- 5-in-1countertop unit works as a contact grill, panini press, full grill, full griddle, and half grill/half griddle
- Brushed stainless-steel housing; sturdy panini-style handle; floating cover to adjust to thickness of food
- Removable and reversible nonstick cooking plates drain grease for healthy cooking; integrated drip tray
- Adjustable temperature controls with indicator lights; gourmet recipes and scraping tool included
- Plates, drip tray, and scraper are dishwasher-safe; 3-year limited warranty
The Cuisinart Griddler makes multifunctional an understatement! With five separate cooking options, it can handle everything from pancakes to sausages to grilled cheese to steaks, hamburgers and Panini. A floating cover, and one set of reversible plates that snap in and out, turn the Griddler into a Contact Grill, a Panini Press, a Full Grill, a Full Griddle, or Half Grill/Grill Griddle. Dual temperature controls ensure everything is perfectly cooked!. It works with 120 volts. A floating hinge and two sets of cooking plates turn this multifunctional unit into a contact grill, panini press, large open grill, or griddle. Made of brushed stainless steel, this four-in-one, space-saving appliance offers cooking options that range from pancakes, sausages, and grilled cheese to fish, hamburgers, and panini. Its floating hinge adjusts to the thickness of food, while adjustable temperature controls ensure food is cooked properly. The unit features a sturdy panini-style handle and convenient ind
List Price: $ 185.00
Price: $ 185.00
- Gourmet sandwich press for deli-style grilled panini at home
- Floating lid makes even contact with thick or thin sandwiches
- Nonstick grids measure 8-1/2 by 12 inches
- Power and preheat lights; locking lid; upright storage design
- Grill unit measure 13-1/2 by 11-1/2 by 4 inches; 2-year warranty
The Hamilton Beach Panini Press Gourmet Sandwich Maker is an excellent appliance to have on hand to make grilled cheese and other hot sandwiches. Every deli sandwich tastes better hot and with melted cheese. This Panini Press can handle sandwiches of any size.Create delicious, deli-like panini at home with this gourmet sandwich press from Hamilton Beach. Designed to accommodate everything from single-slice ham sandwiches to piled-high turkey grinders, the grill heats ingredients, melts cheese, and creates a crispy outer crust. The floating lid slides and swivels for the right fit and locks into position with a side dial. The locking function is also handy for keeping the lid upright if you want to make open face snacks or clean the grill plates. Roomy and ribbed, the grill plates measure 12 by 8-1/2 and are coated with a wipe-down nonstick coating. Stable on its four feet, the press has gleaming chrome housing and durable plastic accents. A side clamp locks it shut between uses, so
List Price: $ 49.99
Price: $ 49.99
- Grills burgers, chicken, fish, steaks, and Italian-style sandwiches
- Nonstick top and bottom grilling plates for food release, easy cleanup
- Floating-hinge system adjusts to food's thickness
- Cool-touch handle; locking latch for upright storage
- Recipe book included
Floating hinge system adjusts automatically to accomodate different food thicknesses
Grill plate design allows for multiple uses, great for grilling sandwiches or cooking hamburgers, chicken, fish and steaks
Convenient locking latch keeps unit closed for upright storageGrilling burgers, chicken, fish, steaks, and Italian-style sandwiches (panini) with no fuss or mess is easy with this handsome, chrome-clad, countertop grill. The top and bottom grilling plates make cooking twice as fast as in a pan, impart appetizing grill marks, and, with their nonstick coating, release food easily and wipe clean with a cloth. Key to the grill's professional performance is a floating hinge system that automatically adjusts to a food's thickness for even grilling top and bottom. The grill's handle stays cool during operating, indicator lights show when the grill is on and when the proper cooking temperature has been reached, and the latch locks for compact, upright storage. The grill carries a one-year
List Price: $ 120.00
Price: $ 120.00
- Grill, griddle, and panini maker with 3 removable nonstick plates
- Fixed, float, or open-flat cooking positions; locking height mechanism
- Adjustable heat up to 450 degrees F; 30-minute timer; floating hinge
- Drip drawer; storage drawer; cleaning scraper included; dishwasher-safe parts
- Measures approximately 13-3/4 by 13-1/2 by 7 inches; 1-year limited warranty
This professional-quality appliance has been designed for years of cooking enjoyment.
