Trib tested: George Foreman Evolve Grill System
The claim: The George Foreman Evolve Grill System features digital time and temperature for precise grilling and baking and a 500-degree searing burst, the highest temperature for indoor grills. The Evolve will change the way you think of “grilling” as it features a variety of accessory plates, including two waffle plates, along with the ceramic grill plates. The Evolve Grill has an 84-inch cooking surface perfect for whipping up to five servings at once. With a 1.5-inch hinge, it grills thick burgers, steaks and paninis to perfection. As always, Evolve features the George Foreman exclusive fat removing design and features a scratch- and stain-resistant, durable, non-stick surface for fast cleanup.
Cost: $119.99
Where: Walmart
Foreman grills are nothing new in our bare-bones kitchen, but a fancy Foreman grill? With slick, removable grill plates and a digital temperature display? This is a Foreman richer than our blood.
After my fiancée and I got past its dolled-up face, the Evolve was a mixed bag. It blackened – but didn't burn – our oil-soaked red-pepper slices, cooking evenly and steadily in just a few minutes. Even better: Nothing stuck to the cream-colored plates, which washed up like a dream.
Grilling a ham-and-cheese panini was just as seamless. The Evolve turned out the sandwich with a deep golden brown exterior, well-melted cheese and even warmth. Near-perfect grill marks added a pleasant aesthetic.
Still, the Evolve's lid felt clunky, heavy and awkward, belying its space-age look. Apart from offering a bigger grilling space, it didn't appear to cook any better than older, cheaper models. That makes the upgrade tough to justify.
Sure, the Evolve was flashy eye candy for a few days, but we'll stick with our old-school Foreman grills. Thanks for the effort, George.
It slices, it dices, it … oh, wait, wrong product.
Yet, the George Foreman Evolve Grill System apparently is pretty handy, with a multitude of uses.
I went with the usual standby, a simple steak, and was not disappointed. It's a decent-sized grill, so I managed to get a decent steak on there, and it grilled it evenly and faster than other Foreman grills. It did a good job grilling the steak.
Not so much, however, with the waffle plates. I did the suggested cinnamon rolls, and they were very inconsistent. The left side grilled the rolls well but the right side was raw and gummy. The steak was cooked evenly, so I cannot explain this at all.
I wish that the manufacturers had included more accessory plates, as well; I would have liked to have tried the muffin pan.
Another small gripe was that the electrical cord to the grill is very short. I had to grab an extension cord to reach a plug, which I've never done on any other appliance in my kitchen.
With such a rainy season foiling our plans this summer, it was pleasure to move our grilling indoors.
We first tried the Evolve with boneless pork chops. Starting on “sear” to allow those lovely char stripes, the appliance automatically reduces to 300 degrees once the sear is properly set, which can be adjusted, if desired. Checking the cooking charts, the digital-timer readout can also be adjusted, allowing you to cook without being tempted to peek too many times. The resulting chops were beautiful and juicy — a simple and easy main dish for dinner.
Hot panini sandwiches with melted cheese can be made for a quick breakfast or lunch treat.
The waffle plates offer a wealth of creative uses beyond breakfast. Stuffing waffles are a great accompaniment to grilled chicken, for example.
And cleanup? Easy peasy with soap and water. No scrubbing or soaking.
Accessory plate sets are available to make omelets (three at a time!), muffins, sliders and pancakes, but it seems a bit much. Where would you store it all? I like what I have here just fine.
