You can cook a decent grilled thin chicken breast in like 3 minutes. Perfect for salads or eating plain. Essential for when craving for sweets, but you know you should eat something healthier and “takes too long” is no longer an excuse
Obviously a foreman. Preferably but optionally named George. With construction season coming I guess that brings a whole new meaning to "riding shotgun."
In awe of the fact George managed to go from a petty criminal to a world-champ athlete who has also devoted so much of his life to philanthropy and charity work. His coach must have been so proud of him.
It shows you how you CAN turn your life around if you commit to it. Now Foreman has enough money to live his life to the fullest while at the same time giving back to the community and not letting the fame get to his head. That should definitely inspire people positively, and it deserves the highest of respect.
@@vandiemansoul2056 Yes, but it is YOUR decision whether you want to take that help or not in the end. And he chose so. And yes, for every George that takes on that type of help and turns his life around, there are others who are offered the same opportunity but refuse to take it, as well as others who never get them offered.
You can change your life but you have to see the path forward and the light ahead. Problem is, many youngsters don't see that and they don't have anyone around to help them see that so they stay criminals thinking that's the only way because that's all they know and they think there is zero chance society will accept them due to their past.
Years ago, there was a program on NPR called Hidden Kitchens. They interviewed Foreman and told him that the grill was a coveted possession of many immigrants who lived in shared accommodations. The grill allowed them to cook in the small spaces (shared rooms) they rent. In response, Foreman said he was happy to hear that because of how he grew up. Sometimes his family didn't have money to provide him with lunch for school. To avoid embarrassment, he would get a greasy paper bag, blow it up and pretend he had a lunch. When lunchtime came, he'd tell his classmates he was hungry earlier and already at his food. 😥 I'm happy whenever I hear about any success Foreman has. 💚
The George Foreman grill is one of the few celebrity endorsed products I’ve ever bought that was actually useful and met my expectations for it. I still have one from the late 90s or early 2000s!
It is wholesome to know George Forman works on his ranch to this day, as well as actively putting back into the community he came from. I want to be able to do that one day when I retire as well.
A few years ago I was dismayed that my George Foreman grill was failing to get hot enough, until I thought about it, and realized I had had it for more than twenty years. I went out and got a new (larger) one. They are useful for such a variety of things.
How do you find the new ones? I had mine for years and years too before it failed to get hot. But I was not impressed with the quality of the new ones when I went to look at them. Plus, I wanted one like my old model which they did not seem to make anymore.
@@retroguy9494 I've got one of the new medium sized ones and I like it over the old big white one that everyone had when they first started taking off. You can pop off the cooking plates and throw them in the dishwasher if you want. Build quality seems roughly the same as the old one, still has the clicky thermostat and everything, no fancy electronics to die, just an orange light to show that it's plugged in and a green one for once it's up to temp
@@philondez That's cool! It's funny you mentioned it because mine WAS the 'old big white one!' 😂 The only complaint I had was that it was not as easy to clean as they said, especially if you grilled chicken. It took a fair amount of scrubbing with a paper towel then wet cloth and you needed to do it while it was still hot or else it got like cement. Do the plates on the new ones actually come completely clean in the dishwasher? Or do you need to clean it off first?
I’m 50 now and most of my adult life was all about the Foreman Grill. No doubt the most successful grill for indoor grilling or grilling in general in unit sales. Congrats to Foreman for retiring on a high note like he did.
Wasn't just in the US, absolutely everyone had one in the UK too. I relocated to the US a few years ago and one of the first things I bought was a new George Foreman Grill. They just work well.
Grew up and went to school at the same place his kids went. I was too young to remember but once he came to a PTA event a day after one of his big fights. My dad told me his face was completely misshapen and bruised from the fight and he wore sunglasses to hide the worst of it. It was always nice to know that nothing stopped him from being there for his kids education. (Probably around 1996 or 97 right before he finally retired.
Ingenious design. Cooks burgers faster since you're grilling both sides at once plus it keeps the splattering grease to a minimum because the food is covered PLUS the grease is easily captured by the drip pan. I've used a George Foreman grill for over 20 years.
I love my Foreman grill. I have the small one because I'm the only one in the household. It's easy to use, and I finally figured the best way to clean it, it's easy too.
The best part about the Foreman Grill is that, when you live where it’s not possible/inconvenient to grill in the winter months, you can still have a burger or hot dog to your liking.
He probably has earned over $300 million from the grill alone. Invested even modestly that would take care of your family in perpetuity. Couldn’t imagine he would donate some to his own charity. Given the tax advantage you’d have to
My wife just bought us a foreman, and it's fantastically easy to use. I honestly love it and I plan to use it for a lot of my indoor grilling from now on.
It doesnt matter what grill it actually is, all grills that are of similar character, are called Foremans. He pretty much has an entire category of cooking devices named after him. Thats crazy when you think about it.
It's so funny how brandnames associate with products depending on the region. our foreman grill in europe is the tefal grill. thats just the company name, it doesnt have a testimonial as far as i know. or our scotch tape is tesa film. or gaffa tape is panzer tape and so on...
This made cooking so much easier for my mom when my siblings and I were little! It even had it's own section on the kitchen counter when we would whip it out. We used it for years.
I’ve got one; got it when I moved out… I didnt have a stove for 2 years, so everything was done with either a microwave, hot plate, or the GF grill. 20 years later it still works and I keep it in my bar area for grilling appetizers.
I definitely remember an NPR story about how people who don't have a stove (and especially those who can't afford one), using George Forman grills instead of hotplates. Same sort of thing, but much less fire risk.
A George Foreman Grill is essential for apartment life! It does more than burgers and chicken breasts too. They have entire cooking competitions where people make some pretty elaborate stuff.
I remember my mom freaking out when I was a kid in the 90's because the family size GF grill was sold out everywhere and she had to buy the small one for Christmas. (the one that only fits 2 burgers at once) She eventually did get the family size unit and we still have both! One of the best grills ever made!!
Right?? I’m a 90s kid and never knew if anyone nowadays had appreciation for the George Foreman grill. It’s so good!! You can cook anything on it, and super fast. Honestly I think it should be a staple in any kitchen.
I was a 90's kid in Brazil when this showed up in those TV sales channels, I remember it was incredibly expensive (as anything imported was), so I never knew anyone who bought it, but sure enough it left a really strong impression on a younger me and despite never seeing or hearing about it for 20+ years, I still remembered the commercial. hahah
I've had one of these for most of my life now. It also helped me on my journey of weight loss. I was 110kg at 13 and by 15 I was around 79kg. I still use one of these today. They are great for ANYTHING (to be used on grills)! Easy to use they newer versions are way more practical. Try a grilled cheese sandwich, some white cheddar with tomato and slices of onion with salt and pepper (My favorite guilty pleasure).
My mom got me one of these when I moved out on my own. It was great for a young person who didn't have a ton of cooking experience. It made cooking meat, hot sandwiches, quesadillas, and lots of other things really easy. It lasted me a good 10 years, but I eventually replaced it with a bigger one because I had a family at that point.
@brodriguez11000 She actually gifted me one of those, too. I loved the one we had at home as a kid/teenager and used it fairly often, so she figured that I needed my own. Toaster ovens are underrated, in my opinion. They're so useful and versatile. I had my regular oven break in my first apartment and it took a while for the landlord to get it fixed because the part he needed for it had to be ordered and it took several days to get it. My toaster oven really came in handy during that time.
My mom bought one in the late 90's, I have it now and still use it actually. Works surprisingly well even today and it's a quality product. Informative video, cool to know the history behind it.
You skipped the best part. Hulk Hogan was initially offered to have his name attached to the grill. He turned it down, and opted to associate himself with a blender called Thunder Mixer. Foreman would go on to earn 200 million from the George Foreman Grill, while I have never even heard of the Thunder Mixer. Hogan later had another grill offered to him, and he accepted. It was called the Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill, and much like the Thunder Mixer, it was also a failure. It was recalled, as it was deemed a fire hazard.
I still have two foreman grills, a small one good for a single burger and a larger one that can do three burgers. The larger one has removable cooking plates for easier cleaning. I don't use them often but they do work well.
