George Foreman Grills have been impressed and amazed ever since their first introduction in 1994. Promoted by the legendary heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman, these grills were created to be uniquely portable and simplistic.
It’s easy to see why they grew in popularity so much – with over 100 million units being sold worldwide since its inception. George Foreman grills are an awesome piece of cooking equipment that makes grilling meat and vegetables easy!
But here’s the thing – anyone who has ever owned a George Foreman Grill knows this. They get messy – very messy!
Depending on what you are cooking, just one grilling session can turn your George Foreman into a blurry mess of grease, oil, fat, and debris.
George Foreman Grills can quickly transform from a slick and useful machine to a nightmare for you to deal with.
So your George Foreman Grill gets dirty, and the task of cleaning it seems insurmountable. Where do you even start with it?
Maybe you’ve just used it for the first time and want to know how to clean it efficiently and maintain this level of cleanliness, or maybe you haven’t cleaned your George Foreman in quite some time and need to finally do something about it.
Either way – don’t panic! We are here to help you.
Below is a short guide that will help you through all aspects of cleaning your George Foreman Grill.
We’ll take you through each step of the way, highlighting some of the best products and tools you can use to clean your grill, as well as how you can maintain its cleanliness to stop it from getting so dirty in the future.
So let’s begin!
What You Will Need
Let’s first examine some of the tools and products you will need in order to clean your George Foreman.
1. A metal Spatula or similar implement
2. A sponge
3. Cleaning Liquid
4. Paper Towels
5. A Kitchen Sink
Once you have gathered these tools, we will be able to begin. Below are two different methods for cleaning your George Foreman Grill – one for if your grill has removable plates, and one for if it does not.
George Foreman With Removeable Plates
In many ways, if your George Foreman Grill has removable plates you are at a great advantage. You can simply take these off, clean them separate from your machine, and then place them back.
There are a few little tricks you can use here to make sure you’re cleaning it thoroughly, so let’s get started.
Cooling Your Grill Down
First off it’s very important that you let your grill cool down. Do not try and clean it when it’s still hot from cooking as this can be dangerous for you.
Unplug your grill and leave it for a minimum of 20 minutes before you begin cleaning.
Access The Damage
This is where you need to consider how dirty your George Foreman is. If there is just a little bit of dried debris and dirt stuck onto its plates, then you might be able to get away with a quick clean!
Take your metal spatula and remove any dry pieces of food that are crusted onto the grill. After this, use a wet cloth or sponge to clean away the rest.
If you find that your George Foreman is much dirtier than this with grease and fat stuck to the plates, you will need to remove them.
Remove The Plates
In this step, you are going to want to carefully remove each plate from your grill and place them into a sink filled with hot, soapy water. Do this for each plate, and make sure they are completely cooled down before doing so.
Wash The Plates
Take each plate one at a time and wash them with your sponge in soapy water. Once they are free of grease, dried debris, and dirt, you can place them onto your drying rack and let them dry.
Clean Your Grill
Now that those plates are done, you can turn your attention back to the grill. Grilling certain foods can be very messy, so you might find that the covered, electric components of your grill are dirty.
This is where you can begin to clean them to ensure the entirety of your machine is clean.
Note here – make sure you’re only using the tiniest bit of water and do not ever put water into contact with the internal electrical components. Use a dry paper towel as much as you can.
Put Your Grill Back Together
Once you’re sure that your George Foreman is looking more like itself once again, you can start to put it back together.
Put each plate back onto the tray, ensuring that they fit together properly. Double-check that everything is totally clean, and then you’re good to go!
George Foreman Without Removable Plates
But what if your George Foreman grill does not have removable plates? What then? Well, this is where you’re going to need to be a little bit careful.
Because of the electrical components, you won’t be able to put it anywhere near your kitchen sink. Submerging a George Foreman Grill in water can be dangerous at worst, and at best will break your machine.
This is something we want to avoid!
Instead, we are going to focus on cleaning the plates with a soapy sponge! Here is how to do it in a few simple steps.
Remove Dry Debris
Remove any dry debris with your metal spatula, make sure to do this completely before putting water on the main grilling plate.
Sponge Cleaning
Wet your sponge with a small amount of soap and water. You will need to be careful not to cover your George Foreman in water, so keep a close eye on how much water.
Now clean the main grilling plate with your sponge, ensuring to get between the grates so that it’s completely clean.
Dry Your Plate
Here you will want to use your paper towels to dry off your George Foreman, making sure that it is completely dry before turning it on or using it again.
And it’s as simple as that! As with all things, make sure that you are double-checking it is completely clean and taking your time before being happy with the end result.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! Hopefully, by this point, your George Foreman Grill is looking as clean as the first day you bought it.
As you can see, cleaning a George Foreman Grill isn’t that difficult, but it is important to make sure that you do this regularly so that it doesn’t get damaged and that it lasts you for a long time.
We hope that this guide has helped you to understand how simple it is to clean your George Foreman and that soon you’ll be back to grilling to your heart’s content!
