This Appliance Was In Every '90s Kitchen But Now You Never See Them

Kitchens in the '90s contained many items you might have forgotten about, including one appliance that truly revolutionized grilling meat indoors. The George Foreman Grill, also known as the "Lean, Mean, Fat-Reducing Grilling Machine," came to be in 1994. The portable electric grill sat upon countertops and was intended to grill meats while also draining away the extra fat into a tray, resulting in low-fat meals that were super easy to make.

And although the appliance wasn't actually invented by the boxing icon (but rather by a man named ​​Michael Boehm), he agreed to put his name on it because it really did work. He didn't care to, at first, since he wasn't guaranteed any money for it. But after being pestered a bit by a lawyer friend and persuaded to test out the grill by his wife after she tried and liked it, Foreman came around. It was a good product, and he was a great salesman, and by 1996, his advertising, particularly on QVC, paired with his clear, authentic love of the product, made the appliance take off in sales.

Wondering what happened to the George Foreman Grill? They're still around and available to buy, should you want to cook some chicken and watch some of the fat drip out into a tray, and yet you never really see them. Quietly, it remains relatively popular, despite a lack of advertising. (After all, QVC isn't exactly relevant anymore, and the anti-fat diet marketing lingo wouldn't fly in the present time.) It's still sold at stores like Target, Walmart, and Amazon, among others. 

However, it has since been replaced by newer fad appliances and trends (like all of the various types of air fryers, for example). And, at this point, there are plenty of other copycat indoor countertop grills, which makes for a much more saturated market. Plus, people just aren't as strict with their fat intakes as they were in the '90s, since we've all since learned that the body does, in fact, need healthy fats (despite what diet fads of the era made people believe). 

That said, over 30 years later, the machine is still said to be one of the best (and most convenient) ways to grill up various meats inside, just as it did back in 1994. So, perhaps dust off that George Foreman Grill, should you still have one stored away — just because something isn't trendy anymore doesn't mean it's not quality. Let's just stay away from those unhealthy diet trends and false facts about food people believed years ago, hm?