11 out of 11 people found this review helpful.
Griddler...funny name, great appliance
Date of Review: Jan 23, 2007
The Bottom Line: I would recommend this for anyone who enjoys grilled sandwiches, steaks, fish, paninis, pancakes.
My first countertop electric grill was a George Forman...no thermostat and a bear to clean. Then along came the Hamilton Beach...removal grills, dishwasher safe. But the HB was only fair at grilling sandwiches because it didn't have the compound hinge of a panini press. Also, it came with only one set of ridged plates, so it couldn't be used for eggs or pancakes.
Enter the Cuisinart GR4 "Griddler." With two sets of plates and compound hinges, I make grilled sandwiches whenever I can. I've also used it "open faced" for pancakes. It does a beautiful job with both. Heating is very even, with no apparent hot spots. Cleaning is easy, too. I use mine so often, it rarely goes in the dishwasher, even though the plates are DW-safe. But a soapy sponge easily cleans the non-stick surfaces of both the flat and ridged plates. Although the surface is durable, only utensils suitable for non-stick should be used (i.e., nylon, silicone or wood).
It has three rotary controls. The middle one selects either the grill (right) or griddle (left). On either side of the central selector are thermostatic controls for each function, although, I'm not aware of any difference between them. When you turn on the selector, the central dial illuminates red. Once the grill is up to the set temperature, the thermostat dials illuminate green to let you know it's ready.
The top is stainless steel and gets very hot when in use. But the base is made from some sort of composite that doesn't heat up. So you can move the grill around by its base without getting burned.
My only complaint is that it doesn't come with waffle plates...nor are any available. Minor quibble.
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