I have a personal sized one since 1998. Lots of steaks, burgers, meats, and sandwiches cooked on it, and I still use it today. It works just as good, not even kidding! Best product I have ever bought!
I used to make grilled cheese and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on this thing all the time as a kid and teen. I did also make a fair amount of grilled, seasoned chicken breast (usually with lemon pepper back then). So easy to clean and never really required me to add more fat (aside from butter on the grilled cheese). I miss that little grill... X3 Probably the only celebrity endorsed As Seen on TV product I genuinely think lived up to the hype of the infomercials. Added point, if you do have to lose your heavyweight championship, you couldn't ask for a better outcome than to lose to The Greatest himself, Muhammad Ali. Glad to see he found a good life after his multi-era career. ^_^
he would not put his name on anything that he thought was just cheap garbage. he of course was so impressed with these grills he did and well the rest is history. well after 20 years there sales are not what they used to be you still see them everywhere and they do indeed sell. hell i still have mine.
As soon as I clicked this video I could almost taste the chicken breast. I made so much chicken breast as a kid with this thing too. Also used lemon pepper 😂
I have purchased several of these 2-burger grills at my local thrift store in the last year. They heat up faster than my skillet or stove and clean up easily. I LOVE them. I cook burgers, chicken tenderloins, hash browns and Texas toast on them. Best thing ever invented.
I've had a George Forman grill since about 2006. I love it. I don't often grill ground beef. But I've grilled a hell of a lot of boneless chicken breasts and fish fillets. There are two things the video didn't mention that I find great about the grill. 1) Because of the upper cover, it cooks food on both sides at once. That cuts the cooking time in half. 2) I find it very easy to clean. After I'm done cooking and eating, I go back to the grill and turn it on again to heat the surfaces up. As it heats, I spray the surfaces with water using a small plastic spraying bottle. The heat and the water loosens up cooked-on fat and food remnants straightaway. Then I can just take a crumpled up paper towel and wipe the surfaces clean. (Note: the model I have does not have detachable grill plates that can be washed in a sink full of soapy water. But it turns out I totally note need to do that.) This quick heat, spray, and wipe technique let me clean the grill in just a minute or two. Usually it just takes one spray and wipe. Super convenient.
George Foreman almost didn't become the spokesman for the grill. According to an interview. Hulk Hogan was approached first to be the spokesman for the grill. Hogan refused the offer because he saw the grill & thought it was a cheap piece of machinery and a possible bad investment. Hogan already had some bad business investments before including his chain of fast-food pasta restaurants called "Pastamania".
Honestly, I don't think the grill would've sold as well with Hulk Hogan. He's in your face and a living cartoon and people would've gotten tired of him quickly. George Foreman, on the other hand, comes off as a genuinely nice guy.
Hogan has a long history of embellishing and outright fabricating stories to make himself look better. He's even told two conflicting versions of how he missed out on the George Foreman grill, and both of Hogan's versions conflict with the accounts of others. In one version, Hogan says he was offered deals for the grill and a meatball maker. Hogan claimed he not only chose the meatball maker, but that he is the one that suggested the grill be offered to his friend George Foreman. The problems with this version of Hogan's account are that no one else ever mentioned Hogan's alleged involvement and Foreman's lawyer has said that it was Foreman's decision to look for a "hamburger maker" endorsement deal that set everything into motion. In the other version, Hogan says that while picking up his kids from school, he missed a phone call that was offering deals for the grill and a battery-powered blender to both him and to George Foreman. Hogan claimed that in the few hours it took before he was able to return the call, Foreman had already taken the grill offer and Hogan was left with the blender. The problem with this version of Hogan's account is that everyone else has said it took months for Foreman to accept the grill offer. I think the "Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer" might also have been released a few years after the George Foreman Grill. More than a decade later, when everyone was jumping aboard the knock-off grill bandwagon (such as Holyfield's "Real Deal Grill"), Hogan joined in with his own "Hulk Hogan's Ultimate Grill".
Hogan is also a notorious liar. He's also claimed that he was up for both bass player in Metallica (debunked by Lars Ulrich) and the lead role in The Wrestler (debunked by director Darren Aronofsky).
I've used the Foreman Grill to make toast, defrost frozen waffles as well as cooking burgers, chickens, and meats. Versatile item and I highly recommend it for single people.
Another great episode about an inspirational person who turned his life around and gives back to the community. It is great he is also a horse person and owns Icelandic horses. They are amazing horses and perfect for people who like trail riding and trekking.
I can heartily recommend the George Foreman Grill. I wore out one and replaced it with a new one. I grill hamburgers, steaks and prok chops on it and they come out great. They're easy to clean and save me from having to use the grill on my oven, It's interesting to hear the story of their origin.
Very well produced documentary! We lived on Foreman Grilled food for years when our kid was young. Burgers, hot dogs, chicken thighs... we must have cooked hundreds of them on that grill. It finally died... or rather, the Teflon wore off... so we replaced it and kept on going. These days, we use an outdoor grill and an air fryer but still have fond memories for George's wonderful magical appliance.
I recently had to get my 20 year old one ,out of the cupboard after my cooker broke down and I have to say it worked like a dream and was an absolute life saver. I’ve bought a new cooker since, but I still use my George Forman Grill because it grills salmon beautifully.
I had a small Forman grill that I absolutely loved :) the little blue one with the bread warmer up top. That got me through having my first lock off apartment with no appliances besides it a mini fridge and a micro wave. I actually had 2 friends over once and we had to wait 30 minutes a piece for our steaks xp but we still lived it
bought one for my apt c. 2008. it was pretty good, did take awhile to cook burgers. took it with me when i left the navy. when i was back home during xmas of 2010, we realised we didn't have a gift for Uncle Kev. so, we cleaned it up, put it back in the back, wrapped it and gifted the used grill to Uncle Kev as new. despite the cleanup efforts, it still has residual fat deposits in the hard to reach crevices. needless to say, i had to leave the room when gifts were exchanged with Uncle Kev as i could not keep a straight face and refrain from laughter. looking back i feel like an ahole, but the grill worked perfectly fine and it was enjoyed.
People scoff but my Foreman got me through all of college and my mid-20s, those impoverished years trying to scrap a life together. It's popular because it inexpensively fills a daily demand, and it does that even for people who can't necessarily cook.
I had a George Forman grill as a bachelor between marriages. It was awesome. I cooked a lot of things on it. Admittedly, my favorite was burgers. I have no idea how I parted with it. If I had it, I'd still use it.
I had one of these types of cookers way back in 1982 or so. It was awesome. It didn't slope but for me it was better because the base and lid opened flat and you could cook on double the surface area as both the base and top were heated, it cooked both sides at once when the lid was closed. This was back in Europe.
When I was in the Army, my barracks roommate and I both had a GF Grill. I hid mine in its original box, wrapped in a towel, inside my suitcase in the top corner of my closet. We had to hide them when we weren't using them just in case there was a room inspection. It came in handy if you missed dinner at the chow hall or if you didn't feel like eating chow hall food.
I had this grill and used it for breaks at college (had a meal plan so I hardly ever cooked) and then for meals at graduate school. I always thought it was incredible, it's so easy and convenient.
I've had a Foreman grill ever since they came out; first one was a present, the rest I bought myself. I found the trick, is to wipe it down right after removing whatever I was cooking, and it always cleaned up perfectly. The current grill is now 18 years old, and still works like new. I've taken it apart several times to clean it. If you do that, just make sure that: 1. it's NOT plugged in, and 2. you let it dry out for a couple of days to make sure you got all the moisture out of it. Oh, did I mention that this grill only cost me $9.99 on clearance at a store going out of business? it's a square shape version, with a bun warmer clear lid on top. That still works fine, too. Thanks, George!
They're still around! I recently purchased one of the new models with the removeable grills that you can put in the dishwasher. The old one I had was a real pain to clean. Well worth the reasonable $40 price.
45% of all profits is absolutely massive. It's crazy that the company accepted that deal, even if they didn't think the grill would be so successful at the time.
