My mom and grandma made the best meatloaf every. Of course neither one had a recipe and I could never just wing it like they could. After much trial and error I came upon one recipes that works great every time for me.
Quaker Oats Classic Meat Loaf recipe

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
3/4 cup Quaker Oats(quick or old fashioned, uncooked)
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup catsup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

Heat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in large bowl; mix lightly but thoroughly. Shape meatloaf mixture into 10x6-inch loaf on rack of broiler pan.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until meatloaf is to medium doneness (160F for beef, 170F for turkey), until not pink in center and juices show no pink color. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Cover and refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 2 days, or wrap airtight and freeze up to 3 months.
I do bake my longer. Hubby likes to top by BQ sauce.

Here is a link that might be useful: Meat Loaf

same recipe as trudy only use barbeque sauce instead of catsup.
I also have only recently, after 40 yrs veggie, tried to make meatloaf for my DH. So...I thought it was that my meat was too lean but maybe that I mushed it too much?
The flavor was great but I thought the texture was not what I remembered.

I've never made the same meatloaf twice and my ex thinks any meatloaf I have ever made is the food of the gods. I never use a recipe. A pound of hamburger, two slices of bread whizzed in the blender or some crushed crackers, a small minced onion, a couple cloves of garlic, an egg, a squirt of dijon, worcestershire sauce, some dried basil/oregano/parsley, s&p, some wine. I top it with catsup or tomato paste or sauce mixed with brown sugar and balsamic. Jammed into a loaf pan and baked at 350 for an hour or so.

Eileen

Wow, this is interesting...I hate catsup or sweet anything in or on meatloaf...and like Linda, kinda, I use poultry seasoning for my herbs. Nowadays, I use mostly ground organic turkey instead of beef, and lots of crimini or button mushrooms chopped fine in the food processor, which stretches the turkey by 1/2, decreasing calories and cholesterol, onion, bread crumbs, eggs, and evaporated milk if I have it because it makes it really moist. And a bit of better than bouillon beef flavor instead of salt.

I had decided on meatloaf for dinner last night and then I saw this thread. Usually I make SharonCB's meatloaf, but something about the one FOAS posted appealed to me. Maybe it was the extra veggies.... anyway, I made that last night and it was VERY good! I'm not sure carrot in meatloaf would appeal to everyone, but my guys (even The Picky One) ate it without complaining and DH liked it a lot.

Good luck in your meatloaf search, and I agree with a lot of posters, Alton's recipe does not appeal to me at all. Cumin in meatloaf? EW!

Alexa

Oh - and if you want SharonCBs version, here it is. It is really good and lives up to "The Best" in the title in my opinion.

Alexa

WORLDS BEST MEATLOAF SHARONCB

1 1/2 cups soft bread crumbs - (tear up soft sliced bread - don't use fine crumbs as for breading)
1 1/2 lb ground meat (beef or pork & beef) (about 700 grams)
1 beaten egg
1 onion chopped fine
1/4 teasp dry Colman's (or similar) mustard
1/8 teasp ground sage
1/2 teasp ground thyme
1 1/2 teasp salt
1/4 teas pepper
1/8 teasp nutmeg
1 chopped green pepper
1 tin condensed tomato soup (eg Campbells's)
3/4 cup grated celery
3/4 cup grated carrot

1) Mix meat with egg, add onion and seasonings and bread crumbs, greens and carrots
2) Add half the tin of soup and mix everything well. Turn into greased loaf pan or glass casserole dish 8.5 x 11 inches and pour remaining soup over the top, smoothing it evenly over all.
3)Bake 350 F (177 C) for 1 1/4 hours.

Source: American Pro Footbal Player's Wife in 1963
SharonCb

Thanks for the recipes, I appreciate that very much.

Let's go back to the original problem. Your husband is a good guy and won't complain about anything you set before him. I think that perhaps this is more a case of communication than cooking. In an ideal world, he could give you constructive feedback on your cooking without seeming to complain or criticize.

