How do you choose a contact grill that will suit your needs? There are so many choices on the market. The Cuisinart Griddler GR 4 is the one we use; this article explains what we like, what we don't like.
Cuisinart Griddler GR 4 Features
The Griddler can be used for:
- grilling boneless meat or poultry.
- grilling wraps, panini, or plain sandwiches.
- opened flat - cooking bacon, eggs, sausages, French toast, pancakes.
- grilling fresh veggies.
The Griddler comes with:
- griddle and grill plates that can go in the dishwasher.
- drip cups to catch fat, plastic scraper to clean grill plates.
- floating hinge that allows for super-thick sandwiches.
- sturdy build with stainless steel housing.
- three year Cuisinart warranty coverage.
Cooking on the Griddler GR 4
Our Griddler has been used for grilling lots of meat, and it works great. The meat gets done in a very short time and stays quite tender as long as you don't overcook it.
For grilling sandwiches and wraps the Griddler is the best tool we have. Crisply bread and properly melted cheese taste great! And wraps get warmed through before the tortilla gets dry or brittle.
Due to our small counter space we haven't used the Griddler opened flat very much. But I think it would be great for French toast and for sausages, etc. If you cook fatty things, open grilling is going to be more messy.
Griddler Gr 4 -- The Good and the Not-So-Good
On the whole, we're satisfied with the Griddler:
- clean-up is fairly easy if you do it after each use, the plates should be soaked if you don't use a dishwasher.
- the cooking plates are very easy to remove and put back.
- the Gridddler heats up fairly fast, and can keep up to temp while in use.
- it's well-made and sturdy.
The Griddler, like many appliances, has a few wrinkles:
- when you use the cups for catching fat you have to be careful that they don't march away across the counter!
- the "non-stick" coating doesn't always work well; we use a wee bit of oil brushed on the hot plates to make up for that.
- if you're cooking anything very fatty, a contact grill is going to make a bit of a mess because hot fat spits and spreads.
Conclusion
The Griddler has been a convenient and useful appliance for us. It does help to get meals on the table quickly, and you can cook healthy meals with it if you choose.
The Cuisinart brand has served us well, too. We have enjoyed consistent quality and a high level of service.