It is, but there's no way it would have been popular if he didn't endorse it. It would have been another failed invention. Strangely enough, I have heard Hulk Hogan claim they came to him first (or maybe after Foreman turned it down the first time). I don't think that would have worked either.
With as much as Hogan lies about pretty much anything and everything, who knows how much stock you can put into that story. In any case I definitely thought this would be one of those infomercial products that got a hot start and then flopped drastically, but I remember most people in my family and at college had one. I didn't know they were still pretty popular to this day though. I know money isn't an issue for him, but instead of being bought out completely I would have lowered my earned percentage and signed the naming rights over for maybe 10 years to see what would've happened with the product and renewed it if it was successful. That would have been a life long stream of income from how those things are still selling well today because it's a quality product.
It's wild but this single product has kept Salton going and relevant for decades. It was by far the best idea they ever had and 55% and existing as a major success is worth the cut to George. It might be the best endorsement ever.
I straight up love George ❤️!! Great man, amazing grill really drains away the grease and cooks food evenly. Plus the Evander Holyfield game on the Genesis was so much fun.
My favorite story about this there were 2 appliances looking for a spokesperson. One was the grill and the other was a small blender called the Bullet. They were offered to Hulk Hogan and George. They made their choices. It went a tad better for Foreman.
Hulk Hogan also made a quick service restaurant kiosk in the Mall of America called Pastamania....during the height of anti-carb craziness. Kind of like starting a food court restaurant called "Only Egg Yolks" in the 1970s when the teevee said egg yolks would klll you. (They later said they were fine, but egg whites were bad, then they were a super-food..and now I think eggs are racist).
I've used the Foreman Grill for decades, only recently retiring my latest one because I now prefer to sear my steaks in cast iron and then broil in the oven. That, and the air fryer has become my new quick cook option.
I do remember how this grill's advertisements with Foreman were all the time on TV in the 90's and I always wondered how well these actually sold because no one I know ever had them. I kind of assumed they were just another gimmick that doesn't stand out from any regular indoor grill, didn't think they were actually popular this whole time, even to this day.
They were popular in Australia certainly, still a lot of them around today, and it's a genuinely good product despite the hype. It actually does cook quickly and well. In addition to household use I've seen quite a few used on construction sites where power is available. A hot lunch cooked in 10 minutes works well when time is limited and you don't have an actual kitchen.
Everyone I knew owned one in the UK, they sold like crazy for something that was basically just a toastie/panini press. I seem to remember those multi-color units being the real popular ones, sometime around 1998-2001. I can't say why exactly but there was a giant global pent up demand for a little grilling machine at the time, it was quite strange.
I'd never heard of anyone using one either, but my dad got a knock-off from another company and only used it a couple of times. I tried it once and thought it was awkward to clean so it's been sitting in my basement for 20+ years.
We've worn out many Foreman grills over the years...never had any issues with them. Currently, we have the smokeless one at 12:25 and have been very happy with it.
We still have a George Foreman Grill sitting on our kitchen counter to this day. It is great at cooking hamburgers, but the problem is that food would stick to it and it was very hard to clean. We haven't used it in over 13 years, but there it sits.
Nonstick spray, my friend. It’s a George Foreman Grill’s best friend. No sticking, everything slides right off with a wet paper towel. I use the olive oil nonstick spray because, health. Cleaning it while it’s still somewhat hot helps a lot too.
One of the earliest in the USA was sold by DAK. DAK was a company that sold all kinds of high end appliances and audio equipment at bargain-ish prices, through ads in magazines like Popular Science. IIRC their story on the bread maker was a company in Japan invented them but sales were slow due to most apartments there being small with thin walls and using the timer setting to start mixing the dough early in the morning so it'd be ready for breakfast wasn't popular due to the noise of the machine. Not a problem for most American houses that have the kitchen well away from the bedrooms. Another product from DAK was headphones with neodymium magnets, small but with good sound, like the ones SONY sold with their Walkman but for less $ than from SONY. They also did things with a strictly limited number available. One was some high end home stereo speakers which the manufacturer had mistakenly installed the wrong tweeters in, a lower spec paper cone one instead of the correct horn tweeter. Rather than run them back through the production line to swap the tweeters, the manufacturer sold the whole "defective" run to DAK, along with the correct tweeters. DAK then sold them through their magazine ads, with instructions on how to switch the tweeters.
@greggv8 Of course DAK didn't actually make anything. They just resold stuff and put their name on it. Their basically single standout factor were the long, long articles they wrote to go with each product. Possibly the longest single-product pitches anyone has ever done. But the stuff they sold was all made by other companies and often sold under different brands. I still have a DAK radio that was sold as almost ten other brands. Identical radio in every respect. All that said, Drew Kaplan has a great life story and it is worth reading about how DAK fell and how Drew tried to revive it. He certainly deserves to be remembered as a pioneering salesman.
I have had a George Foreman grill for most of my life. My parents bought one when they first came out. I got one as a graduation gift when I was preparing to go to college. We've upgraded a couple of times. The one we currently use is big enough to feed a family of 6 regularly. We use it for cooking meat and as a panini press. Love it! Makes the cooking and cleaning up process easy.
I was given one of the older late 90's models in 2012 for my barracks room, used it through college. Later I was complaining to my sister it had finally died so my sister offered to give me her old GFG grill (which was much newer and nicer). Still use it to this day for grilling when I don't feel like setting a bed of coals to cook my steak or smoking out my room with the skillet.
I have one of the newer EVOLVE grills and use it on a regular basis. I just wish the different grill plates were still available. Great unit though! I've gone through a number of different models over the years and I think I will always have one around.
I haven't owned one in years. But I have worn out about 4 or 5 of them over the years. The non-stick surface eventually becomes a very sticky surface and gets harder and harder to keep clean.
We still have the same one in our family that we bought in the 90’s and that thing still works great. The top is actually loose at the hinges now and it’s still going strong.
George Foreman Grills are actually pretty freaking awesome. I have one of the old school Indoor Smokeless Grills. It's not like the ones that are currently on the website. Mine is round, has a Center Cook Cup for sauces and marinades and features a round and sloped cooking surface with a round glass lid and a pull out drawer style fat collection tray. The idea behind this Foreman Grill is food "flavor infusion" and I have zero complaints.
Back when George decided to make a comeback in boxing, my dad and I watched every match that was shown. In his first match, he looked so...OLD and So Fat. We just cringed at the idea of him believing he could work himself up through the ranks and get a shot at a championship. But, George was amazing, a real life Rocky...took the hits, and then would just time it and hammer the bejabbers out of his opponent, often with just 1 good hit. And as he progressed, he started to talk about his diet, and he was definitely losing the flab. My dad, unfortunately, passed away due to cancer about 3 months before George got and won, his title fight. I've never been so happy for an athlete. He worked so hard for it and as many have already said...he's given back to his community...and he's shown a lot of good humor along the way. In his younger years, as a boxing champ, he seemed to more of an angry young man back then. I'm glad he was able to find the means to still have that competitive edge without all the anger.
One of the funniest facts about the Foreman Grill is Hulk Hogan almost got the spokesperson gig. Hogan and Foreman had the same agent and he called them both with the offer. Hogan was picking up his kids from school and didn't get the message until after Foreman did and had accepted it. Hogan wound up with an endorsement for the "Thunder" Blender which went bankrupt in about 3 years.
We had one of these in the 90s. No idea whatever happened to it. Was pretty alright. Was really nice when our stove broke down and couldn't get another one for a good while.
I once got knocked out by George Foreman in 2004. Well, kinda. I was working at a catalogue store called Argos and I was doing a stock take in the back when someone refilling the shelves on the isle on the other side pushed too many boxes on high up, forcing a box containing one of those grills off on my side which then fell off and hit me right in the face.
@@CordeliaWagner So the reason the Foreman grill was such a big deal was because it was small, compact, and didn't exactly look like a grill. If you're poor and living in government housing or somewhere where your cooking options are limited, you coukd easily sneak it in and have a nice meal. It takes up less space than many small stoves, and you can easily carry it around.