What about a heart-to-heart? Tell him about the feedback you got here, and get him to express his thoughts a little more. Was it "not mother's meatloaf"? Was he not hungry? By opening up, he can help you become a better cook, and you can make his favorite meals. But it's all in the communication.

BTW, if you don't eat meat, what do you do with all the leftovers? Any large meatloaf would get pretty boring pretty fast!

My DH's favorite is Wizardnm's. He says it tastes most like mom's (LOL) ! This is copied from a post of hers, so the notes are hers, but the picture is from my table...

Wizard's Meatloaf
2 lbs ground beef (a meat loaf mix of ground beef and 1/3 ground pork and 1/3 ground veal is really good and sometimes I just through in the ground pork)
I make mine in a KA mixer... first putting everything in the bowl EXCEPT the meat.
1-2 C bread crumbs or torn bread (the more bread the firmer the finished loaf)
Pour over the bread about half as much milk as bread (1/2 - 1C)
2 eggs
1 med onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp blk pepper
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp dried thyme (optional but I really think it adds flavor)
2-3 Tbsp dried parsley (more if using fresh)
Mix until well combined then add the ground meat in big handfuls...quickly. Don't over mix, as that can produce a meatloaf that is overly dense. Mix just enough to combine.
Shape and place in pan(s).
I have a 2 pc meatloaf pan and it works fine, if I use an additional pan, I do drain the grease a couple of times during the cooking.
I like to top my meatloaf with a mixture of 1/4 C ketchup, 1/4 C brown sugar and about 1 Tbsp vinegar.
Usually takes about 1 hr @ 350*, I temp for 160* with an instant read. Over cooked meatloaf is dry.
Note: I talked you through it as I don't use a recipe...I adjust ingredients for the amount of meat I am using. - Nancy

{{gwi:1500304}}

Our communication isn't as bad as it sounds. He's pretty honest about the vegetarian food that I cook, but I think that he knows how hard it is for me to do this and that it's specifically for him, so he doesn't want to hurt my feelings. Bizzo, that looks gorgeous. I noticed the two eggs- that's got to have something to do with it.

Yes, go with about 1 egg per pound of ground meat. Go with the simpler recipes. Use 2 parts beef, one part pork. Or 1 part beef, 1 part veal, one part pork.

Just wanted to say I have have the same problem with my SO. He comes from the school of always saying "good" which is fine on the one hand, but not really very helpful if you're trying to cook to please him. He says he just always ate what was put in front of him, never complained, etc. So OK and GOOD when he says them mean "edible" and that's about it. It's only later when I nag him about finishing the leftovers that he says, "That was awful!" His way of dealing with awful food is to push it to the back of the fridge and then wait until it spoils and then throw it out! So I can usually tell if something gets pushed into the back of the fridge what he thinks of it.

For what its worth, I have never managed to make any kind of ground meat taste good, from meatloaf to burgers to salmon patties. We've finally found a burger recipe we like, it uses ground turkey and has chopped spinach and feta added for moistness and flavor.

I make a mean wheatloaf though! :)

Like Olychick, I do not like anything sweet in meatloaf, and I think ketchup ruins its. Better to try an ethnic (other than Anglo/American) style for meatloaf. I like Michael Chiarello's Italian Meatloaf, but I also like Greek style and Chinese, although I tend to make Chinese meatballs rather than meatloaf. You might also want to consider switching to meatballs, especially if you are cooking them for one person. Recipes that have a panache (torn bread and milk), and no catsup like WizardNM's or Ann_T's will have better texture and flavor. I think you can substitute pasta sauce for catsup in the recipes that do have it, however, to help keep it from being too sweet.

Lars

Here is a link that might be useful: More meatloaf recipes

I remember one thread about meatloaf got pretty heated in the cooking forum...apparently ketchup is only used by people from trailer parks...WHO KNEW? *shrugs shoulders* HA! We love ours with ketchup, don't so much care for a brown gravy on meatloaf. But to each his own...

I love a meat loaf with something sweet and sour on top....be it a BBQ sauce or a doctored up catsup or a different sort of sweet and sour sauce.
Brown gravy is OK on a meat loaf....as long as it's the gravy made from the meat loaf and not from a jar!
Let's face it....meatloaf is not exactly 5 star restaurant fare....so why not catsup?

