For the last seven years, I have lived in an apartment that doesn't have any outdoor space. Any grilling I do must be done on an indoor, counter top grill so as not to set off any fire alarms or asphyxiate the members of my household. For that reason, I became a fan of the indoor grills named after a certain boxing celebrity. I used George's removed plate grill for a number of years, always accepting its drawbacks, simply grateful that I could get some measure of char on my turkey burgers.

Then Calphalon contacted me and said that they were making a pretty darn fine non-stick, indoor, removable plate grill and did I want to take one for a test drive? Intrigued, I said yes. Folks, let me tell you, this is the Cadillac of indoor grills. It comes dressed in a very sleek stainless steel casing, gives you the option of varying your cooking temperature and also allows you to set a timer (something that other grill never let me do) in order to limit cooking time. Additionally, the grill strips on the Calphalon grill are raised up much higher than the other grills I've used, allowing your burgers, steaks, sausages and quesadillas to acquire far more satisfying and flavorful grill marks.


Another nice thing about this grill is the way that the drip tray is integrated into the design of the appliance. Instead of having a light-weight tray that you simply set down in front of the mechanism, the tray has a slide out design tucked into the back of the machine. This means that you'll never accidentally flip your drippings across the room or on to the floor (not that I've ever done such a thing. Nope, not me).

The only drawback I've discovered with this grill is that the top half that closes down is a bit heavy. It's great when you want to cook a steak quickly, but if you're using soft bread and want to make a quick grilled cheese, prepare yourself for a flattened (although still highly edible) sandwich. It's also a little hard on turkey burgers as ground turkey tends to be fairly yielding to pressure.

However, all in all, I've found this to be an excellent grill. If you are looking for a substitute for an outdoor grilling set up, or just want to spare yourself the trek to the yard in the winter, look no further than Calphalon.