I still have one of these. It's a larger model which had an optional wheeled stand for outdoor use. I used to use this alongside a BBQ grill for larger garden parties. It's in my garage now, and hasn't been used for years.
The grill's variations were pretty useful but the whole fat reduction craze was also a flavor reduction craze so while I used those things in apartment living where I wasn't allowed to have a traditional grill I haven't bothered using any of them once I bought my own house and can cook with charcoal again.
This. The sugar industry successfully campaigned to demonize fat, fully aware that fat isn't the bad guy, sugar is. No fat = no flavor and dry meat. Many vitamins can only be absorbed via fat, as well. A, D, E, and K, specifically.
Great video! I learned a lot about Forman and his grill. However, I’m more of a charcoal griller if the weather is nice. Otherwise, I use a grill plate that is placed on the stove burners.
There is even a George Forman un licensed grill. We thought we had bought the genuine George Forman Grill until the brand name on the top of the grill started to rub off, and the non-stick coating didn't exist meaning we had a scrape literally everything we cooked on is off of the grilling surface. We later bought a genuine George Forman grill that actually worked much better than the fake one.
It's June 2023 and I STILL have the original! Yes that's right! Still works great and I use it about 2-3 times a week. A bit scuffed up but other than that, it's in great shape!
I just bought one at a garage sale for $5 it's the XL model gr30. I think it's one of the early models all white with the signature. Gonna use it to make some burgers for this 4th of July weekend
My ex husband and I had one of these George Foreman grills. The drip pan wasn't attached so it was still a tad messy but the grill itself was wonderful especially since we were renovating our house at the time and it was a mess. I loved how easy this grill was to use and to clean. It even had a special sponge and the grease would just slide right off. Completely nonstick. Wonderful appliance. I've been wondering where I could find another one since the split, but it's funny, I haven't seen any. Damn!!!
ahhh yes good old Hulk Hogan. the man who wrestled 400 days in a year. the man who was suppose to be the main choice for The Wrestler. the man who watched Harley Race burned down a ring and asked Hogan for a job in the WWF. the man who supposedly worked hurt against The Rock at Wrestlemania X8. the man who said The Undertaker fucked his neck when he took the tombstone in Survivor Series ‘91. the man who was being courted to the UFC during its early days. the man who challenged Mike Tyson to a real fight during his WCW days and Tyson backed out. the man who was the one to tap Kevin Owens as the next big star in the WWE when KO was in NXT. and yes the man who lost out on the George Foreman Grill because he was picking his kids up for school. but my favorite is when he slammed Andre The Giant in Wrestlemania 3. he tore 29 muscles in his back because Andre weighed over 700 pounds. and then Andre died “a FEW DAYS” after the match. and despite tearing 29 muscles, he didn’t miss a show. the point i’m trying to make is Hulk Hogan is known to a pathological liar. so take what he says with a grain of salt. there’s literally 20 minute videos discussing many many MANY lies this fool told.
He was a moron then without any foresight. Why would you choose to invest in an appliance that prepares food over an appliance that actually cooks the food. Choosing the appliance the provides the most convenience and utility is b-b-b-basic rationale.
The grill most likely wouldn't of sold aswell as it did if Hogan endorsed it. Foreman had just won the heavyweight championship at 45 and credited it to the grill.
What's the best thing to cook on the George Foreman Grill?
You can cook a decent grilled thin chicken breast in like 3 minutes. Perfect for salads or eating plain. Essential for when craving for sweets, but you know you should eat something healthier and “takes too long” is no longer an excuse
In no particular order, steaks, burgers, salmon. Takes no time at all!
I don't eat meat so idk, carrots?
Hamburgers, chicken breast and chuckwagon plus I also make sandwiches 🥪 and I heat up the bread 🍞
Obviously a foreman. Preferably but optionally named George. With construction season coming I guess that brings a whole new meaning to "riding shotgun."
I am sure tons of people got these as wedding gifts, I am also sure these grills have lasted longer than most marriages.
Perfect gift for when hubby has to move into the garage for a few days…
That's a pretty cheap gift for a wedding! LOL
And yes, if they were Boomers II or Genxers, the grill probably DID last longer than the marriage!
Yeah, because most of those grills were used once or twice, if at all.
I’m dying 😂
I’ve had a GF grill for 20 years, still works.
About 20 years ago when I was a young adult trying to stay alive lol this grill was the best thing ever. Easy to use, easy to clean
Same. Loved my Forman Grill.
@@MrWolfstar8until you eventually get cancer from the Teflon carcinogens
Sounds like the air fryer of yesteryear
@@Zigzag_artichokeit was.
You don't have to make up stories lol.
In awe of the fact George managed to go from a petty criminal to a world-champ athlete who has also devoted so much of his life to philanthropy and charity work. His coach must have been so proud of him.
Thanks to LBJ and his social programs before Vietnam gutted the funding for all of them.
It shows you how you CAN turn your life around if you commit to it. Now Foreman has enough money to live his life to the fullest while at the same time giving back to the community and not letting the fame get to his head. That should definitely inspire people positively, and it deserves the highest of respect.
@@vandiemansoul2056 Yes, but it is YOUR decision whether you want to take that help or not in the end. And he chose so. And yes, for every George that takes on that type of help and turns his life around, there are others who are offered the same opportunity but refuse to take it, as well as others who never get them offered.
You can change your life but you have to see the path forward and the light ahead. Problem is, many youngsters don't see that and they don't have anyone around to help them see that so they stay criminals thinking that's the only way because that's all they know and they think there is zero chance society will accept them due to their past.
Also his Lord!
Years ago, there was a program on NPR called Hidden Kitchens. They interviewed Foreman and told him that the grill was a coveted possession of many immigrants who lived in shared accommodations. The grill allowed them to cook in the small spaces (shared rooms) they rent. In response, Foreman said he was happy to hear that because of how he grew up. Sometimes his family didn't have money to provide him with lunch for school. To avoid embarrassment, he would get a greasy paper bag, blow it up and pretend he had a lunch. When lunchtime came, he'd tell his classmates he was hungry earlier and already at his food. 😥 I'm happy whenever I hear about any success Foreman has. 💚
The George Foreman grill is one of the few celebrity endorsed products I’ve ever bought that was actually useful and met my expectations for it. I still have one from the late 90s or early 2000s!
I just bought one recently at Target to replace my old one. Can’t live without the grill and my air fryer
True!
@@leegraves101Trying to get my mother and father to use their air fryer instead of going out!
It is wholesome to know George Forman works on his ranch to this day, as well as actively putting back into the community he came from. I want to be able to do that one day when I retire as well.
you are a normie and will never have enough to give back
ye with 137 million lol
The PlanetaryDweeb Indoor Grill (TM)?
All his horses are named George
I love when celebrities return to their humble beginnings and don’t forget those that helped along the way.
A few years ago I was dismayed that my George Foreman grill was failing to get hot enough, until I thought about it, and realized I had had it for more than twenty years. I went out and got a new (larger) one. They are useful for such a variety of things.
How do you find the new ones? I had mine for years and years too before it failed to get hot. But I was not impressed with the quality of the new ones when I went to look at them. Plus, I wanted one like my old model which they did not seem to make anymore.
@@retroguy9494 with some electrical and mechanical knowhow you could probably replace the heating element in it yourself
@@retroguy9494 I've got one of the new medium sized ones and I like it over the old big white one that everyone had when they first started taking off. You can pop off the cooking plates and throw them in the dishwasher if you want. Build quality seems roughly the same as the old one, still has the clicky thermostat and everything, no fancy electronics to die, just an orange light to show that it's plugged in and a green one for once it's up to temp
@@Nudhul Well, I really have no electrical OR mechanical (apart from classic cars) knowledge. I went to college rather than learn a skilled trade.
@@philondez That's cool! It's funny you mentioned it because mine WAS the 'old big white one!' 😂
The only complaint I had was that it was not as easy to clean as they said, especially if you grilled chicken. It took a fair amount of scrubbing with a paper towel then wet cloth and you needed to do it while it was still hot or else it got like cement.
Do the plates on the new ones actually come completely clean in the dishwasher? Or do you need to clean it off first?