Hey, Trudy has my mom's recipe! Although my mom always left the ketchup out for my tomato hating father. She added a 1/2 cup of milk instead, but I think she'll go for the sour cream idea!

I've never actually made a meatloaf that I like, and I've tried dozens. My girls would say it was good and I just wasn't satisfied with it, until eventually I realized that I just don't like meatloaf very much. That makes sense, because I don't like the texture of ground meat very much.

The "winning" recipe according to my family, it the "Mama's Meatball" recipe. My family likes it because the onion and garlic are pureed with chicken broth in the blender, so there are no chunks of anything. They also like it topped with Nancy's mixture of catsup, brown sugar and vinegar, but we're heathens.

Oh, and I don't use veal, I use a mix of pork and beef. Sometimes I use venison.

Chef Rocco Dispirito's Mama's Meatballs
(also good as meatloaf)

1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup diced yellow onions
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped fine
1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 lb ground pork
1/2 lb ground veal
1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs
2 eggs
1/4 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Place the chicken stock, onion, garlic, and parsley in a blender or food processor and puree.
In a large bowl, combine the pureed stock mix, meat, bread crumbs, egg, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, red pepper flakes, and salt. Combine with hands until mixture is uniform, do not overmix.

Put a little olive oil on your hands and form mixture into balls a little larger than golf balls. Pour about 1/2 inch of extra virgin olive oil in straight sided, 10-inch-wide saute pan and heat over medium-high flame. Add the meatballs to the pan, working in batches if necessary, and brown meatballs, turning once. This should take about 10-15 minutes. In the alternative, I bake meatballs on a baking sheeet at 375F for about 15 minutes, longer if you make the meatballs larger.

if making meatloaf, shape into a loaf on a baking pan or in a loaf pan, your choice. Bake at 350F for an hour to an hour and a half, depending on the thickness of your meatloaf.

Mix a cup of catsup with 2 tbls brown sugar and a splash of apple cider vinegar to taste and pour over the meatloaf during the last 20 minutes of baking. Save some to serve on the side if you wish.

Annie

We used to do the Lipton recipe exclusively, but I tried AB's meatloaf the last time I did a meatloaf, which is approximately twice a year. :-) The family loved it. It's great to have all the recipes here to look at though--may have to branch out a little more!

Cj

I am not a meatloaf lover but I like this one and my dh and Dad love it and so does my mil. I tried several highly rated recipes before deciding this one was the clear winner. I've been making it regularly for about a year. I make mini -one serving- loaves and bake and freeze. No need to double the glaze even if you double the recipe.
The nice thing about it is that I can make a batch and freeze and they defrost beautifully. The Penzeys Ozark seasoning isn't necessary but good. I always make a double batch and baste 1 time throughout the cooking.

1-1/2 pounds lean ground beef -chuck
3/4 cup Quaker Oats- I use Old Fashioned
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup catsup
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation
Heat oven to 350F. Combine all ingredients in large bowl; mix lightly but thoroughly.

Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until meatloaf is to medium doneness (160F for beef, 170F for turkey), until not pink in center and juices show no pink color. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing.

As good as the meatloaf is, it would not be complete without the sauce. Mom formed the mixture into a loaf and placed it in the middle of a roast pan to cook. Twenty minutes before it was done, the grease/liquid was drained off. She then covered the meatloaf with 1/2 cup of grated onion, followed by 1 cup of (Heinz) ketchup mixed with 4T of brown sugar, 4T vinegar, 2T Worchestershire Sauce; heated mixed ingredients but did not boil. I always make a double batch to spoon over each piece.

Cover and refrigerate leftovers promptly and use within 2 days, or wrap airtight and freeze up to 3 months.

My notes : This is very good. Double recipe and make 12 mini loaves. Cook on cookie rack on foiled lined (a must) edged cookie sheet. Put a good sized square of bacon on each before brushing with sauce.

Use for double recipe, 1 heaping tablespoon or more of Ozark seasoning.