List Price: $ 199.99
Price: $ 99.99
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Tagged with: 5in1 • cuisinart, • GR4N • Griddler
Filed under: Espresso Machines
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Cuisinart upgraded the Griddler, and it’s better than ever,
I bought a G4 Griddler from Amazon in 2005, and used it a couple of times a week (at least) until it had to be put out to pasture in 2010 due to failure of the non-stick coating on the plates. (The coating started to bubble and peel, and no one wants that in their food…) I loved it. (See my review of the Cuisinart GR-4 Griddler Stainless-Steel 4-in-1 Grill/Griddle and Panini Press) It was still working great, but replacement plates were not available.
I was elated when offered the opportunity to review its smarter younger brother, the GR-4NAM Griddler. I could hardly wait for it to get here and run it through its paces.
At first glance, the GR-4NAM looks virtually identical to the G4. However, closer inspection reveals that it has been totally redesigned, and for the better.
Improvement: The grease catcher used to be a little cup that had to be set under a spout on the side of the bottom plate. If it was positioned incorrectly, (or forgotten about), greased dripped out on the counter. The grease catcher is now integrated into the Griddler as a drawer-like device that can be pulled out to clean, and then put back in place for the next use.
Improvement: The original G4 had two sets of plates – one flat set, one ridged set (for paninis). There is now one reversible set of plates (ridged on one side, flat on the other), and therefore no need to find a storage place for the plates not in use. The new plates have a good substantial weight. I don’t have the old ones here for comparison, but the quality of the plates certainly was not cheapened.
Improvement: It used to be a little tricky to put the plates in place and to remove them. There was also a difference between the top plate and the bottom, so you had to be careful not to try to put them in the wrong way. The plates now have an identical shape, so they are interchangeable, and the release buttons activate a spring-loaded mechanism that pops the plate loose for easy removal.
Now, to see how it cooks: The Griddler takes about as long to warm up as a good-quality waffle iron. Just when you start to get impatient with it, it’s ready.
The first thing that I cooked was a no-no in the eyes of Cuisinart – a bone-in, skin-on leg and thigh chicken quarter. Too thick, they say. HA! says I, because I am a bit of an anarchist. I marinated the chicken in olive oil and rosemary, heated the Griddler to Medium. I cooked it on the panini plates because I love those little fake barbeque stripes across my food. It worked just fine. (I should have taken a picture, it came out looking beautiful. But I was hungry.)
Word of warning: Do not cook thick or fatty meat on High – you will get grease spatters all over the place. Medium works just fine in such instances.
I discovered from my old Griddler that when cooking meat it’s best to turn off the heat before it’s done, and let it finish cooking with the residual heat in the plates. That way the meat does not get overdone.
For clean-up, I let the plates cool down, and then put a wet paper towel across the bottom plate and close the lid and let it sit for a while. The dampness softens anything that is stuck to the plates, and then it can be easily washed off with a sudsy sponge or dish wand.
Today for lunch, I made myself a sandwich with sliced sourdough bread, cooked sliced chicken breast, fresh grated parmesan cheese and dried basil. I followed the panini directions in the small cookbook that comes with the Griddler. Well, I sort of followed the directions… Cuisinart recommends brushing the outside of the sandwich with olive oil. I prefer to use melted butter on panini because it makes the sandwich crisper.
I preheated the Griddler on High, placed the sandwich inside, and applied light pressure for about 30 seconds, and then let it cook. The directions say to cook panini for about 4 -5 minutes, but my sandwich was ready to eat in 2 minutes. Maybe the butter makes the bread brown faster than olive oil.
In any case, it was beautiful – evenly browned, crunchy and delicious, and I did take a picture (see product images).
How durable will the GR-4NAM be? Good question. From everything that I can see so far, Cuisinart has only made the Griddler better. But time is the real test of quality. I will report back from time to time regarding durability.
Right now, I’d say this looks like an excellent buy.
UPDATE, January 2011:
The Griddler is still in great shape. Granted, I am not using it as frequently as I did my original one, but that’s because there are fewer mouths to feed in my household now than there used to be. I have no cautionary tales to add to the review. Hmmm… I think I’ll go make a grilled cheese sandwich….