I’m 50 now and most of my adult life was all about the Foreman Grill. No doubt the most successful grill for indoor grilling or grilling in general in unit sales. Congrats to Foreman for retiring on a high note like he did.
What does that mean? Did you devote your life to the Foreman grill? How do you do that?
What a terrible, wasted life.
@@silverranger3532 I think he meant he used it often for grilling for most of his life. Just bad wording.
@@silverranger3532if you look after your grill your grill will look after you
@@xgtwb6473he married his grill though
Wasn't just in the US, absolutely everyone had one in the UK too. I relocated to the US a few years ago and one of the first things I bought was a new George Foreman Grill. They just work well.
The writing and narration are what make this video a champ. And, of course, we love George Forman.
I cried it was so good. I'm shaking right now. Brilliant. Just Brilliant! wow! Genius
@@Glorious_Kim_Jong_UnAnd then everyone clapped.
Grew up and went to school at the same place his kids went.
I was too young to remember but once he came to a PTA event a day after one of his big fights. My dad told me his face was completely misshapen and bruised from the fight and he wore sunglasses to hide the worst of it.
It was always nice to know that nothing stopped him from being there for his kids education.
(Probably around 1996 or 97 right before he finally retired.
Thanks, Steve.
Ingenious design. Cooks burgers faster since you're grilling both sides at once plus it keeps the splattering grease to a minimum because the food is covered PLUS the grease is easily captured by the drip pan. I've used a George Foreman grill for over 20 years.
Yah was perfect for young teens to ...my sister got one for me when I was 11 started me getting into cooking
I love my Foreman grill. I have the small one because I'm the only one in the household. It's easy to use, and I finally figured the best way to clean it, it's easy too.
@@Smart-Towel-RG-400 11? That's awesome. I was only making pb&j toast at 11!
I kept coasters under the front legs so that the grill stayed level and kept the flavor in the meat. That grill cooked so many meals in my dorm room.
The best part about the Foreman Grill is that, when you live where it’s not possible/inconvenient to grill in the winter months, you can still have a burger or hot dog to your liking.
Panini press all year round too!
And I remember them being affordable to buy as well. 25 to 30 dollar range I believe. Don't know if they're still that cheap or not
I grill in the snow you pussy, Wisconsin bitches
@@Matt-lp8de Just checked the website and yup, you can still get the basic models for ~$30-$40
I had one of those years ago, it was a Christmas present from a friend, and it was pretty good, too
My main concern wound up being the fate of the youth center, and was happy to hear it’s still going. It’s great when people who make it big give back.
He probably has earned over $300 million from the grill alone. Invested even modestly that would take care of your family in perpetuity. Couldn’t imagine he would donate some to his own charity. Given the tax advantage you’d have to
My wife just bought us a foreman, and it's fantastically easy to use. I honestly love it and I plan to use it for a lot of my indoor grilling from now on.
When I got an apartment, my grandmother gave me her old Foreman grill. That became central to my ability to cook for ages and was delightful.
It doesnt matter what grill it actually is, all grills that are of similar character, are called Foremans. He pretty much has an entire category of cooking devices named after him. Thats crazy when you think about it.
Well it's a lot easier to say than "Double-sided Electric Cooking Appliance."
@@AirLancer just like in the 80s and 90s, You didnt have a "Personal Cassette Stereo". It was a Walkman even if it was not a Sony.
*@rmordica* So could we say that he has become the *_"Xerox"_* of portable indoor grilling appliances .
There is something similar in electrical work where most multimeters are just referred to as Meggers even though it is a brand name
It's so funny how brandnames associate with products depending on the region. our foreman grill in europe is the tefal grill. thats just the company name, it doesnt have a testimonial as far as i know. or our scotch tape is tesa film. or gaffa tape is panzer tape and so on...
This made cooking so much easier for my mom when my siblings and I were little! It even had it's own section on the kitchen counter when we would whip it out. We used it for years.
"It even had it's own section on the kitchen counter when we would whip it out."
Laughed harder at that than I should have....
@@rareblues78daddy George!
@@rareblues78daddy Put that thing away!
You’d whip it out in front of your mom?!
I’ve got one; got it when I moved out… I didnt have a stove for 2 years, so everything was done with either a microwave, hot plate, or the GF grill. 20 years later it still works and I keep it in my bar area for grilling appetizers.
I definitely remember an NPR story about how people who don't have a stove (and especially those who can't afford one), using George Forman grills instead of hotplates. Same sort of thing, but much less fire risk.
my mom still uses one........... its one tough griller
That;'s the thing, not only do they cook well and healthy but they are made well, they last and so few things do these days.
Outstanding History. George Foreman is an American hero.
A George Foreman Grill is essential for apartment life! It does more than burgers and chicken breasts too. They have entire cooking competitions where people make some pretty elaborate stuff.
I remember my mom freaking out when I was a kid in the 90's because the family size GF grill was sold out everywhere and she had to buy the small one for Christmas. (the one that only fits 2 burgers at once) She eventually did get the family size unit and we still have both! One of the best grills ever made!!
I bought my mom the 6 or 8 burger version to replace the 2 burger one my grandma got for us long ago. She still has the small one but rarely uses it
I couldn’t imagine life without my George Foreman grill! That thing is a game changer!
I bought the 4 patty grill. Best investment in my young life.
Yup, I still love mine.
Lol 3 ppl out of many millions huh
Right?? I’m a 90s kid and never knew if anyone nowadays had appreciation for the George Foreman grill. It’s so good!! You can cook anything on it, and super fast. Honestly I think it should be a staple in any kitchen.
Ok, foreman Salesperson
I was a 90's kid in Brazil when this showed up in those TV sales channels, I remember it was incredibly expensive (as anything imported was), so I never knew anyone who bought it, but sure enough it left a really strong impression on a younger me and despite never seeing or hearing about it for 20+ years, I still remembered the commercial. hahah
Which is a surprise because in the US they were kinda cheap. They were a frequent gift you got from family when got your first apartment
I've had one of these for most of my life now. It also helped me on my journey of weight loss. I was 110kg at 13 and by 15 I was around 79kg. I still use one of these today. They are great for ANYTHING (to be used on grills)! Easy to use they newer versions are way more practical. Try a grilled cheese sandwich, some white cheddar with tomato and slices of onion with salt and pepper (My favorite guilty pleasure).
We've had our Foreman for close to 16 years and it's still going strong. Just used it yesterday for some burgers!
Did you drain the fat into a cup and then drink said fat?
My mom got me one of these when I moved out on my own. It was great for a young person who didn't have a ton of cooking experience. It made cooking meat, hot sandwiches, quesadillas, and lots of other things really easy. It lasted me a good 10 years, but I eventually replaced it with a bigger one because I had a family at that point.
Toaster ovens were pretty popular for that reason as well.
@brodriguez11000 She actually gifted me one of those, too. I loved the one we had at home as a kid/teenager and used it fairly often, so she figured that I needed my own. Toaster ovens are underrated, in my opinion. They're so useful and versatile. I had my regular oven break in my first apartment and it took a while for the landlord to get it fixed because the part he needed for it had to be ordered and it took several days to get it. My toaster oven really came in handy during that time.
My mom bought one in the late 90's, I have it now and still use it actually. Works surprisingly well even today and it's a quality product. Informative video, cool to know the history behind it.
I still have the Foreman rotisserie and still use it all the time, and it is amazing.
Same here, but I inherited it after her passing and still use it to this day. I’m still afraid to use the Presto Hotdogger (electrocutes hotdogs).
@@ssaraccoiiThat sounds interesting! Electrocuted hot dogs!
You skipped the best part. Hulk Hogan was initially offered to have his name attached to the grill. He turned it down, and opted to associate himself with a blender called Thunder Mixer. Foreman would go on to earn 200 million from the George Foreman Grill, while I have never even heard of the Thunder Mixer. Hogan later had another grill offered to him, and he accepted. It was called the Hulk Hogan Ultimate Grill, and much like the Thunder Mixer, it was also a failure. It was recalled, as it was deemed a fire hazard.
