When I think of any sort of kitchen appliance that produces meals on the go, I immediately think of a George Foreman product. When it comes to making both waffles and pancakes, I can’t think of one that is quite as good as their GRP4842R Evolve Grill. Versatility is the spice of life and the brilliant minds at George Foreman know it. It includes a grill for cooking pancakes (or any other food), extra-large waffle grids for making waffles, and for an added bonus a panini press.
Versatility isn’t going to solely make a tremendous grill, though. The cooking quality and durability play a major role in its success, as well. With the George Foreman grill having advanced ceramic plates, this isn’t something you will have to worry about. These plates (which can be removed and placed in a dishwasher) are covered with a multilayer ceramic coating that adds extra durability and ensures the highest temperature possible.
Adjustable Cooking Angle and Hinge
Oh boy, where do I begin! Let’s start with the two most useful features: the adjustable cooking angle and hinge. It’s completely up to you how you cook your meals. Using the classic sloped grilling surface (if you plan on cooking meats), you can drain excess fat from meats. On the flip side, if you plan on making waffles and pancakes you can lay the grill (or waffle grids) flat.
While the adjustable angle accommodates a different way to cook your meals, the adjustable one-inch hinge makes it easier for you to cook thick meals. This means that you can cook everything from a super-thin flapjack to a thick T-bone steak.
Digital Control Panel
As with everything in the world today, technology plays a major key in the multi-functional George Foreman grill. However, the digital control panel on this waffle maker is not going to overwhelm you. It displays for you both the grill’s temperature and the cooking time. The cooking time is entirely up to you, but the temperature will go from 325 to 450 degrees. However, you will find one more extra feature on the control panel: the searing option. This will raise the grill’s temperature to 500 degrees.
Immense Size
Size is of the essence when you talk about the Evolve from George Foreman. There are an astounding 75 square inches of surface area that will allow you to cook several meals at a time. Then, when you combine all of the different meals you can make, you can cook an entire supper at once!
Speed Can be a Concern
Although the Evolve grill is advertised as having an extremely fast pre-heat time, that is simply deceiving. The reality is, the slow pre-heating time is the one major drawback to this waffle maker. This can become an issue for you if you plan to use it before clocking into your job. You may want to give yourself an extra ten minutes to accommodate for the slow heating. With this drawback aside (if I were you), I would head over to Amazon.com immediately to secure this near masterpiece.
Alternative #1: Cuisinart WAF-300 Waffle and Pancake Maker
Even though I highly recommend the Evolve from George Foreman, it’s only fair for me to offer up some alternatives. The first one is from Cuisinart and it’s their WAF-300 waffle maker. Included in their appliance are four-slice Belgian waffle plates and a four-slot pancake plate. Instead of actual temperatures, the WAF-300 has six different adjustable heat settings that you can choose from. You will also find indicator lights that you notify you when it’s fully preheated and when your waffles and pancakes are finished.
Making waffles on this WAF-300 is amazing (especially because of its non-stick plates), but making pancakes can be a little more annoying. I think if Cuisinart would have included a flat surface instead of inserts for the pancakes, this wouldn’t be an issue.
Alternative #2: DeLonghi Livenza All-Day Grill
Amazon.com – unavailable currently
Before I begin, let me say that this alternative is perfect for you if you like to spend a little more money! The Livenza All-Day Grill from DeLonghi has seven different cooking functions (with two of them being a grill and a waffle mode). The cooking surface is also much larger than the Evolve with an area of 130.5 inches. What’s really cool about this particular waffle maker is you can cook your food at different temperatures at the same time (depending on what plate you use). The large LCD display (which shows temperature and time) is also much easier to see.
Look, I am not going to lie to you, this waffle maker is amazing. The only reason it’s not my highest recommendation is because of the price. The Livenza All-Day Grill tends to be one of the most expensive brands. If you don’t mind spending money, then you may want to look into this. For everyone else, stick to George Foreman.
Alternative for DeLonghi:
KRUPS Belgian Waffle Maker
The Tiger Clay Ceramic is temporarily unavailable, but this one is a great alternative. It is a multi-functional rice cooker that allows you to cook main dish and rice simultaneously. Tiger’s Automatic Cooking Logic system lets you monitor the temperature to make the perfect rice meal.
Alternative #3: Black & Decker G48TD Waffle Maker
Many of the same features of the previous waffle makers are also included with the BLACK+DECKER G48TD brand. This includes the versatility to use this as a grill and waffle maker, the nonstick cooking surface, and the adjustable heating settings. However, there is nothing that will blow you away. In a nutshell, this is a cheaper alternative.
The durability of this waffle maker from BLACK+DECKER is the biggest reason for concern. The locking tabs on the interchangeable panels are quite flimsy and the adjustable hinges are lightweight rivets. If you choose this alternative, it might be a good idea to avoid heavy meals.
George Foreman is the Logical Choice
At the end of the day, the only logical choice for you (unless you like spending a lot of money) is the George Foreman Evolve grill. I say this because of the amazing versatility, the range of temperature, the advanced ceramic plates, the adjustable hinges and cooking angles, the size of the surface area, the digital control panel, and the dishwasher-safe grill plates. Once again, all you have to do is head over to Amazon to bring George Foreman into your home. If you choose to do this, on my personal word, you will not be disappointed!
