Articles The Inside Story on Grills When it's too cold to go out, these electric appliances are hot stuff. Kathryn Matthews. Kathryn Matthews is a freelance writer. New York Newsday 11/29/2000 (Copyright Newsday Inc., 2000) WHAT TO DO when you miss that grillin' feeling in the dead of winter? A solution for a growing number is to "fire up" inside. This is the season of the electric indoor grill, a hot-ticket item that both gift-givers and recipients apparently appreciate. "About 30 percent of all indoor grills are sold in December alone," said Donna Wallace, director of small appliances at NPD Intelect, a Port Washington-based market research firm that tracks sales via retail channels, such as department stores, mass merchants and specialty stores. According to Wallace, indoor grills rank fifth in unit sales (with 7.2 million units sold between October, 1999 and September, 2000), after coffeemakers (the No. 1 small appliance, with 14.6 million units sold), irons, microwaves and toasters. And electric grills, a $356-million segment in the small- appliance category, far outpace stovetop grills, which ring in $15 million annually. What's the appeal of a tabletop grill? "THEY'RE EASY TO USE, fun, cleanup is a snap and they're convenient for people who love grilled foods but who have very busy schedules. It's an ideal machine for everyone, from college students to corporate executives. Even people who don't really know how to cook become instantly successful when they prepare foods on an electric grill," said Holly Rudin-Braschi, author of the recently released " Grill Power " (QVC Publishing, 2000, $19.95), a cookbook devoted to foods prepared on electric grills. Thoughtful gizmo gift-givers may feel obliged to consult Consumer Reports for a brand-name blessing. Or, they can simply go with the populist choice: the George Foreman line of portable indoor grills, especially the Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine by Salton. The 51-year-old former heavyweight boxing champion-turned- infomercial personality has been promoting the Salton grills bearing his name since 1995, dramatically punching up sales. So much so that Salton now owns 90 percent of the indoor grill market, according to Wallace. Hamilton Beach Proctor-Silex, the closest competitor, has only a 6 percent market share, making Foreman the undisputed champ of electric grills. It's also the reason that Salton decided to buy Foreman out in 1999, paying him $137.5 million in cash and stock for permanent use of his name. Wallace attributed Foreman's lock on the indoor grill market to a savvy marketing strategy: "This was not a new product concept. But the infomercials featured a charismatic pitchperson educating consumers about how to use the product, tying it to a health benefit- in this case, a 'fat-reducing' grill. And the $29, $59 and $99 price points have certainly made Foreman's grill more accessible than a conventional outdoor one." The fact that it is a "contact grill"—two heated grilling plates connected by a floating hinge, enabling both sides of the food to cook simultaneously-also makes it popular, Rudin-Braschi said. "So instead of the 10 to 12 minutes it takes to cook a quarter-pound burger on an open hearth-style electric grill, it takes about 5 minutes." As Foreman sees it, sheer simplicity is the key to his grill's success. "There's no fussing with complicated buttons-you just close the lid and get grilling." Describing himself as a "big man with a gigantic appetite," he said he uses the grill at least once a day, but not to eat the six or 12 beef patties, steaks or chicken breasts he cooks on his infomercials. "I have to manage what I eat," he allowed, "and there are times when I eat strictly vegetarian. So, I'll grill big portions of eggplant, green tomatoes, broccoli or asparagus." When he does eat meat, it's "a rib-eye steak once a week, or fish twice a week." But does the Lean Mean Grilling Machine live up to its advance billing? After perusing Foreman's internationally accented Big Book of Grilling, Barbecue and Rotisserie (Simon & Schuster, 2000, $23), co- written with Barbara Witt, I decided to make the Fiery Orange Sesame Flank Steak (which yields four servings) on Foreman's $59.99 Large Grill. I prepared the marinade-based recipe early one Saturday morning, then headed to Bed, Bath and Beyond, where I discovered that the Large Grill had only an 8-by-8-inch cooking surface (it looked larger in the catalog) that could not possibly fit the entire steak. I reluctantly parted with $99.99 and bought the Jumbo Family Grill (GR30 model), with a 9-by-13-inch cooking surface, instead. The grill has heating elements embedded beneath the ridged nonstick grill plates (in the lid and the bottom of the unit), and a 3 percent slope that allows any excess fat to drip into a plastic container. When I plugged it in, the grill heated up quickly. "Grilling" involved placing the flank steak on the bottom grid, and closing the white oval-shaped lid over it, which felt, disconcertingly, like putting down a toilet seat lid. Lifting the lid a few minutes later, I found a handsomely grill-marked steak, cooked to medium-rare perfection. The whole cooking process had been a fast, easy, convenient affair, yielding a juicy, flavorful steak. Still, the biggest trade- off for grill aficionados is that electric grilled foods lack a primordial allure, that smoky character of fire-cooked food. In other words, outdoor and indoor grills are not created equal. Rudin-Braschi said that foods cooked on an electric grill taste similar to those cooked on a stovetop grill. The difference, she said, is that "electric grills, especially those with variable temperature controls, tend to give more thermostatic control than stovetop