I still have two foreman grills, a small one good for a single burger and a larger one that can do three burgers. The larger one has removable cooking plates for easier cleaning. I don't use them often but they do work well.
I have a personal sized one since 1998. Lots of steaks, burgers, meats, and sandwiches cooked on it, and I still use it today. It works just as good, not even kidding! Best product I have ever bought!
This was my #1 appliance for years. It's been a few years since I've used it. It's so easy when you're busy
'It's so easy when you're busy' sounds like a George Foreman Grill tagline
@@windows.95 😅
I used to make grilled cheese and grilled ham and cheese sandwiches on this thing all the time as a kid and teen. I did also make a fair amount of grilled, seasoned chicken breast (usually with lemon pepper back then). So easy to clean and never really required me to add more fat (aside from butter on the grilled cheese). I miss that little grill... X3
Probably the only celebrity endorsed As Seen on TV product I genuinely think lived up to the hype of the infomercials.
Added point, if you do have to lose your heavyweight championship, you couldn't ask for a better outcome than to lose to The Greatest himself, Muhammad Ali. Glad to see he found a good life after his multi-era career. ^_^
he would not put his name on anything that he thought was just cheap garbage. he of course was so impressed with these grills he did and well the rest is history. well after 20 years there sales are not what they used to be you still see them everywhere and they do indeed sell. hell i still have mine.
As soon as I clicked this video I could almost taste the chicken breast. I made so much chicken breast as a kid with this thing too. Also used lemon pepper 😂
I have purchased several of these 2-burger grills at my local thrift store in the last year. They heat up faster than my skillet or stove and clean up easily. I LOVE them. I cook burgers, chicken tenderloins, hash browns and Texas toast on them. Best thing ever invented.
I've had a George Forman grill since about 2006. I love it. I don't often grill ground beef. But I've grilled a hell of a lot of boneless chicken breasts and fish fillets. There are two things the video didn't mention that I find great about the grill. 1) Because of the upper cover, it cooks food on both sides at once. That cuts the cooking time in half. 2) I find it very easy to clean. After I'm done cooking and eating, I go back to the grill and turn it on again to heat the surfaces up. As it heats, I spray the surfaces with water using a small plastic spraying bottle. The heat and the water loosens up cooked-on fat and food remnants straightaway. Then I can just take a crumpled up paper towel and wipe the surfaces clean. (Note: the model I have does not have detachable grill plates that can be washed in a sink full of soapy water. But it turns out I totally note need to do that.) This quick heat, spray, and wipe technique let me clean the grill in just a minute or two. Usually it just takes one spray and wipe. Super convenient.
My parents have one of the first ones, it still works decades later, though they only use it when it’s too cold to use the barbecue.
The grill is not only worth it but it is a good buy. It really cooks burgers and hotdogs well. It's like an air fryer worth it to have one.
George Foreman almost didn't become the spokesman for the grill. According to an interview. Hulk Hogan was approached first to be the spokesman for the grill. Hogan refused the offer because he saw the grill & thought it was a cheap piece of machinery and a possible bad investment. Hogan already had some bad business investments before including his chain of fast-food pasta restaurants called "Pastamania".
Honestly, I don't think the grill would've sold as well with Hulk Hogan. He's in your face and a living cartoon and people would've gotten tired of him quickly. George Foreman, on the other hand, comes off as a genuinely nice guy.
Hogan has a long history of embellishing and outright fabricating stories to make himself look better. He's even told two conflicting versions of how he missed out on the George Foreman grill, and both of Hogan's versions conflict with the accounts of others.
In one version, Hogan says he was offered deals for the grill and a meatball maker. Hogan claimed he not only chose the meatball maker, but that he is the one that suggested the grill be offered to his friend George Foreman. The problems with this version of Hogan's account are that no one else ever mentioned Hogan's alleged involvement and Foreman's lawyer has said that it was Foreman's decision to look for a "hamburger maker" endorsement deal that set everything into motion.
In the other version, Hogan says that while picking up his kids from school, he missed a phone call that was offering deals for the grill and a battery-powered blender to both him and to George Foreman. Hogan claimed that in the few hours it took before he was able to return the call, Foreman had already taken the grill offer and Hogan was left with the blender. The problem with this version of Hogan's account is that everyone else has said it took months for Foreman to accept the grill offer. I think the "Hulk Hogan Thunder Mixer" might also have been released a few years after the George Foreman Grill.
More than a decade later, when everyone was jumping aboard the knock-off grill bandwagon (such as Holyfield's "Real Deal Grill"), Hogan joined in with his own "Hulk Hogan's Ultimate Grill".
@@BainesMkII came here to expose hogan for his well known lies. Thanks for taking care of the job. 🤝
@@BainesMkII I WAS TOO BUSY TURNING METALLICA DOWN TO CHECK OUT THAT GRILL PROPERLY, BROTHER!
Hogan is also a notorious liar. He's also claimed that he was up for both bass player in Metallica (debunked by Lars Ulrich) and the lead role in The Wrestler (debunked by director Darren Aronofsky).
I bought one at a garage sale almost 10 years ago and it still works great!
I've used the Foreman Grill to make toast, defrost frozen waffles as well as cooking burgers, chickens, and meats. Versatile item and I highly recommend it for single people.
Another great episode about an inspirational person who turned his life around and gives back to the community. It is great he is also a horse person and owns Icelandic horses. They are amazing horses and perfect for people who like trail riding and trekking.
Always fun to see what I'll learn next from this channel. Thanks for the great info.
It's embarrassing how many years it took to realise George Foreman was an actual person let alone a legendary boxer
Not a sports guy, huh?
Until this video, I thought he was some famous cook!! The things we learn...
@@apostoloszacharopoulos8171 damn
@Jay Cuthbert "Michael Jordan the world famous shoe designer" 😂
No its hilarious😂
I can heartily recommend the George Foreman Grill. I wore out one and replaced it with a new one. I grill hamburgers, steaks and prok chops on it and they come out great. They're easy to clean and save me from having to use the grill on my oven, It's interesting to hear the story of their origin.
Very well produced documentary! We lived on Foreman Grilled food for years when our kid was young. Burgers, hot dogs, chicken thighs... we must have cooked hundreds of them on that grill. It finally died... or rather, the Teflon wore off... so we replaced it and kept on going. These days, we use an outdoor grill and an air fryer but still have fond memories for George's wonderful magical appliance.
I recently had to get my 20 year old one ,out of the cupboard after my cooker broke down and I have to say it worked like a dream and was an absolute life saver. I’ve bought a new cooker since, but I still use my George Forman Grill because it grills salmon beautifully.
100% agree. Never had anything else that cooked salmon perfectly like the Foreman.
I've got the jumbo size so I can do a full salmon filet. I use Tone's salmon seasoning from Sam's and it turns out perfectly in about 5 minutes.
I love that you made this video. In 2023 I still use my George Foreman grill. It’s so good.
I had a small Forman grill that I absolutely loved :) the little blue one with the bread warmer up top. That got me through having my first lock off apartment with no appliances besides it a mini fridge and a micro wave. I actually had 2 friends over once and we had to wait 30 minutes a piece for our steaks xp but we still lived it
My parents wore out two of these grills over more than 20 years. I think they were a pretty successful product in their time
bought one for my apt c. 2008. it was pretty good, did take awhile to cook burgers. took it with me when i left the navy. when i was back home during xmas of 2010, we realised we didn't have a gift for Uncle Kev. so, we cleaned it up, put it back in the back, wrapped it and gifted the used grill to Uncle Kev as new. despite the cleanup efforts, it still has residual fat deposits in the hard to reach crevices. needless to say, i had to leave the room when gifts were exchanged with Uncle Kev as i could not keep a straight face and refrain from laughter. looking back i feel like an ahole, but the grill worked perfectly fine and it was enjoyed.
Embarrassing 😂😂
People scoff but my Foreman got me through all of college and my mid-20s, those impoverished years trying to scrap a life together. It's popular because it inexpensively fills a daily demand, and it does that even for people who can't necessarily cook.
I haven't used on of those grills in years, but I do want to get another one again. I loved cooking on it when I was a bachelor.
