George Foreman 12205

George Foreman 12005

We have owned one of these about 3.1/2 years before it wore out through regular daily use with a family of five. (Coating on plates and catch u/s)

First the plus points:-

So easy to use, set to heat up and leave to do its thing - once the buzzer goes, get food in and cook - cooking times seem about the same or a little longer than some other methods - but tyhe amount of grease and crud coming off food is amazing - so good not to eat it as I have a heart condition....

Very simple to clean the plates by handwashing - BUT DONT USE A SCOURING side of a washing up sponge! - any residues and burnt-on food comes away easily by soaking for 2 - 3 minutes.- and the machine - once unplugged - wipe over with washing up liquid on sponge

Grill area is adequate for a large family - cooks enough bacon, plus black pudding and sausages, for breakfast (still need a pan if you want eggs though)Good with steak provided you get the unit good and hot first - have to pre-plan cooking.

The minus points:-

Plates are rather large - only just fit in a sink

Coating easily damaged by scouring pad face of wash up sponge

I hear bad reports if put in dishwasher (no personal experience of this)

Case can get rather hot - so hazard around elderly, infirm, and young children

Supply cable wrapped aropund the body is not easy to put away - though the unit will comfortably stand on its back once cool - in a cupboard - ours fits nicely in 300 wide base unit alongside a toaster.

I have read bad reports about gap between plates, insufficient heat, etc. THAT HAS NOT BEEN OUR EXPERIENCE.

perhaps it's like the old British Leyland Friday-built Allegro! - If you get a good one - or if you get a bad one.

having had a good one I have just purchased a new replacement - same model.

Shame it wasn't the same price as well!

I would not buy again. We had an older version without removeable plates and this was much better. i bought the removeable plate one when my old one developed a fault as it was out of warranty. did not think my hubby could fix it. anyway he did and we gave the old one to my daughters boyfriend and started to use the new one. what a mistake. although it cost double the price the cooking area is very small and it takes forever to heat up - anything up to 20 mins whereas my old one was heated in 5. would not recommend for a family and would not recommend if you like to cook quick

The George Foreman 12205 would be a great buy, if only the cooking performance was equal to its original model (without the removable plates)! Cooking the food takes three times longer than the manufacturer suggests.