05. 05. 2006
Indoor grilling in a small kitchen
When my friends give me gifts of kitchen gadgets or cookbooks, usually they're just making fun of me because they all know I can't cook but love to eat (how cruel is that?). A couple of years ago, one such friend (who's also a questionable cook) got me one of those little tabletop George Foreman grills as a joke, but one day I took it out of the box and started using it to make greaseless grilled cheese sandwiches (now the specialty of the house if you ever come over for lunch . . . or breakfast or dinner). I once made a hamburger on it, which made me feel really accomplished because it left these grill marks on the burger just like at the diner.
The Griddler from Cuisinart appeared in one of Popgadget's 2005 holiday gift guides, but now that I know how brilliant I am at grilling, I must have it (I know it's the month of May when people grill outdoors, but when I look around at my neighbors with their enormous, shiny gas grillls, I know that I am not ready for the competitive outdoor grilling environment). With the Griddler, not only will I be able to make things like burgers and pressed sandwiches (I just love to press sandwiches), I can open it up and use the two sides (each with its own temperature control) as separate grills, and pretend to be a short-order cook. The brushed stainless steel housing is attractive, so even if it sits on my counter unused for weeks at a time, it won't be an eyesore.
Basically, it's a fancy, more versatile version of my gag gift (though I still love my Foreman grill); it's available for $129 at aFinerKitchen.com, as well many other retailers.
Another nice indoor grill is this DeLonghi cast-aluminum grill ($99.95 at Williams-Sonoma), which can cook at extremely high temperatures that will sear your food just like an outdoor grill.
Then there's this six-skewer vertical grill that takes up very little counter space ($49.98 at BrylaneHome) and in which you can grill anything that can be skewered on a stick (but is there anything for the restless cook to do then but watch it go round and round until it's finished cooking?).
Perhaps I'll also need these tiny thermometers to make sure my daughter's steak is rare, my dog Zach's is medium, and mine is well done ($16, again at W-S). I also have my eye on this grill set ($69) which some may say is the height of silliness for a tiny indoor grill.
Now, this steak brand, on the other hand, is essential, so I can monogram my gourmet grilled cheese sandwiches and other culinary creations with my big fat initials ($39.95).
Posted by Hoyun
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Comments (1)
I saw an informercial for The Griddler a couple of weeks ago, and it looked pretty awesome, until I saw the price. That's totally out of my budget, but if I got it as a gift, I'd be thrilled. Apartment living doesn't really allow for much grilling, so something like that would make cooking a lot easier. It'd also give me more options.
Kym | May 5, 2006 9:12 PM
May 5, 2006 21:12