Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've had my OptiGrill for about a week now, I too purchased it elsewhere to save money. So far I'm very happy with the purchase. My old grill was a George Foreman, nothing fancy just plug in & grill. Both grills take up about the same amount of counter space. With the Foreman having a larger grilling area (about 13"X9") than the OptiGrill (about 12"X7 1/2"). I find the added "bells & whistles" of the OptiGrill make it a better cooking experience. I just cooked frozen chicken breasts in about 16 minutes. 5 minutes for the grill to warm up & 11 for the chicken to cook. I like that I can walk away from it & do other things while it cooks. The OptiGrill beeps loud enough I can hear it from another room. With the Foreman I would need to stay close by and check on the food from time to time. That wasn't much of an issue because I normally cook other things on the stove near by while using the grill. I have however over cooked things on the Foreman because my attention was too focused on the pots & pans & oven. So far the OptiGrill has cooked all my food consistently. I've enjoyed well done chicken, pork, & steak that was still juicy inside. I tried a grilled cheese & leaving it in till Well Done made it very flat. I've been using a paper towel to wipe a little olive oil on the plates before powering on & my meat has come out with nice char marks every time. I've noticed in some of the other reviews people complain about "No Char Marks" & I wonder if it's because they don't lightly oil the plates. I'm not so concerned with looks as I am taste, and my food thus far has tasted great. Though I've noticed cooking thawed meat tastes better than frozen. Last of all I really like the ease of clean up on the OptiGrill. On the the Foreman I had to let it cool a bit but not too much, then wash it down where it stood on the counter. Careful not to over fill the catch tray or burn my fingers. I found if I let the Foreman cool all the way it was a beast to clean. Despite my best efforts it was often a messy clean up. The OptiGrill has a much larger catch tray and REMOVABLE PLATES. If you don't buy an OptiGrill make sure the grill you do get has removable plates. There is no more mess left on my counter top after cleaning my OptiGrill. That alone has made the upgrade worth while.