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|best indoor grill so far,
I have tried the Villaware Uni panini grill, the Delonghi open countertop grill and another panini type grill (approx $90), and returned them all (ouch, those return shipping charges hurt). I never considered the Geroge Foreman grills because they always felt cheaply made to me, not to mention many unfavorable reviews).
None of the grills/panini presses that I tried got hot enough to work well for me. They just did not grill as much as steam,bake cook the food, and they all took a longer time to do so than I was willing to wait.
I never was bothered by cleanup, though. I always just wipe the hot plates with wet paper towel, let it then cool a bit, and wash with wet sponge. Works on them all.
So I just gave up and bought some stovetop grill pans and have used them for the past year or so. They do get as hot as you want but you do have to turn the food to cook both sides.
Being a kitchen appliance junkie, I decided to try the Cuisinart Griddler this year.
I love the size (great for just 2 people, though) as I do not anticipate using it in the full open position. And it is handsome as handsome can be to me. Very commercial looking on a very small scale. (I was chef/owner of a restaurant for 13 years.)
And cleanup is easy. Although I still use the wet paper towel and sponge for immediate cleanup, the removable plates (very easy to take off and put back on) make washing in sink or dishwasher other options, Although the plates are nonstick, it is best to use vegetable spray or oil on the food (I prefer this rather than spraying the whole plate.)
There are 3 controls–griddle temperature selector, on/off to select either griddle or panini/grill, and panini/grill temperature selector. There is no timer so there is a small learning curve to learn when your food is cooked. Expect to overcook many things at first as the griddler really cooks quickly.
There’s a short electrical cord, about 34″ usable length. Solid construction. Hinged top does settle squarely on the food. Because there the griddler is flat with no slope like the Foreman and other grills, vegetables will not roll off or toward the front.
It takes about 5 minutes to preheat and then, wow, it really grills. Salmon took just 3 minutes. I overcooked my halved zuchinni in just a few minutes.
You can hear the instant sizzle sound but don’t go to far away as it cooks more quikly than you might be used to.
We don’t eat fatty meats (like burgers) so I cannot comment on the grease/drip factor but with fish, seafood, chicken and vegetables, there is absolutely no splatter.
It can cool down quickly if left open, a disadvantage while cooking but an advantage for cleaning.
Again, the most important factor for me was how hot the grill got (and quickly as well) This, of course, leads to perfect grilling on both sides.
I just love my griddler.
Shelly
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|Great idea, poor implementation,
We have had this product for over 1 year. This product has a few of great features:
1. The interchangeable nonstick plates that are dishwasher safe.
2. The unit opens up to a large griddle.
3. The cooking plates are dishwasher safe.
However, the nonstick surface has started peeling off of the plates even though the plates have never been abused, and we have never used metal utensils on them.
Our biggest complaint is the thermostat. The unit will reach the desired temperature, and then turn off. The cooking plates will actually cool off so much that the food will stop cooking. The thermostat will then kick back on and take about 3-5 minutes to get back up to temperature. It is very annoying, and doesn’t always produce good results with food.
There also is a large temperature difference between the two plates when the unit is opened as a large griddle. This causes items being cooked to finish at different times.
This could have been a great product, but Cuisinart seems to have gone “cheap” in areas that are integral to the function of the griddle. I would not purchase this item again.
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|Fabulous, but no frills,
You can’t give this machine a bad rating. This Hamilton Beach Panini Press does one thing and one thing only, but it does it very well. If you enjoy pressed/grilled sandwhiches you will love this machine. As I write this I’m eating a feta/olive/artichoke/roasted peppers on pita sandwhich hot off the panini press, and it’s scrumptious. I actually bought this as a christmas gift for my mother, but I probably use it more than she does.
The machine looks good on the counter, and has a large, non stick service. It’s not on a hinge so it’s designed to accept even the thickest sandwhiches without squeezing all the filling out. You can even “lock” the lid down to apply constant pressure, or lock it up to maintain minimal pressure or to not make contact with the top at all. It’s great for quesidillas as well. Ignore the user that says it takes too long to heat up, it takes only a couple of minutes, about the time a waffle maker would take to heat. Even cooking on the stove you need to take a few mins to heat the pan! Also ignore the comment that this machine burns the bread before heating the filling, I’ve never had such problems, although I do wish there was a temperature control for further versatillity. But my bread never burns… I find 2-6 min will brown the bread perfectly, from lightly browned to nice and crispy (depending on how you like it) without burning it at all. I’ve never burned anything on this machine. I even once used it to grill some chicken, and it did the job nicely, though it’s not really designed for that.