They've got 'em in thrift stores. Usually don't have the grease recepticle, but you could use a tin pie pan instead. About $10.
@@HootOwl513 I melted my first grease trap lol
@@fabricatedego That must be why the grease traps are so rare. I did find one at a Goodwill. Probably 99 cents. They had no clue what it was.
I had a George Forman grill as a bachelor between marriages. It was awesome. I cooked a lot of things on it. Admittedly, my favorite was burgers. I have no idea how I parted with it. If I had it, I'd still use it.
I had one of these types of cookers way back in 1982 or so. It was awesome. It didn't slope but for me it was better because the base and lid opened flat and you could cook on double the surface area as both the base and top were heated, it cooked both sides at once when the lid was closed.
This was back in Europe.
When I was in the Army, my barracks roommate and I both had a GF Grill. I hid mine in its original box, wrapped in a towel, inside my suitcase in the top corner of my closet. We had to hide them when we weren't using them just in case there was a room inspection. It came in handy if you missed dinner at the chow hall or if you didn't feel like eating chow hall food.
I had this grill and used it for breaks at college (had a meal plan so I hardly ever cooked) and then for meals at graduate school.
I always thought it was incredible, it's so easy and convenient.
I've had a Foreman grill ever since they came out; first one was a present, the rest I bought myself. I found the trick, is to wipe it down right after removing whatever I was cooking, and it always cleaned up perfectly. The current grill is now 18 years old, and still works like new. I've taken it apart several times to clean it. If you do that, just make sure that: 1. it's NOT plugged in, and 2. you let it dry out for a couple of days to make sure you got all the moisture out of it. Oh, did I mention that this grill only cost me $9.99 on clearance at a store going out of business? it's a square shape version, with a bun warmer clear lid on top. That still works fine, too. Thanks, George!
They're still around! I recently purchased one of the new models with the removeable grills that you can put in the dishwasher. The old one I had was a real pain to clean. Well worth the reasonable $40 price.
You paid too much. $20 at Walmart
old ones hard to clean. not really you just wiped them down with a wet towel. i still have mine still easy to clean.
45% of all profits is absolutely massive. It's crazy that the company accepted that deal, even if they didn't think the grill would be so successful at the time.
It is, but there's no way it would have been popular if he didn't endorse it. It would have been another failed invention. Strangely enough, I have heard Hulk Hogan claim they came to him first (or maybe after Foreman turned it down the first time). I don't think that would have worked either.
With as much as Hogan lies about pretty much anything and everything, who knows how much stock you can put into that story. In any case I definitely thought this would be one of those infomercial products that got a hot start and then flopped drastically, but I remember most people in my family and at college had one. I didn't know they were still pretty popular to this day though. I know money isn't an issue for him, but instead of being bought out completely I would have lowered my earned percentage and signed the naming rights over for maybe 10 years to see what would've happened with the product and renewed it if it was successful.
That would have been a life long stream of income from how those things are still selling well today because it's a quality product.
“PROFITS”
it would have zero popularity aka zero profits without George who was very popular at that time. Not difficult math.
It's wild but this single product has kept Salton going and relevant for decades. It was by far the best idea they ever had and 55% and existing as a major success is worth the cut to George. It might be the best endorsement ever.
I straight up love George ❤️!! Great man, amazing grill really drains away the grease and cooks food evenly. Plus the Evander Holyfield game on the Genesis was so much fun.
My favorite story about this there were 2 appliances looking for a spokesperson. One was the grill and the other was a small blender called the Bullet. They were offered to Hulk Hogan and George. They made their choices. It went a tad better for Foreman.
Hulk Hogan also made a quick service restaurant kiosk in the Mall of America called Pastamania....during the height of anti-carb craziness. Kind of like starting a food court restaurant called "Only Egg Yolks" in the 1970s when the teevee said egg yolks would klll you. (They later said they were fine, but egg whites were bad, then they were a super-food..and now I think eggs are racist).
This thing Saved My Life as a kid. And without this product we would not have the air fryer. Thanks George👍
I've used the Foreman Grill for decades, only recently retiring my latest one because I now prefer to sear my steaks in cast iron and then broil in the oven. That, and the air fryer has become my new quick cook option.
Family used one for at least 15 years before during a move it took a couch to the top lid and broke a hinge. Great little machine.
I do remember how this grill's advertisements with Foreman were all the time on TV in the 90's and I always wondered how well these actually sold because no one I know ever had them. I kind of assumed they were just another gimmick that doesn't stand out from any regular indoor grill, didn't think they were actually popular this whole time, even to this day.
They were popular in Australia certainly, still a lot of them around today, and it's a genuinely good product despite the hype. It actually does cook quickly and well.
In addition to household use I've seen quite a few used on construction sites where power is available. A hot lunch cooked in 10 minutes works well when time is limited and you don't have an actual kitchen.
Everyone I knew owned one in the UK, they sold like crazy for something that was basically just a toastie/panini press. I seem to remember those multi-color units being the real popular ones, sometime around 1998-2001.
I can't say why exactly but there was a giant global pent up demand for a little grilling machine at the time, it was quite strange.
I'd never heard of anyone using one either, but my dad got a knock-off from another company and only used it a couple of times. I tried it once and thought it was awkward to clean so it's been sitting in my basement for 20+ years.
We've worn out many Foreman grills over the years...never had any issues with them. Currently, we have the smokeless one at 12:25 and have been very happy with it.
We still have a George Foreman Grill sitting on our kitchen counter to this day. It is great at cooking hamburgers, but the problem is that food would stick to it and it was very hard to clean. We haven't used it in over 13 years, but there it sits.
Nonstick spray, my friend. It’s a George Foreman Grill’s best friend. No sticking, everything slides right off with a wet paper towel. I use the olive oil nonstick spray because, health. Cleaning it while it’s still somewhat hot helps a lot too.
Thanks Lisa, I'll give it a try.
Could you do a show on bread machines? Always wondered how they got started.
One of the earliest in the USA was sold by DAK. DAK was a company that sold all kinds of high end appliances and audio equipment at bargain-ish prices, through ads in magazines like Popular Science. IIRC their story on the bread maker was a company in Japan invented them but sales were slow due to most apartments there being small with thin walls and using the timer setting to start mixing the dough early in the morning so it'd be ready for breakfast wasn't popular due to the noise of the machine. Not a problem for most American houses that have the kitchen well away from the bedrooms.
Another product from DAK was headphones with neodymium magnets, small but with good sound, like the ones SONY sold with their Walkman but for less $ than from SONY. They also did things with a strictly limited number available. One was some high end home stereo speakers which the manufacturer had mistakenly installed the wrong tweeters in, a lower spec paper cone one instead of the correct horn tweeter. Rather than run them back through the production line to swap the tweeters, the manufacturer sold the whole "defective" run to DAK, along with the correct tweeters. DAK then sold them through their magazine ads, with instructions on how to switch the tweeters.
@greggv8 Of course DAK didn't actually make anything. They just resold stuff and put their name on it. Their basically single standout factor were the long, long articles they wrote to go with each product. Possibly the longest single-product pitches anyone has ever done. But the stuff they sold was all made by other companies and often sold under different brands. I still have a DAK radio that was sold as almost ten other brands. Identical radio in every respect. All that said, Drew Kaplan has a great life story and it is worth reading about how DAK fell and how Drew tried to revive it. He certainly deserves to be remembered as a pioneering salesman.
I have had a George Foreman grill for most of my life. My parents bought one when they first came out. I got one as a graduation gift when I was preparing to go to college. We've upgraded a couple of times. The one we currently use is big enough to feed a family of 6 regularly. We use it for cooking meat and as a panini press. Love it! Makes the cooking and cleaning up process easy.
I was given one of the older late 90's models in 2012 for my barracks room, used it through college.
Later I was complaining to my sister it had finally died so my sister offered to give me her old GFG grill (which was much newer and nicer).
Still use it to this day for grilling when I don't feel like setting a bed of coals to cook my steak or smoking out my room with the skillet.
Just got done cooking a flank steak on my Foreman grill. Love it.
