The George Foreman Lean Mean Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine, also commonly referred to as simply the George Foreman grill, is a portable double-sided electrically heated grill manufactured by Spectrum Brands. It was promoted by two-time world heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman. Since its introduction in 1994, over 100 million George Foreman grills have been sold worldwide.
History
The concept for the grill was created by Michael Boehm of Batavia, Illinois. The original intention was to create an indoor grill that cooked on both sides at once.[2] A second key benefit was to reduce the fat content of hamburgers and other meats by draining away the fat into a separate reservoir. Boehm designed the product with a floating hinge and slanted grilling surface to accommodate foods of differing thicknesses and drain fat away from the food. Engineering work was performed by Bob Johnson. Boehm and Johnson brought a JVC camcorder and a sample of the product in bright yellow to the office of Barbara Westfield at Salton, Inc. The video was played, showing fat dripping from the grill into the collection tray. They presented the product as "The Fajita Express". The fajita grill had been promoted at industry trade shows in the early 1990s, but garnered little interest.[3]