Cuisinart Griddler: Saving Space with Four Appliances in One
Written: Feb 04 '05 (Updated Feb 04 '05)
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Pros: easy to use, cooks great, clean-up is a breeze, takes up less space
Cons: small cups for catching grease, as well as could overflow in griddle mode
The Bottom Line: A big improvement on the initial incarnation of indoor grills/contact grills, the Cuisinart Griddler is getting a lot of use in our home!
AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Cuisinart GR4 Indoor Grill
We’d had our electric griddle since we were first married. We used it a lot and I took it camping with us just for being able to make pancakes and sausage in the morning without having to work over an open fire. Through the years it lost it’s non-stick coating and began to not heat evenly. It was time for a new griddle.
I was hesitant to invest in a new griddle, really. When I came across the Cuisinart GR4 Griddler I knew it would be perfect for our needs. We could get rid of our George Foreman Grilling Machine as well, opening up more space in our storage cabinets.
The Cuisinart GR4 Griddler takes the place of four appliances essentially. It functions as a griddle, and open indoor grill, a contact grill, and a panini press. I knew when I saw this that since I get sites with electrical hookups, this would be perfect to take camping with us, especially to use in case of a downpour at dinnertime. Cuisinart is a name I trust, so I didn’t hesitate to purchase this.
The cooking surfaces are actually two-sided coated plates. One side is flat for use as an open grill or panini press. The other side is grooved for use as a contact grill or open indoor grill. These adjust very easily and can be set up in just a couple of seconds. They are dishwasher safe, so clean-up of the plates is a breeze. The outside stainless-steel surface wipes down after use and that’s it. The coating on the plates is non-stick so metal utensils will scratch the surface and eventually wreck the non-stick properties of the Cuisinart GR4 Griddler. I keep a set of plastic spatulas and utensils around just for use with appliances like these.
As the contact grill, we’ve used it a lot. We’ve cooked steaks, pork chops, and chicken breasts on it and it cooks up nicely. The fat drains off as good as it does with the George Foreman Grilling Machine, meaning that our meats cook up healthier. The drip trays which come with this don’t hold as much as the one with our George Foreman Grilling Machine. Really fatty or greasy meats will overflow these trays real easy. You might be able to rig up another tray for it, but we haven’t had a problem with this just yet.
As a flat griddle, I use it a lot on the weekends when we make big breakfasts of bacon, sausage, eggs, and/or pancakes. It works great and cooks everything evenly and thoroughly. The sides aren’t terribly high, so again a lot of bacon grease could overflow the Cuisinart GR4 Griddler. I had that problem with our old griddle as well and I used to tilt it with a cat-food can at one corner to collect the grease as it flows off.
We just used it for the first time to make the panini-style sandwiches today. It worked great with some sandwich-steak meat, peppers, onions, and cheese on garlic bread. The inside was melted and gooey while the outside was toasted nicely. The handle adjusts to your bread or the size of your sandwich.
The controls are mounted on the front for temperature between 200° and 425° when using the griddle, a selector for using the Cuisinart GR4 Griddler as either a griddle or in the grill-panini setting, and then a setting for the heat level: warm, low, medium, high, or sear. The controls are easy to use. The knobs are a good size and the writing is easy to see. The handle to manipulate the lid in the grill-panini mode is also easy to use and grip. It’s a good size and at a good comfort level.
The Cuisinart GR4 Griddler is a big improvement over our both our old griddle and our old George Foreman Grilling Machine. I’m so happy I made an executive decision to purchase this, despite the higher than usual price. It’s come down some over the past few months, and it’s currently listed at about $20 less than I paid for it a few months back at most small appliance purchasing sites. I still think it’s worth it as I was able to take two appliances out of my closet. The Cuisinart GR4 Griddler sits on it’s side in the closet now, taking up a heck of a lot less space than either of the two appliances it replaced. It measures 16 2/3 x 9 2/3 x 12 2/3 inches and weighs about 15 pounds. It also comes with a 3-year limited warranty.
With a name I trust - Cuisinart - and the outstanding performance we’ve gotten from this appliance so far, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone.
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