food to glow

I am a lucky bunny, I am. Everyday I get to not only do what I truly love, but sometimes others want to pay me for it, or give me stuff. 😉

Being a food blogger I am frequently offered products for review. As I am more about the recipes, I tend to turn down most of what comes into my inbox. Sometimes I have to laugh – as with one of today’s messages: would I like to review a butcher’s pack of meat? (??!!) Or, recently, would I not absolutely jump at the chance of ploughing my way through a giant box of chocolates? Actually “yes” to the latter but a) it doesn’t fit with my blog, b) it takes me two weeks to eat a modest bar of chocolate…

When I was approached by Tefal with an offer of their newest Optigrill I thought, what would I do with a grill? Although I am an omnivore, I rarely cook meat, usually only if my father-in-law is coming over. And the images I associate with countertop grills are of grill-marked beef and chicken – not vegetables or tofu. Would this be of any use to me? Well, there was only one way to find out. With slight trepidation (and thoughts of yet more garage clutter) I said “yes.”

When the large box arrived courtesy of a smiling courier (they always seem so pleasant – what’s their secret?) I opened it up to find an impressively handsome machine. It very much looks like a boy’s toy. The enclosed instruction manual was comprehensive and clear, but also enclosed were several thick, wipeable cards that seem to be kind of idiot’s guides in case one can’t be bothered reading the manual. So far, so good. I duly read the instructions because I am not a man. 😉 and set about getting to know the controls. Well, there isn’t much to get to grips with: it is so easy to use.

Why a new grill? I already have an ancient (perhaps 20 year’s old) George Foreman grill that has seen a bit of action in the past, but largely stays in the garage – nestled with the keyboard, old bicycle, and mini trampoline. It gives patchy results, seems to have inconsistent heating areas, smokes a bit, has no doneness indicator, the non-stick is a bit questionable and it is not the type you can easily take apart and clean. It’s a bit scary to use actually. Do you have something similar?

The difference between the two types of grill is that the Tefal Optigrill is largely fool-proof. No constant peeking – just press a button and walk away. Presumably to prepare the rest of the meal, but perhaps you have something more exciting to do in the intervening 2-8 minutes. :-). When cooking is finished you just unclip the grilling plates – very easy – and either hand wash them or pop in the dishwasher. It is just as easy to slot the plates back in place too. If something is tricky to use or clean – no matter how good the result – I will more than likely rarely use it. And then I feel very, very guilty.

The Optigrill’s selling point seems to be that one can achieve restaurant quality steak at home. Not a huge selling point for me and perhaps you too, but reading further – and looking at reviews online – the key features are the six (admittedly meat-centric) cooking programmes, a manual setting and the, to my mind, quite innovative colour-changing cooking level indicator button. It is quite hypnotic to watch, but then again I am easily entertained these days. Another core feature is that it adapts the temperature and cooking cycle to thickness and number of items on the grill plate. Pretty nifty.

To cook it is a simple matter of deciding what programme you need – for vegetables it is either “manual” or “sausage” – select the correct icon, press “okay” and wait for it to preheat. When the grill is heated to the optimum temperature – which varies according to the programme’s particular temperature – you open the lid and place your food on the curved bottom plate and lower the top. And walk away. Depending on what programme you have chosen you get a beep and changing button colour for various levels of doneness, so that you can have the result that is right for you. With the manual button it is a constant high temperature, and for most of what I’ve cooked this is my favourite programme. I call it the toastie programme 😉

So, what have I cooked? The first thing was this funky little eggplant parmigiana. When Tefal contacted me this idea quite literally popped into my mind, but it was quickly followed by Korean-ish salmon tail fillet, plain grilled veggies (to go with the salmon) , and a parade of toasties. All superb. I plan to get more adventurous, but I may just make mushroom or tofu banh mi in this meantime.

I have read less good things about how it cooks steaks – that it more or less steams rather than grills them.  But others write that this is because the slightly disgruntled user hasn’t it let it preheat to the optimum temperature. I don’t know the answer on that one. No one however seems to have a quibble with the juiciness, tenderness or taste of whatever they have cooked. With the fish I will say that it cooked it perfectly – very moist, and just cooked through – but the grill marks were rather more decorative than indicating any caramelisation. Which is probably just as well as caramelisation isn’t the healthiest result. Although the programmes are mostly meat, there are also chicken and fish settings and a frozen food setting. And of course, the “toastie”/manual setting.

Is this a great product for a vegetarian? Probably not. If all you made in it were toasties they would be damn expensive toasties. But if, like me, you eat most things but prefer vegetables, and wish to upgrade your grill, it is a good and efficient product, especially if it is saving you heating up an oven for just one or two people. There is also minimal mess (none really) and smell compared to stovetop grilling: You would not have even known I was cooking salmon. I can see it being very useful to quickly cook some vegetables for a warm salad or other dish, vegetable and tofu kebabs, marinated tofu, grilled fruits (pineapple!), flatbreads, stuffed breads like this Turkish-style gozleme, frozen and fresh veggie burgers – loads of things. But it would be best for an omnivore for sure. From an energy consumption perspective it is obviously less   good than grilling on a stovetop grill over gas, but I think it compares favourably if you would otherwise use an electric stove or would be heating a typical oven.

Now, to the recipe! Just to prove that it is not just for steaks, here is my very juicy and flavourful Panini-Style Eggplant Parmigiana. You will see that it is incredibly easy, in keeping with the type of grill I am using. The great thing about doing this kind of recipe in an electric grill is that you don’t have to flip it. Flipping is easy for steaks, but not so easy – or safe – for recipes with fillings. Fillings that get very, very hot. This recipe can of course be used on any similar appliance, or even in the oven – after a little searing in a hot pan on the hob/stove. I have also snapped a few other ideas you may like too, including today’s lunch. My second lunch, as I have not been to sleep since viewing the lunar eclipse and can’t remember being so hungry in a long time. It might now be time to preheat the grill and pop on some veggies for a third meal. 🙂

What do you like to make in an electric grill?

The Tefal Optigrill retails at approximately £150 and is available from numerous UK retailers as well as Amazon.

You can read a further review/perspective of this product on Elizabeth’s Kitchen Diary (her giveaway is closed though). And I am pleased to pop this over to #RecipeOfTheWeek over at A Mummy Too, as well as at Tinned Tomatoes for Jac’s Meatfree Mondays.

Kellie’s Food To Glow was sent a Tefal Optigrill for review. As always, I was not paid for my opinion and views are my own.