Grilling's a great way to cook so many foods: meats, fish, vegetables, tofu, you name it. If you live in a balmy climate, you get to grill all year round, but what about the rest of us? And how about those who have no outdoor space in the first place?

That's where the modest but marvelous little appliance known as the George Foreman grill comes in handy. Our kitchen may be crammed to the gills with high end European kitchen appliances, but I'll be the first to admit that I routinely rely on this cheap little countertop grill to make perfect grilled cheese sandwiches and fish kabobs.

The George Foreman has several advantages over outdoor grilling. Obviously, it's more convenient, but it also lets you grill both sides of your veggies or fish steaks simultaneously, so it cooks twice as fast. Fat runs off into a little tray below, leaving you with a leaner chicken breast or burger, plus you get those famous “lines,” which are inexplicably pleasing to behold.

And you don't have to worry about the smoke from outdoor grills that can coat your food with carcinogens that form when fat drips onto the coals below. Marinating your meats and fish can significantly reduce the risk of carcinogens in outdoor grilling, but with the George Foreman, you don't even have to think about it. Of course, nothing compares to the taste of a steak that's been cooked over wood charcoal, but you can't have it all.

I'm not the only one singing the George Foreman's praises. A new cookbook called Homegrown Pure and Simple by Michel Nischan, a founding member of the New American Farmer Initiative, extols its virtues:

“If you haven't invested in a countertop grill, such as a George Foreman grill or a panini grill, I suggest you wait no longer. They are not terribly expensive and are terrific for fast, fat-free cooking when you don't have time or the weather is not right for outdoor grilling…trust me, these grills are not just another gimmick. You will use yours over and over again once you start grilling food for good health and good flavor.”

My only caveat about my George Foreman is that it's barely big enough to do two burgers at once, and can only manage one Reuben at a time. There's a whole line of new, fancier George Foreman grills on the market now and I'll bet they have lots of nice features.

But I'm fond of my old one; it's a slightly larger version of the model favored by transients in SRO's and homeless people who plug them into light poles, according to a poignant story NPR did awhile back for its Hidden Kitchen series.

And, my George Foreman came with a bonus, a little anonymously authored booklet of diet guidelines that tells you pretty much everything you need to know about healthy eating in five pages. So if you've passed this unassuming appliance by in the past, give it a second look.