman Grill came with two drip trays, then place one inside the other, turn them upside down, then rest the front legs of your Foreman Grill upon the drip trays. This should make your bottom plate of your grill level. If your Foreman Grill came with only one drip tray, turn it upside down and place it on a thin cutting board, then set the front legs upon the drip tray. Now that your Foreman Grill is level, you can heat it up and place your waffle mix on the bottom plate. You'll have waffles (albeit with grill ridges instead of the traditional squares).

Emergency Iron. That's right! If your iron is broken or being used, you can use your Foreman Grill to iron your clothes! Of course, this trick only works with the newer versions of the Foreman Grill (and the bigger the better) - the ones with removable plates. One plate set is flat (griddles). Make sure they're absolutely clean and click them in. Now heat your Foreman Grill up. Once it's hot, lay your shirt (or other garment) on the griddle. Then spritz some water on it. Take a round ceramic mug and slowly rub it over the fabric and keep moving the garment until you've ironed it completely. You'll be surprised at what a remarkably good job it does! This technique should only be used in a pinch, however, and only with sturdy fabrics. Your Foreman Grill might burn your delicate fabrics - which would ruin your garment and your grill.

Bed warmer. Before the advent of electric blankets (or electricity itself), many people pre-warmed their beds by placing hot coals inside metal boxes and slipping them between the covers. This posed obvious safety hazards. If you don't have an electric blanket and aren't the type to place red-hot coals on flammable mattresses, you can use your UNPLUGGED Foreman Grill to achieve the same effect. Simply heat your Foreman Grill up, UNPLUG IT, open it up and place it between your covers. This will make your bed nice and toasty on cold evenings. There are two safety precautions you'll need to follow: 1) UNPLUG IT BEFORE PUTTING IT IN YOUR BED (that really can't be stressed enough); and 2) Don't leave it unattended (for obvious reasons). As long as you follow those two precautions, this Foreman Grill trick is perfectly safe.

Your Foreman Grill can do much more than grill burgers and veggies. Experiment with it. What other Foreman Grill tricks do you know? Share them by leaving your tricks in the comments of this article.