February 15, 2004 --

By Elizabeth Alvarez-KFOX Morning News Anchor/Reporter

They've been out for a while, so it's safe to say most everyone has heard of the George Foreman Grill. In fact the success of these grills, which has 80% of the market, has spurred other companies to make electric grills. In this edition of our Consumer Watch Report, we test to see which one's are a real knockout!

Ginny DeFlora makes dinner on her electric grill almost every night for her husband and herself.

Ginny DeFlora-Electric Grill Owner: "I love it because I can cook anything in it!"

It seems lots of people share Ginny's enthusiasm. More than 12 million electric grills were sold last year alone. Consumer Reports just tested seven. 5 are from George Foreman, variations on the well-known "Lean Mean Grilling Machine." The other 2 are made by Hamilton Beach.

Testers use an infrared camera to see how evenly the grills heat. After preheating the grills, a picture is taken. All of them scored very well. Another test assesses how well the grills stand up to tough scrubbing without losing their non-stick surfaces. The grills were subjected to 3000-strokes with an automated scrubbing arm. Some grills showed a little wear, but none lost their non-stick ability. Then it was time to try the grills out on the real thing, food! Testers cooked dozens of hamburgers, chicken breasts, and salmon filets.

Again, the grills performed well, cooking the food evenly and quickly. When the last chicken breast was done to a turn, the $40 Hamilton Beach Meal Maker Express came out on top. It can cook two hamburgers in short order. Another plus, it's the only grill tested that has removable plates you can put right in the dishwasher. If you want a grill for even less, try The Champ from George Foreman. It has fewer features, but at $25 it's a great grill for the money.

On a final note, while some of these grills claim to cook leaner, healthier food by draining off fat as they grill, don't count on it! Tests show that there's no difference in the fat content of food cooked on any of these electric grills and food cooked on a regular skillet.

For more helpful consumer information, visit *Consumer Reports on the web.

http://www.consumerreports.org/

*Consumer Reports is a fee based website. Many of the articles require a subscription.