grills." Admittedly, cleaning the George Foreman grill was a cinch, compared with the labor-intensive scrubbing an anodized stovetop grill pan demands. For the Foreman grill, I took the enclosed plastic spatula, scraped off residual food particles from between the grooves, wiped off the top and bottom grids with a sponge, and then retired from the kitchen for the evening. In her book, Rudin-Braschi offers tips-mostly common-sense advice—for electric grill users: Preheat your grill fully, pay attention to grilling times and never reuse marinade unless it's been boiled first. Where food safety is concerned, she recommended going the extra step by "taking the temperature" of grilled foods (for example, poultry should reach at least 160 degrees internally, and fish approximately 135 to 140 degrees), using a digital instant-read thermometer to test for doneness. George Foreman grills are available at Macy's, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Lechter's, Wal-Mart, Kmart-virtually any store that sells small appliances. What's Cooking THE GEORGE FOREMAN grill is the leader among indoor grills sold, but other manufacturers of electric grills are listed below: Black & Decker Sizzle Lean Indoor Grill IG150: Can use with lid closed for contact grilling, open flat to double the cooking surface; has a removable, dishwasher-safe, nonstick cooking grid and an adjustable temperature control dial. Available at Kmart, Costco, Sears, Service Merchandise, Target and Wal-Mart. Krups Canyon Deluxe Smokeless Indoor Grill 341: An open-hearth- style grill with an enamel-coated cast- iron grill plate and adjustable thermostat. Suggested retail price is $150. Hamilton Beach MealMaker Express Contact Grill 25300: The retail price of this top-selling model varies between $35 and $55. T-Fal Multi-Grill Excelio Indoor BBQ & Griddle 78807: This countertop electric grill has interchangeable, nonstick, dishwasher- safe grill and griddle plates and an adjustable thermostat. Suggested retail price is $109.99. DeLonghi Alfredo 3-in-1 Health Contact Grill CG236: This electric grill has an adjustable thermostat and cooks three ways: "barbecue" (by opening flat), "grill" (with lid closed) or "broil" (by slightly raising the lid to provide radiant heat from above). Suggested retail price is $110. GRILLING RECIPES This recipe is from Grill Power (QVC Publishing, $19.95) by Holly Rudin-Braschi: Gourmet Grilled Cheese Sandwiches 4 tablespoons butter 4 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard 4 teaspoons pressed fresh garlic 8 slices extra-sour sourdough bread, about inch thick 6 ounces Fontina cheese 6 ounces mozzarella cheese 4 tablespoons shredded Parmesan, Asiago or Pecorino Romano cheese 4 tablespoons thinly sliced scallions 1. Preheat the grill. If you have a grill with a variable temperature control, set it to medium-high (1 or 2 steps below high) or to about 350 to 400 degrees. 2. In a small saucepan melt the butter over low heat. When the butter is melted, whisk in the mustard and garlic. Set aside. 3. Grate the three different types of cheeses into a small bowl and combine with a fork. 4. Put 4 slices of sourdough bread on a large plate. Put 1 tablespoon of scallions on each slice. Place a layer of cheese over the scallions, dividing equally among the 4 slices. Place a slice of sourdough over the cheese and brush the garlic-mustard-butter baste on top. 5. Carefully put each sandwich, basted side down, on the grill. Brush the tops of each sandwich evenly with the remaining garlic- mustard-butter baste. 6. For a 2-sided contact grill: Grill a total of 3 to 4 minutes. For a hibachi grill, combination grill or infusion grill: Grill a total of 6 to 8 minutes (3 to 4 minutes on each side), remove from grill and serve. Makes 4 sandwiches. This recipe is also from Rudin-Braschi's Grill Power. Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish Fillets For the fish: 1-1/4 pounds catfish or black fish fillets 1 whole egg well beaten 3 tablespoons cornstarch Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste For the crust mixture: 1/2 cup yellow or white cornmeal 1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder or Cajun seasoning to taste 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1/2 teaspoon light salt, or to taste Nonfat or canola oil cooking spray Garnishes: Your favorite salsa Light or non-fat sour cream 1. Preheat the grill. If you have a grill with a variable temperature control, set it to medium-high (1 or 2 steps below high) or to about 350 to 400 degrees. 2. Cut the fish into 4 equal pieces and place in a shallow dish or pie plate. In a small bowl, whisk the egg, cornstarch, salt and pepper until the cornstarch is dissolved. Pour the mixture over the fish. Turn the pieces so that both sides of the fish are coated with the egg mixture. Use immediately, or cover tightly and refrigerate 20 minutes, or up to 1 hour. 3. In a shallow dish use a fork to mix the cornmeal, Cajun seasoning or chili powder, garlic and onion powders and salt, and place the dish near the grill. 4. Dip each catfish fillet into the coating mixture so all sides are covered and place on a large plate. Spray each fillet lightly on both sides with cooking spray. Place fish on the grill and grill 6 to 7 minutes total on a 2-sided contact grill, or 12 to 14 minutes total (6 to 7 minutes on each side) on a hibachi, a combination grill or an infusion grill. To test for doneness: Check to make sure the fish is opaque in the center, flaky when pricked with the tip of a knife, and that the interior temperature reaches 135 to 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Top each fillet with a dollop of salsa and sour cream or serve it on the side. Makes 4 servings.

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