Run under broiler when done to get nice and brown and crisp bacon.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/QUAKER-OATMEAL-PRIZE-WINNING-MEAT-LOAF-1233712#ixzz1bVuhrsmd

Just coming back to say as a result of this thread I tried Alton's recipe last night and it was delicious! If you object to ketchup and cumin on your meatloaf the loaf mixture itself is really good, but for me the flavors in the glaze put it over the top. Definite repeat here!

To me the best meatloaf has the fewest ingredients. There is nothing better than a leftover meatloaf sandwich with lots of mayo.

Delicious Meat Loaf
1 lb lean ground beef
1/4 cup chopped fine onion
salt and pepper about 1/4 tsp each or to liking.
1 egg
3 slices white bread. Put in a food processor for few seconds or if you do not have a processor just tear in tiny pieces
1 can tomato SAUCE divided

Either use a food processor or mix by hand the hamburger,
chopped onion, salt/pepper, tiny bread pieces, egg, and
1/2 of the can of tomato sauce. Mix well until all ingredients are thoroughly blended. Pack in bread pan or make a loaf and put on cookie sheet ( I use bread pan ). Pour the remaining 1/2 can of tomato sauce on top and spread with a knife.
Place in 400 degree oven for about an hour.. check with meat therm. You can also put a few potatoes in the oven at the same time.

Enjoy..

I do not want a lot of filler or ketchup or tomatoes in my meatloaf.

It took me a long time to find a meatloaf that I actually liked. It is a little different in that it is baked and then sliced and grilled before serving.

This is my favourite:

Meat Loaf Magnolia
==================
1 1/2 pounds ground veal or mixture of beef and veal

1 small onion finely chopped
1 to 2 cloves of garlic
2 slices Italian/French Bread soaked in milk
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoons of dried herbs,
(sage and Thyme, a small amount of rosemary
olive oil

Sauce

Green peppercorns
mushrooms
1 to 2 cups chicken broth

Saute onion in olive oil until soft. Add minced garlic and saute for
30 seconds. Do not brown garlic

Soak bread in milk

In a large bowl add meat, Dijon mustard, chopped parsley, herbs, onions
and garlic and mix with hands. Squeeze bread to break up and add milk
and bread to mixture. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Saute
a small piece to check for seasoning. Adjust to taste.

Shape meatloaf into a rectangle about 8 X 4 x 3 inches high and place
in a small roasting pan. Bake for 30 minutes and then add a small
amount of broth to the pan to prevent the bottom from becoming to
brown. Bake another 30 minutes and baste with the pan juices. Add
more broth if necessary. Cook another 10 minutes or until the meatloaf
is nicely browned.

Let cool and wrap in foil and refrigerate. Reserve pan juices.

Make a sauce by adding some green peppercorns and sauted mushrooms to
the pan juices.

Heat grill

Slice meatloaf into 1/2 inch thick slices and grill on both sides until
nicely marked and hot.

Serve with mashed potatoes

Foodonastump, I'm glad you liked it. Thank you all for the recipes. Ann, that looks like it would be more up my husbands alley. At first glance I thought it was a steak.

I think I would like your meatloaf best, Ann, but it seems like to much work for something that is still meatloaf!
Which I only make for my Dad who eats that while we eat seared tuna or something.
It looks delicious.

That looks like it could be the base for your Salisbury steaks, too Ann. Your sal. steaks always look awesome.

Bumblebeez, if you don't want to go that extra step, the meatloaf can be served like all other meatloaves. Just slice and serve. I've just never thought grilling as extra work.

Jasdip, I use veal for the meatloaf and different seasonings. BUT.....I agree, my meatloaf mixture would probably make great Salisbury Steaks.

Ann

My grill is not particularly convenient and I have to spray myself with Off most of the year because of the mosquitoes. I usually end up sweaty and smelling smokey too aong with that wonderful deet smell.
Grilling usually takes some forethought for me.

Ann, when you say "grill" do you mean on a grill pan or outside?

Bumblebeez, that reminds of when we lived in Northern Ontario. I grilled year around, fighting black flies and mosquitoes in the summer and 40 below in the winter. I don't miss either. LOL!

