Have you ever placed food on your grill, closed the lid and promptly forgot to set a kitchen timer for cooking? Particularly for steak and other grilled foods, this can be a big frustration because the difference between a few minutes of cooking can be the difference between medium and well-done. It’s bad enough to get served a steak not cooked to your liking at a restaurant, let alone one that comes out of your own kitchen.

If this is a frustration you’ve faced yourself, then getting a grill with a countdown timer is the ideal solution. How is the timer on a grill better than your kitchen timer or a microwave clock? Mainly in the fact that it’s right on the top of your grill, so it’s almost impossible to forget to set it as you close the cover. In addition, it can make kitchen multi-tasking a lot easier if you find yourself cooking with a lot of your appliances at once—particularly for larger family gatherings and parties.

It happens often in these situations that you simply run out of timers to keep track of everything—you have the kitchen timer counting down for your oven, the microwave clock monitoring the stovetop, and you suddenly realize you need about 3 extra timers just to keep track of everything you’re cooking.

By having the timer directly on the grill, you take some of the frustration and hassle out of multi-tasking in the kitchen for a large meal. The grill keeps track of itself, so you can free your kitchen timers up for other appliances. It also makes it easier because the signal bell will go off on the grill, letting you know that cooking is complete if you’re in elsewhere in the kitchen getting another dish ready.

The grills that feature a countdown timer are usually our medium larger grills for this reason—that you’re more likely to need a countdown timer when you’re cooking for larger groups and parties. Most of the grills feature a digital version of the timer, which includes a digital display that allows you to check cooking progress at-a-glance. If you prefer an analog (knob) timer, there is a new Control Temp™ Grill & Griddle coming out this fall to major retailers nationwide that will include an analog version.

Basil marinated chicken breast on a grilled chicken sandwich

When it comes to herbs and grilling, basil has a wide and varied range of uses, making it a key ingredient in any master griller’s spice rack. Whether it’s being used crushed in marinades or rubs for poultry or fish or as a whole leaf in a rollup, Panini or kebab, basil brings a distinctive taste and phenomenal flavor to almost any dish.

As a brief history, basil began its ascent into spice rack stardom as a native plant in India, Asia and Africa. The name is derived from a Greek word meaning “royal”, which gives insight into how the herb was thought of in ancient times. In India, it’s a symbol of hospitality, while in Italy it’s a symbol of love. As far as cooking goes, it’s commonly found and plays a major role in Italian, Vietnamese and Thai cooking.

On the grill, basil finds a number of applications in a wide range of forms. Steve Raichlen’s Barbeque Bible recommends using crushed basil in wet rubs, spice pastes and marinades to preseason meat before you place it on the grill – particularly poultry and seafood. You can also do basil oil or a basil cream sauce to finish a poultry or seafood dish to add additional flavor.

As for the whole leaves, large basil leaves are one of the few herbs that can almost be used like a leafy vegetable. They are one of the three key ingredients in a classic Italian Capressa Panini, along with mozzarella and tomato. You can also use a basil leaf to do a rollup, where you take a flank cut or flattened piece of meat and roll it up with vegetables and cheese for a main course dinner. In addition, whole basil leaves can be used in between the meat and vegetable pieces in kebabs; by using them as separators, you impart the flavor and aroma of the basil into your kebab.

Finally, as one part of a standard pesto (basil, pine nuts, parmesan cheese), basil helps instantly bring a taste of Italy to your table as a stuffing in everything from burgers to pork chops. You can use a freshly prepared pesto that you make at home for a truly fresh taste or use a store-bought pesto for a quick and easy meal with a touch of sophistication.

When you think of your George Foreman Grill a light, refreshing salad isn’t probably the first thing that comes to mind. But for these sweltering hot days at the end of summer, there’s nothing better. A grilled salad is not only a healthy eating option, but it doesn’t give you that heavy, don’t-want-to-move feeling after you’ve finished your meal. It’s the perfect option for lunches and even a lighter dinner during these last days of summer.  

The really nice thing about doing grilled salads with your George Foreman indoor grill is that it usually takes less than 20 minutes to make the whole meal – less if you’re used to making it or using ingredients that you’re familiar with. While the grill preheats and you cook your protein and any grilled veggies, you can prep all the other ingredients and toss them in the salad bowl with the dressing while you wait. Then simply cut and add the grilled items, toss again and serve. It’s that easy!

