Cuisinart Stainless Steel Griddle & Panini Maker

How to make a chicken panini sandwich

I have one of those right now in my kitchen. I got it as a wedding gift. It’s one of the most useful gadgets we use in the kitchen. I even grill my hot dogs in it when I’m lazy to pull out and start up the outdoor grill, and the hot dogs were grilled excellent with nice searing on the outside. I don’t recommend cooking simple cheese sandwiches with it since the device would make the sandwich pretty much flat.

How hard is clean up with these things?

I have had this model for a couple of years, and love it. Makes amazing sandwiches, grilled chicken and steak.

is she purdy? …(must read above post to appreciate)

BuyTV video review

What’s the wattage on these? Would like to take it tailgating to make sandwiches for the kids but don’t know if I would have to unplug everything else from the generator just to do that.

They come with 2 drip cups, they work great, however my kids for some reason threw mine away! Cuisinart replaced them for free (free shipping even), no questions asked.

I prefer this: http://www.amazon.com/Creuset-Enameled-Cast-Iron-Panini-Skillet/dp/B00077265S

How well does the grill, well grill? Should this be used better as a griddle? or panini maker?

SUPER easy! One reason I love it so much. The surfaces are removable for super easy cleaning.

Also quite handy as an electric griddle since it opens to completely flat.

I use mine for TONS of stuff. Panini, bacon, sausage, grilling, pancakes. It is very versatile. Just don’t close it when making bacon or sausage. Doesn’t turn out right. Use it as an open faced griddle.

I have one of these and do not recommend it. When cooking with it and you open it up, any grease on the upper griddle will leak down the back and on to the counter. Plus, after getting a little vegetable oil on the knobs, all the letters have wiped completely away. We use a picture to remember which way to turn the knobs.

This is an awesome deal. They are normally over $100. The grill/griddle plates are easy to remove and clean, and it has enough grill space (when opened flat) to grill an entire meal for 2 people.

How does this compare to something like a george foreman?

I got one of these for Xmas back in '05 and it’s still going strong. It’s so much easier to clean up than my old Foreman grill was – pop the cooking plates in the dishwasher and you’re pretty much done. If mine weren’t still working fine I’d be in for another.

I’ve been replying to individual posts, so obviously I have one of these.

I love mine! It works great for so many things. We made Panini’s, breakfast sausage,bacon, pancakes, last week I made grilled pineapple on it. It is very easy to use, super easy and fast clean up and very convenient.

If you are thinking of it, get it. You will not regret it. I use ours all the time. One of my favorite small appliances. I paid almost twice this about a year ago too from Costco!

Yeah, these still sell for $129 at JCPenney.

Tempting… very-very-very tempting.
(thinking of all the great things I can cook with this)…

Questions:

  1. What material are the cooking plates made of? I’d love to see the cast iron ones, for the heat retention and sheer weight (great for panini)… But at 9.25lbs… nah… so what is it? Aluminum?

  2. The nonstick cooking surface… How scratch resistant is it? Can I use metal utensils, or have to use those silly plastic ones?

  3. Just how hot can this thing get? Gimme a number!