Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

This was a belated Christmas gift for my husband, who was devastated when the real estate developers came for the rented place where we had a yard and a beautiful kettle grill. We landed in a bigger, nicer place that's ours for good, but there is no yard. The loss is real, and it doesn't just belong to him. He loves grilling, and he does it beautifully. We ate like kings all summer long. So when he at first rejected the idea of an indoor grill, I persisted. And I did my homework. This grill (like pretty much every electric indoor grill) has a nonstick surface. It supposedly is PFOA free, but to my mind, the burden is on the manufacturer to prove chemical coatings are safe for their intended purposes, and there has not been a history of that from the chemical industry. Plus, the intended purpose here includes very high heat, which is where these things have historically tended to be least safe. SO - do NOT scratch this. FWIW, I have two other Zojirushi appliances with nonstick surfaces, neither of which has scratched a bit in 7 years for one, 9 for the other, and that is why I went with this brand. Pros: It really gets hot. It really gets REALLY hot. It actually sears and grills the food. Little to no smoke. Clean it correctly (those George Foreman indoor grill sponges are indispensable), put water in the drip pan, and ventilate your cooking area, and you will not set off all of the interconnected smoke alarms in your condo building. It's big. Big enough to cook for a family of four. Easily. It's fast. Probably because it's hot. CONS: Cleaning it requires care and thought. If you miss dirt, it will smoke. If you scratch it, you kill it. One of the plastic tabs broke the first day as we were setting it up. It takes some creativity to approximate barbecue flavor. Even with those drawbacks, the whole family is happy with this purchase. It gets a lot of use, and it makes city-living a bit more home-y. If you get one (and I think you should), get these as well: George Foreman GFSP3 Sponges, 3-Pack Sherpa Pink Himalayan Salt (1lb Bag Extra-Fine Grain) Hickory Smoked (or whatever wood you like) Salt