Another great thing about doing grilled salads at home is they let you get a little creative with your menu. You can change up the protein, the other toppings, the dressing and even the greens for a completely different taste in every salad. You can do a Chicken Caesar one day, then get a completely different taste with a Steak Salad with mixed greens.

Of course, not everyone can jump on board with their whole meal being a salad, so this may be a hard sell, particularly to men and kids at the dinner table. To bring picky eaters on board, simply use ingredients that they want to eat to make the whole idea of salad more appealing. Steak makes a salad more of a “man food” if you have a picky husband, or grilled fruits and sweet dressings can make a salad more appealing for kids. You may also want to try doing a grilled salad as a weekend lunch, so you have time to make something else if the kids absolutely balk.

Even if you can’t convince the man in your life that a steak salad for dinner is still steak dinner, a grilled salad may be a great option to consider for your own lunches at home. Now that the kids are back at school, busy moms are often catching lunch on the run or opting for an easy frozen meal. Instead, you can grill a single cut of meat and easily make a fresh grilled salad for yourself.

Although you can get a variety of recipes online for grilled salads, our recommendation is to start with your protein and/or key ingredient and build your own perfect salad from there. The best key ingredients include sliced grilled chicken, steak or pork, shrimp, salmon or tuna steaks, eggplant or just an assortment of your favorite grilled vegetables. Match the greens next – most prepackaged varieties now come with serving recommendations of what flavors they work with – and then match the rest of your toppings and any dressing. Although you can definitely use a marinade, you can also grill without it for these really easy meals.

Healthy Menu Planning: Using a weekly menu plan to help balance your diet

When it comes to your diet, it’s definitely possible to have too much of a good thing. Whether you’re talking about your favorite NY strip steak or an Omega-3 rich piece of fish, eating the same thing day-in and day-out is a fast way to an unbalanced diet. One of the simplest ways to ensure you’re getting the most out of what you’re eating is to use a weekly menu plan to ensure you’re getting a diverse mix of foods day-to-day. 

The first great thing about creating a weekly menu plan is that it lets you plan out when you’re going to be good and when you’re going to indulge so you can create balance. If you know that you have a dinner party on Friday night, you can plan to eat a little healthier on Wednesday and Thursday night to balance it out. Or if you know you’re having a really healthy menu for the week, you can even plan to indulge for a meal or two over the weekend.

This idea of staggering your healthy and not-so-healthy meals works especially well with kids, since you can appease them into eating that healthy chicken and veggie dinner tonight since they know they’re getting burgers or hot dogs tomorrow. It’s also a good way of getting in new menu ideas and dishes, letting you experiment in the kitchen without driving your family crazy with a whole week of weird foods they’re not used to eating.

The other great thing about a weekly menu plan is it lets you more easily balance requirements for vitamins and minerals in your diet. By incorporating more foods into your weekly mix, you’re getting more of the vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy naturally. This way, you can get the benefits of a variety of proteins and different kinds produce through your food, leading to a healthier lifestyle, overall. In addition, the more balanced your menu, the less vitamins and supplements you may have to take to get your daily requirements. All the good is coming from the good mix of foods you have in your menu.

By creating this weekly menu plan, you’re simply making it easier to eat healthier. You have a plan, so you know you’re not eating red meat 5 days back-to-back or a full week of fish that may have high mercury levels. A weekly menu plan also gives you a bit of freedom from indulgence, since you know your diet is balanced overall. This way, you can keep your comfort food and your balanced diet, too!

Please note that the recipe below was cooked using our indoor-outdoor grill series; if you wish to cook on an indoor contact grill, simply use a medium temperature setting and remember to reduce the cook time, since the food cooks from both sides and does not need to be turned.

• 1 small purple onion, thickly sliced
• 2 small chorizo, halved lengthwise (about 4 oz.)
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 cup cooked or canned corn
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp. fresh lime juice
• 1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 8 oz. sea scallops
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced

Cilantro leaves

Preheat grill at setting 4. Lightly brush onion slices with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill onion and chorizo about 3 minutes, turning once. Remove from grill and cut into ¼-inch cubes. Combine with corn, cilantro and lime juice; toss to blend. Cover and set aside.

Increase setting on grill to 5. Place 6, 12-inch bamboo skewers in shallow rectangular baking dish. Cover with warm water and let stand about 10 minutes. Remove from water and alternate shrimp and scallops on skewers. Brush lightly with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Grill shrimp and scallops until cooked, about 3 minutes on each side, turning once.

Serve shrimp and scallops with corn relish. Garnish with avocado slices and cilantro leaves.

Makes 6 servings.