George Foreman Grills are the ultimate convenient cooking device that allows you to make an endless amount of great dishes with little effort.
Ever since it was first introduced to the world in 1994, it has become a staple worldwide and sold over 100 million units.
If you find yourself struggling to clean your grill, there’s no need to worry! We’ve created the ultimate guide on how to clean a George Foreman Grill.
We will go through the different methods and techniques step by step. So without further ado – let’s get cleaning!
When To Clean A George Foreman Grill
So let’s say you have a George Foreman Grill. It’s going great, you love it! You’ve been cooking grilled cheeses and various meat recipes without a hitch.
But there’s just one problem that is becoming obvious – George Foreman Grills get messy! Grease, fat, grime, and burnt crumbs are common problems that you’re noticing.
Sometimes, after cooking, the idea of cleaning your grill can feel like a huge annoyance, and you may be tempted to leave it. But don’t wait! Taking the time to clean your grill after each use will prevent grease and grime from building up. In other words, regular cleaning will actually make it easier to keep your Foreman Grill clean – and take less time to clean it – in the long run.
Preparing To Clean A George Foreman Grill
1. Unplug Your Grill
Before you begin to clean a George Foreman Grill you will want to make sure that it’s unplugged. This is very important. We’re going to be using water and cleaning products, so you can’t have your grill anywhere near electricity.
We also recommend unplugging and moving your grill somewhere where you have space to clean it.
Wait for your grill to cool down a little after cooking before you move it to avoid burning yourself. If you want to be safe you can use a towel or thick oven mitts to move it.
2. Remove Excessive Grease
You also need to make sure you take care of excessive amounts of grease before you use water on your grill.
If there is still a lot of grease on your grill then you need to try and get rid of it either by cleaning out your drip tray and/or with a paper towel. A Paper towel works best for soaking up smaller amounts of grease.
If you skip this step, then when you start to wash your grill, the grease will spoil your water, and make it much harder to clean.
3. Dispose of Debris
Before you get onto any deep cleaning sections of your grill, you can use this moment to sweep away any debris that might be lurking after your cooking sessions.
Burnt bits of food or solid lumps of grease or fat can be wiped away with a cloth or paper towel. You can also easily remove debris from the sides, underneath, or above your George Foreman.
4. Remove Grill Plates
If you haven’t done so already, you’re going to want to remove the grill plates. The grill plates of your George Foreman are the part that gets very hot during cooking, so you’ll want to check that they’ve properly cooled down before touching them with your bare hands.
If you’re unsure, just use your dishcloth or oven mitts to move them. Once the plates are removed you have two options to clean them.
How To Clean A George Foreman Grill
Option 1: Hand Wash
If you need a clean George Foreman Grill immediately, then hand washing is the fastest option. Run a bowl of hot, soapy water and place the grill plates inside.
If anything is stuck to your plates, then you might need to use a soft sponge to scrub at them and get the debris free.
Avoid scouring pads and abrasive brushes, or you will damage the non-stick coating on the grill plates. If they are excessively greasy, you might want to rinse them under hot water as you are washing, or scrubbing with a cloth or sponge.
Once they are clean you can leave them to dry on your drying rack or dry them off manually with a paper towel or a dishcloth.
Option 2: Dishwasher
If you have time to wait and want to avoid scrubbing by hand, using a dishwasher is the lazier, and easier, option. It’s very likely your George Foreman Grill plates are dishwasher-friendly.
It’s best not to place them under any other dishes you might be adding to your load, or to include them in a load that already has a lot of dishes on it.
We recommend checking your grill plates once they’ve gone through the dishwasher; depending on how dirty they are you might need to give them some extra care.
Note: If you’ve neglected cleaning your George Foreman Grill for quite some time, your grill plates may be caked with debris.
If you find that they don’t get fully clean through the dishwasher, or that you’re scrubbing them under your faucet to no avail, then you might need to soak them overnight.
Put them in a bowl (or sink) of hot, soapy water and let them soak until morning. Once you wake up and try to clean them, they should be a lot easier to manage!
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Option 3: How To Clean A George Forman Grill With Non-Removable Plates
If your George Foreman grill does not have removable plates, then don’t worry! It’s still fairly easy to clean.
What you’ll want to do is wait first to ensure your grill is completely cool. Next, you will want to spray your grill with grill cleaner spray and begin to scrub it with either a cloth or a soft sponge. (Grill cleaner spray is readily available commercially (see below) or you can make your own using equal parts white vinegar and water.)
If it needs more care, we recommend filling a small bowl of water with soap and using this to clean the surface of the plates.
Don’t pour the water in, dip a sponge or cloth into the soapy water and dab at the surface of the grill plates.
You have to be a bit more careful here when using water than with removable plates, as you run the risk of getting the electrical parts of your grill wet.
Whatever you do, don’t submerge the entirety of your grill in the water, as this will almost certainly damage your grill and could possibly be dangerous!
Once it’s clean, use a dishtowel or paper towel to dry it off and make sure the plates of your grill are thoroughly dry before you switch it back on.
- Break up tough residue on your grill
- Using the right products extends the lifetime of your grill
- REGULAR GRILL CLEANING CAN PREVENT CORROSION - Regular grill cleaning and grill maintenance can prevent the chemical reactions that can cause your grill to corrode. - This charcoal or gas grill cleaner cuts through grease and burned on food
- BBQ GRILL CLEANER TO USE ON GRILLS AND MORE - Kingsford Heavy Duty Spray-On Grill Cleaner Aerosol can be used on broilers, barbecue grills, stainless steel and more. This grill cleaner spray is easy to use and cleans grills quickly
- GRILL & SMOKER CLEANER : Super-strength gel cleans your grill and is safe on food-prep surfaces. Works great for cleaning pellet smokers and electric smokers
- GREASE REMOVER: Quickly cleans and removes grease from your grill and grates
Final Thoughts
When you think about it, it’s a good thing that George Foreman Grills can get so dirty because it shows you how versatile they are as a grill for your kitchen.
Amazingly, something so small can be so great for so many different dishes.
We hope our short guide has walked you through each step of cleaning a George Foreman Grill and that you now feel a lot more confident after cooking. Happy grilling!
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