Jenny, I meant an outside grill. But if you don't have a grill than a grill pan will work too.

Ann

When I had a picky kid at home, I liked having slices of meat loaf in the freezer for times when the rest of us had sauteed sole or grilled salmon.

Bumble-b's if I had to do all that to grill, I don't think I would either....I have a propane grill out my kitchen door, auto light and it's as easy as a grill pan.....and I don't have to wash the grates.....very often!! I also have an electric Jenn Aire grill in my kitchen. Don't you feel deprived? LOL! Seriously I can't imagine not being able to grill something easily.

I suppose I risk someone going postal over this too, but (sigh) whatchagonnado? :) I like a meatloaf sandwich but I don't like chunks of veggies in the sandwich. I do like the chunks when it's served as a meal. Guess the cold chunk of onion is the worst. So when I make it I have to choose which I want more or else compromise. And I've found that the way I prefer meatloaf reheated is lay it flat in a frying pan and get a slight crust on there. Works well. I usually heat some vegetables with it.

I haven't tried Alton's ML. I may next time. My family likes a lot of his recipes.
Meatloaf...there are as many different recipes as there are stars in the night sky. I don't think I have made the same recipe twice! I have a basic recipe,1lb each of home ground beef(with the fat,about an 80/20 ratio) and ground turkey. 2 eggs, bread crumbs or steel oats, salt and pepper. Then the add-ins. It could be roasted garlic and onion, salsa and pepper jack cheese, the possibilities are endless. It also depends on what I have on hand in the fridge and pantry. But always ketcup or spicy BBQ sauce in the meat mixture and on top. Not a gravy lover when it comes to meatloaf. NancyLouise

I do have a grill pan that I love and I don't know why I didn't think of that in response to the meatloaf.

Our main floor is elevated with a screened in porch up in the air and there's not a convenient "back door".
I have often wished I had a regular kitchen that had a door to an outside patio.

This thread got me craving a meatloaf so I made one of my favourite versions, one I hadn't made in forever.

I used my regular "recipe" but filled it with caramelized onions and cheddar. Basically I put a bit more than half the meat mixture in the pan, pushed it down a bit to make an indentation , added the cheese/onion mixture , then placed the remaining meat on top and sealed.

Oh man it was good!

Caramelized onions and cheddar stuffed meatloaf. What is not to like about that. Sounds amazing.

Update: I made wizardnm's meatloaf and he and the kids loved it. But I used cheez-its as breadcrumbs- he made me! I guess that's the way his dad used to make it. He said it was more moist than Alton's and he liked the flavors better, but still insists the other was good, too. Funny how this one disappeared immediately and the other sat in the fridge until it went to the dogs. Anyways, thanks for all the great looking recipes! I will be experimenting with others soon.

I'm planning to make meatloaf tonite for dinner. I love your idea of the caramelized onions Chase!! I'm going to try that.

I make a filled meat loaf too. I make a most basic meatloaf mix, with some crushed garlic and some finely chopped onion, 2 eggs for 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, salt, pepper a little milk and bread crumbs.
Then I flatten it on a piece of foil. And fill with a spinach filling.
Spinach filling for 1 1/2 pounds of meat meatloaf.
2 10 oz package of chopped spinach, thawed, drained and spread on a board and chopped some more.
1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, wiped and chopped very fine
2 cloves of garlic, crushed.
Mix together and melt 2 T butter in a fry pan and cook the spinach mushroom mix until most of the moisture has cooked out....add cheese, 1/4 cup of either crumbled blue or fresh grated parmesan and mix well...
Spread down the middle of the flattened meat loaf, and using the foil to help, roll it up like a jelly roll. Transfer to baking pan and bake uncovered at 350 for about an hour, until browned.
Let it sit about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Linda c

ynnej, I wouldn't experiement with others, you've found a HIT so just stick with it! WTH, why not use cheez-its, whatever works and if that's what he likes...I mean that's the point isn't it, since you won't eat it yourself!