The only down sides are that there are no frills. I’ve seen other models that come with nice recipe books, this one has just a few hastily thrown together recipe ideas in the instruction booklet. There’s no temp control either, which is fine, but it would be nice to have some kind of control (it would be more convenient if you wanted to use it for alternative purposes. The machine gets very hot, but that’s to be expected. There’s no alternate “plates” or cooking surfaces for say a flat “griddle” style surface, so you’ll have to settle for the striated grate style surface, which in all honestly is not a big deal at all.
This is a great machine, at a decent price. It could be better with a temp control, some extra features, and a better recipe book, but all-in-all, you can’t complain. It does its job, and does it very well.
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|Bread is Done, Sandwich Fixin’s Are Not,
Mechanically, the press has a nice design and it works OK for a $40 item. The upper lid is not hinged, so it can be raised very high to accomodate thick sandwiches. Bread comes out nicely ridged and crunchy. It does take a while for the unit to heat to cooking temperature, however. The main problem seems to be how to cook the inside of the sandwich without burning the bread; for an average sandwich (3 oz. ham and 2 oz. cheese) after 1.75 minutes the bread is done, but the ham is not sufficiently warm nor the cheese melted. This may be an issue with all lower-end panini presses, I suppose; perhaps some experimentation with different bread types and cooking times will solve my little dilemma. In any case, so far the resulting sandwiches are better than if served at room temperature, but not as good as those heated in my toaster oven and then slapped together.
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|Awesome while it works! If your stops, here is how to fix it!,
Well, this product makes great panini! You can use it to make just about any sandwich very special. If you use really fresh ingredients, the results are as good as at any market in Italy (that is where I got hooked on these). It not only makes Panini, but can be used to grill chicken, hamburgers, sausage, etc, and then throw in the buns before assembling for a gourmet treat.
I got mine as a Christmas gift and used it at least weekly for about 6 months till I moved, and had to pack it for a while. When I got it out of storage (January the next year) it worked for only 4 times, then just stopped. It wouldn’t heat; lights wouldn’t come on, nothing worked!
I called the local Krups repair site, and they told me if it was over 1 year old, throw it away and buy another. I was royally upset! Appliances that cost over $100 should not fail in 6 months of use! In the old days, a repair shop could fix anything, and they would never tell you to throw it away.
Well, I went to Amazon and read the many similar stories of short life, and sudden failure and realized I was out of luck. After the one year warranty expires, the repair places (who normally would just get a new warranty replacement from Krups and have it sent to you) won’t touch it.
Having nothing to lose, I removed the single Phillips screw in the center of the underside of the unit and opened up the unit. The griddle surface separates from the stainless base once this screw is removed. In here I saw a device which looks like a resistor held in place by two small clamps inside a clear plastic tube. I plugged the unit in and tested the voltage across the terminals of this device, and it read 125V. I knew immediately that this was the problem, as it was preventing the entire unit from getting voltage. I disassembled the clamps and slid the tube off, then cut the part off of the two wires.
Looking on the web, I found out the part is a simple and very common “heat fuse”, intended to break the circuit if the thermostat (located in the top half) failed and the unit started to melt down or overheat.
This device does not reset once the unit cools, but sacrifices itself. When it exceeds 240 degrees centigrade, it disconnects power to the unit permanently and must be replaced. This is the reason so many people have had failures.
Either the unit runs hotter than the designers anticipated (most likely), the current is too high (doubtful as the unit draws 1500 Watts, 750W per side and the device is rated for 15 Amps at 120 Volts. 1500W only draws 12.5 Amps, so that is well below the 15 Amp capacity of the component), or it was a faulty component. Considering that these components are used in a huge number of heating appliances, it is most likely that the designed temperature for this component is too high. Here is an excerpt from the manufacturers web site:
“The temperatures experienced during normal operation, including expected temperature overshoots, will determine the life expectancy of the TCO. Nuisance trips can result if the thermal cutoff rating is too close to the temperatures experienced during normal operation (this is probably what happens!). Continuous temperatures above 200°C will cause the sealing compound to weaken and ultimately fail. In addition, as shown in figure 4, each thermal cutoff calibration has a maximum temperature overshoot rating (TM). Overshoot temperatures above this rating may cause dielectric breakdown of the thermal cutoff and allow reconduction to occur. See Therm-O-Disc’s MICROTEMP® Thermal Cutoff Technical Bulletin for more information.
