Shortly after taking office in 2002, Mayor Michael Bloomberg instituted New York's highly controversial Panini Laws. These statutes compelled all deli owners to reserve at least 1/3 of their counter space for "the production and sale of Paninis, as defined in Article 2." Paninis are officially defined as "a flatish, hard bread, kind of like a stale pita, stuffed with leftovers and made palatable by grilling with cheese."

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.