I've used Cheezits in meatloaf and plain crackers if that was what was around. I like those as well as bread. I have also used oatmeal but I don't like it as much. I think it makes the texture a bit too sturdy and chewy but it's all good.

Sounds like you've found the formula that works at your house.

Eileen

Another variation that can be popular is bacon/cheese stuffed or topped with cheese. I used to use Ritz crackers, Cheez-its, Club crackers, even pretzels or pork rinds in place of breadcrumbs. I've gotten to the point I prefer using torn bread if I have any bread around. Also a "pizza" variation with heavier Italian spices, even cubes of mozzarella in it and some pepperoni and bacon mixed in, although they're generally an ingredient mix in all meatloaves I make now.

Since you found one that's popular you could stick with it. Maybe tweak a thing or two on occasion if you want. But your goal was to find one they liked and you have. Congratulations.

I've never used a recipe for meatloaf and wonder if anyone else makes it ad hoc every time.

I start with 2 eggs, beaten, and crumbled end pieces of bread that I've saved in the freezer. I add some milk and a large squirt of ketchup. Then I put in adobo and dried oregano, basil, and thyme (sometimes I add other herb combos). I mix that up well and then add about 2 1/2 lbs. of 80 percent lean ground beef and diced onions and green bell pepper that I've sauteed in olive oil and cooled. I salt and pepper the meat, add some extra olive oil and mix it all together. I form it into a large loaf, cover it with tomato sauce and cook it in a baking dish at 375 for about an hour or slightly more. It has a lot of liquid it it when it comes out of the oven and is juicy and delicious. Sometimes I get a better do than other times but it's always very good.

If there is anything I hate in meatloaf is tomatoes and ketchup! BLAH. You are all right about keeping it simple. Ground beef, italian seasoned bread crumbs, eggs, milk,finely chopped onion, grated carrots, chopped peppers, and sometime shredded cheddar if I have it in the fridge. I love trying meatlof in restaurants but most times I still like the one I make at home. I think restaurants try to hard and add all kinds of stuff and they don't taste good. I have even used the meatball or meatloaf mix packaged meat in the store, it's beef, pork, and veal and that works fine also.

I hate carrots in meatloaf....blah! And I think meat loaf without some sort of tomato or another acid ingredient lacks something.
I make meatloaf many different ways but I always include tomatoes of some form or a tomato sauce when serving.

you said "he said he loved it, but he only ate one piece" .I think it is not your question ,because everybody has theirs own eating custom.Your husband may be satistied with one piece.

Luox, my husband is never satisfied with one piece of anything he truly likes! It's a miracle he's not obese.

basic meatloaf- in the south
2 lbs ground chuck
2 slices bread
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 small onion, chopped fine
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp dried parsley
salt & pepper

tear bread and soak in all liquid ingredients till bread is soft- about 5 minutes. mix with meat and spices just until mixed. place in non stick oven proof pan and bake at 375 degrees for 50- 60 min. pour any fat off.

sauce- 1/4 cup ketchup or tomato sauce
2-3 tbsp water

mix and pour over drained meatloaf. return to oven for 5 minutes. serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie.

By far... This is the best recipe for meatloaf! Even if you don't like meatloaf you'll like this one. I make these for a large event with 300 guests and everyone raves about it. You can also sub in chicken and celery for those who don't eat red meat. Btw - it's not a traditional meatloaf which is bland and boring - this one has layers of flavor.

Maxine, that sounds good, but there appears to be no recipe attached or following your post.

Annie

If anyone is reading this again, one biggie for me to learn when cooking meat is properly salting it. That's hard to get right when you can't taste or just generally don't like the taste. The last meatloaf I made was definitely under-salted. Also, I think meatloaf is better after it sits a while. I might be tempted to do what AnnT does, make it, let it sit for a while to congeal, and then "grill" it to heat it up. After going on and on about grilling, I just use a grill pan on the stove for something small. I have a cast iron Weber grill so it's either clean that or clean a smaller grill pan, which is what I would always prefer. No way am I not going to clean my outdoor grill, because if I don't clean it, mice take up residence in it.