I have one of these. I use if for burgers, chicken breast and pancakes. Works good. I don’t use my Foreman grill anymore since this does the same thing and more. After 2 years of use the non-stick coating isn’t as good as it used to be put I just spray it down with PAM before I use it and it cleans up nicely. Great product!
Good Foreman alternative. Cleans easily and great for burgers. Would buy again if my current one broke.
Bought refurb here a couple of years ago. Arrived defective (never heated up past about 100 degrees - known issue at the time) Went through Cuisinart’s replacement procedure, which was easy, and got a new one. Within one year of light use, one of the controls stopped working. Not a big deal as either knob controls both sides. No other issues but gives you pause.
And if you have some time to kill, Dr. Steve Brule has a nice segment on griddling:
Steve Brule - Making Paninis - YouTube. Check it Out!
I’ve had one for several years. Great little grill. Makes perfect pancakes. Cooks evenly. Mine has the openings on the front that are supposed to be drains for liquid from cooking and it came with a little plastic cup you put under it to catch the liquid, but the cup is very light and easy to bump and knock out of place. I don’t use it. In the pictures here, all but one show they’ve done away with that so I don’t know if it has it or not. The frontal photo with the lid closed shows the drain slots.
Try this. While the plates are still hot place damp paper towels between them and close the lid.
This prevents cooked food from gluing itself to the surface while you enjoy your delicious grilled creation.
Gee whiz…I just be an old country boy, so would someone explain to me what the hell a panini is? From vague descriptions I am guessing it is some kind of fruit filled little tart…I used to know a delicious little tart…oops got off the subject.
Is a grilled cheese sammich just a old fashion panini? Questions, questions!
I loved mine (refurb) for six months UNTIL the black non-stick coating began flaking off and getting into my food. And no, I wasn’t using metal utensils…I’m not that stupid.
I, too, got one of these the first time they were offered on W00t! and love it.
I’ve yet to see an issue with the coating coming off the plates.
If I had to find something to complain about it would be that it’s not quite large enough to take a “large” tortilla, but the 8" ones fit just fine.
If I were looking for a nicely versatile little grill I’d hop on this without hesitation.
If you aren’t just making a joke…
What people are referring to is a type of sandwich which is grilled & pressed on both sides simultaneously. Often with melted cheese for the same effect as grilled cheese’s, yummy melted cheese. They are usually a bit more exciting than just cheese though.
Here’s some recipes if you would like to try something out.
Yeah I think it would be fair to think of a grilled cheese as the panini’s less-fancy cousin. A panini is just a toasted sandwich which has any kind of bread that isn’t plain old sliced bread. It usually will have meat, veggies, and cheese in it, but I don’t think there are any filling-type restrictions.
Wiki for more info: Panini (sandwich) - Wikipedia
Well no I wasn’t kidding…and so I was right it is just a grilled sammich maker…that does both sides at once. Just like the two George F grills I have, but fancier temp controls etc. Thanks for the recipe link!
I have one of these and love it. Just make sure you show your husband how to use the buttons to release the plates from the body so he doesn’t try to rip them off with his bare hands and break one of the latches holding the plates on.
No, it’s not just a grilled sandwich maker. You can grill anything on it, of course, but also flip the plates to a smooth griddle side to make pancakes, French toast, bacon, etc.
Got a refurb a few years back on W00T. It works great for grilled sandwiches and quesadillas. I think a small cook book came with it, but I can no longer find it. My “Griddle” selection has become defective though because it still heats the top plate. Just have to keep it open and not accidentally touch it.
Any reason why I’d want to replace a working Foreman with this? My uses are sandwiches, chicken and burgers. I do my omelets in a pan so I don’t know that i’d use the griddle option much.
Been using the same foreman for many years and the non-stick has held up pretty well. This clean up as easily? The cleanup is pretty much my only gripe about the Foreman. Actually if the removable plates are ok to drop in the dishwasher, that would certainly simplify things.
I have a suggestion for using this while entertaining… Make a grilled cheese sandwich bar. Put out various breads, grated cheeses, meats, vegetables (tomato!), and toppings like pesto, roasted jalapenos, cream cheese, and even cooked tart apples. Everyone gets to create their own masterpiece. My family still raves about our grilled cheese bar, and we plan to do it again. The biggest hit: jalapeno popper grilled cheese.
I don’t own this particular model, but I wish I did. We actually used my husband’s George Foreman grill.
Count me in as another fan of the Griddler. You can make almost anything on it, and it’s great for burgers. It is indeed a pain to clean, however. Spraying the grill plates with cooking oil beforehand seems to help a little.
Regarding the plate clips, they may have redesigned them, but the ones on mine appear to be plastic. In fact, I actually had to get my original Griddler replaced under warranty because I left it on Sear for too long and the clips melted.
Hmmmm–After using a Forman grill for years, I find this grill SO EASY to clean. Even when our grilled cheese sandwich over-runneth the bread, the sticky mess just slides off the grill plates.
Thanks for the clarification, pcrockett! I just figured the original critiquer didn’t know plastic/metal from his underside, or that some engineer used the same location from which to make decisions. Now we know it must be the latter, LOL.
We’ve got one and it’s the 3rd most used kitchen cooking device in our kitchen behind the gas cooktop and the convection toaster oven.
Can’t recommend it enough and also recommend buying the waffle iron plates, they work great.