The safest way to repair the unit is to replace the failed temperature fuse. It is made by Therm-O-Disc and is a Microtemp model G4A00240C. You can find these on the web for about $6.00 (or free if you request a sample from Therm-O-Disc on their web site). You will need a crimp tool and some bare crimps to crimp the wires to the new temperature fuse. I just used some bare (non insulated!) crimp spade lugs and cut off the spade part (Radio Shack or any auto parts store). Do not use insulated spade lugs as the insulation will melt under these temperature extremes. When you dissemble it in the first place, take a picture of the insides before you start unscrewing and cutting. Then you will know exactly how to reassemble the parts. As the positioning of the temp sensor is critical, make sure when you reassemble, you do it exactly the same way it was (direction of the clamps holding the wire and temp fuse, etc).
As my patience was thin after speaking to the Krups repair facility, I took the unsafe route and simply bypassed this component (cut it out and crimped the two wires together). All works perfectly now. As I never plan on leaving the unit unattended, I am not too worried about the temperature fuse not being there (worst case, the…
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|Krups vs. DeLonghi,
Had the Krups model for about 3 years before it decided not to turn on one day — so to replace it, thought I’d try something different. Went with the DeLonghi CGH800 this time, about $20 cheaper. I loved my Krups, and initially thought I’d like the DeLonghi a bit better. Here’s my experience:
*Krups always “sparked” at the outlet when I unplugged it. Not so with the DeLonghi.
*DeLonghi has adjustable heat, so, although I only used the Krups for Panini, I’m kind of excited about the options I now have with the DeLonghi. I’m inspired to try a burger or chicken! It also has a channel where the grease can run off — and a little cup to catch the grease. If you’d ever use the Krups for anything other than a sandwich — the grease would have no where to go.
*DeLonghi has wider channels on the grill plate — which make it a lot easier to clean up. BUT, this is also the reason the panini DOES NOT get as crispy as it does on the Krups.
*The Krups latch, meant to hold the top & bottom together so you can store it on its side, was flimsy and broke after a week. It latched when I didn’t want it to — and wouldn’t when I did. (A minor thing, but it got to be annoying.) There seems to be no threat of that happening with the big latch on the DeLonghi.
*The DeLonghi is kind of “chunky” — it takes up more space when stored on its side than the Krups. The Krups also has a slightly bigger grill surface.
There’s my 2 cents. Happy sandwich-making!
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|The best for cooking and clean up!,
If you have not tried one of these muti-purpose portable cookers (if you have you know the speed and ease of cooking any meal is unbelieveable) look no further than this fine unit. Right out of the box you see the quality and thought that went into this product. This is a replacement for my first (different brand panini grill). Differences are unbeliveable; unlike my previous grill this unit grills to perfection, the grease from cooking goes thru the open bottom grill plates, into a removeable tray. All grids are removeable, which is a huge difference (my old unit did not have removeable grids had to clean by hand). It cooks meat, chicken, panini etc perfectly and nearly grease free.P.S.Don’t throw out the direction booklet! It has over 20 Wolfgang Puck recipes in it, to use with this grill!Can’t say enough.
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|Good concept, poor execution,
We searched until we found what looked like the prefect multi-function panini grill. It’s a great concept and obviously someone thought of all the possibilities for cooking that it could do. And the storage for the extra plates is brilliant. However, when we took it out of the box, some screws and bolts fell out. Then we noticed that the anchors holding the heating element were loose and dangling. We couldn’t put them in because the back, where the bolts went, was inaccessible. A little black rubber part fell out also, and we figured out that it was one of the rubber feet on the bottom, but the other one was missing.
We thought the metal which it was made of was rather thin and flimsy, and it was apparently carelessly assembled. Also, a lot of the parts rattled, making it sound not very sturdy. We are returning it without trying it and getting a refund. But after reading the 5-star review about how well it cooks, we are considering trying another one, just to see if this one was a lemon.
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