I have one of the newer EVOLVE grills and use it on a regular basis. I just wish the different grill plates were still available. Great unit though! I've gone through a number of different models over the years and I think I will always have one around.
I haven't owned one in years. But I have worn out about 4 or 5 of them over the years. The non-stick surface eventually becomes a very sticky surface and gets harder and harder to keep clean.
We still have the same one in our family that we bought in the 90’s and that thing still works great. The top is actually loose at the hinges now and it’s still going strong.
George Foreman Grills are actually pretty freaking awesome. I have one of the old school Indoor Smokeless Grills. It's not like the ones that are currently on the website. Mine is round, has a Center Cook Cup for sauces and marinades and features a round and sloped cooking surface with a round glass lid and a pull out drawer style fat collection tray. The idea behind this Foreman Grill is food "flavor infusion" and I have zero complaints.
Back when George decided to make a comeback in boxing, my dad and I watched every match that was shown. In his first match, he looked so...OLD and So Fat. We just cringed at the idea of him believing he could work himself up through the ranks and get a shot at a championship. But, George was amazing, a real life Rocky...took the hits, and then would just time it and hammer the bejabbers out of his opponent, often with just 1 good hit.
And as he progressed, he started to talk about his diet, and he was definitely losing the flab. My dad, unfortunately, passed away due to cancer about 3 months before George got and won, his title fight. I've never been so happy for an athlete. He worked so hard for it and as many have already said...he's given back to his community...and he's shown a lot of good humor along the way. In his younger years, as a boxing champ, he seemed to more of an angry young man back then. I'm glad he was able to find the means to still have that competitive edge without all the anger.
I still have my George Foreman! Use it a few times a week, and absolutely love it!
I actually use my George Forman Grill daily
i wanna see more videos on kitchen helping appliance brands like "copper chef", "ninja foodie", and other such products in future videos
Yes me too ❤
One of the funniest facts about the Foreman Grill is Hulk Hogan almost got the spokesperson gig.
Hogan and Foreman had the same agent and he called them both with the offer. Hogan was picking up his kids from school and didn't get the message until after Foreman did and had accepted it.
Hogan wound up with an endorsement for the "Thunder" Blender which went bankrupt in about 3 years.
Considering Hogan's other tall tales. Such as being offered the spot to be the new bassist in Metallica. I highly doubt this one as well.
I still have my George Foreman Grill from 2002 😊 it still works great & I use it often
I still have and use mine. Such a handy little device.
We had one of these in the 90s. No idea whatever happened to it. Was pretty alright. Was really nice when our stove broke down and couldn't get another one for a good while.
I once got knocked out by George Foreman in 2004. Well, kinda. I was working at a catalogue store called Argos and I was doing a stock take in the back when someone refilling the shelves on the isle on the other side pushed too many boxes on high up, forcing a box containing one of those grills off on my side which then fell off and hit me right in the face.
Hahahaha fucking A
You can tell people you got hit by George Foreman. I like that.
I remember reading about this in college. This little grill was quite the product, especially for poor people who might not have a working stove.
You can buy a mini sove for less than 30$.
And cook more than cheap meat.
@@CordeliaWagner So the reason the Foreman grill was such a big deal was because it was small, compact, and didn't exactly look like a grill. If you're poor and living in government housing or somewhere where your cooking options are limited, you coukd easily sneak it in and have a nice meal. It takes up less space than many small stoves, and you can easily carry it around.
@@rosesweetcharlotte Or you could just start a fire on the floor like these guys tend to do: ua-cam.com/video/QPt_x5wvhQU/v-deo.html
I still have one of these. It's a larger model which had an optional wheeled stand for outdoor use. I used to use this alongside a BBQ grill for larger garden parties. It's in my garage now, and hasn't been used for years.
What a great video! Thank you. George is an inspiration.
I have one. Been using it to cook steaks for a few years now. Works pretty good
Lol 😂
@@MsDisneylandlover what’s funny?
I hope you mean cheap steaks
The grill's variations were pretty useful but the whole fat reduction craze was also a flavor reduction craze so while I used those things in apartment living where I wasn't allowed to have a traditional grill I haven't bothered using any of them once I bought my own house and can cook with charcoal again.
This. The sugar industry successfully campaigned to demonize fat, fully aware that fat isn't the bad guy, sugar is. No fat = no flavor and dry meat. Many vitamins can only be absorbed via fat, as well. A, D, E, and K, specifically.
i love the George Foreman grill. it only took me 29 years to get one. i wish i got it sooner. lol
I love that Punch-Out!!! graphic at 2:26. As a 80's kid. You have no idea how cool that looks with Foreman on it.
Great video! I learned a lot about Forman and his grill. However, I’m more of a charcoal griller if the weather is nice. Otherwise, I use a grill plate that is placed on the stove burners.
There is even a George Forman un licensed grill. We thought we had bought the genuine George Forman Grill until the brand name on the top of the grill started to rub off, and the non-stick coating didn't exist meaning we had a scrape literally everything we cooked on is off of the grilling surface. We later bought a genuine George Forman grill that actually worked much better than the fake one.
It's June 2023 and I STILL have the original! Yes that's right! Still works great and I use it about 2-3 times a week. A bit scuffed up but other than that, it's in great shape!
I just bought one at a garage sale for $5 it's the XL model gr30. I think it's one of the early models all white with the signature.
Gonna use it to make some burgers for this 4th of July weekend
@@ArgedisSounds like the same one mine is! Just made hot dogs on mine! Enjoy! You'll have that forever! Happy 4th of July and GOD Bless!
I use mine several times a week and have worn out a couple.
New ones are less than $30.00 at Walmart so they are worth replacing.
We have one from the early 2000’s. I’m glad that a celebrity endorsed product was of such a high quality for once, especially for the price.
Say what ya want about it's 'cheapness'... mine from college still works, though I've long since lost the grease tray.
I think the grease tray is the one thing that everyone loses within the first ten uses.
My ex husband and I had one of these George Foreman grills. The drip pan wasn't attached so it was still a tad messy but the grill itself was wonderful especially since we were renovating our house at the time and it was a mess. I loved how easy this grill was to use and to clean. It even had a special sponge and the grease would just slide right off. Completely nonstick. Wonderful appliance. I've been wondering where I could find another one since the split, but it's funny, I haven't seen any. Damn!!!
Can't you just order one online?
@@AirLancer I didn't think they still made them. I'll check 🙂
It was probably 2 years ago now but I had found them at Walmart, my mom wanted the family version to replace the Burger one she's had since the 90s
Hulk Hogan chose to endorse a meatball maker that failed when he could have backed the grill.
Usually the only one that says he turned this down is Hulk Hogan
ahhh yes good old Hulk Hogan. the man who wrestled 400 days in a year. the man who was suppose to be the main choice for The Wrestler. the man who watched Harley Race burned down a ring and asked Hogan for a job in the WWF. the man who supposedly worked hurt against The Rock at Wrestlemania X8. the man who said The Undertaker fucked his neck when he took the tombstone in Survivor Series ‘91. the man who was being courted to the UFC during its early days. the man who challenged Mike Tyson to a real fight during his WCW days and Tyson backed out. the man who was the one to tap Kevin Owens as the next big star in the WWE when KO was in NXT. and yes the man who lost out on the George Foreman Grill because he was picking his kids up for school. but my favorite is when he slammed Andre The Giant in Wrestlemania 3. he tore 29 muscles in his back because Andre weighed over 700 pounds. and then Andre died “a FEW DAYS” after the match. and despite tearing 29 muscles, he didn’t miss a show.
the point i’m trying to make is Hulk Hogan is known to a pathological liar. so take what he says with a grain of salt. there’s literally 20 minute videos discussing many many MANY lies this fool told.
@@markjackson6431 yes, I believe that is the same Hulk Hogan
He was a moron then without any foresight.
Why would you choose to invest in an appliance that prepares food over an appliance that actually cooks the food.
Choosing the appliance the provides the most convenience and utility is b-b-b-basic rationale.
The grill most likely wouldn't of sold aswell as it did if Hogan endorsed it.
Foreman had just won the heavyweight championship at 45 and credited it to the grill.