Makes crispy, gooey, cheesy sandwiches

Author's Rating:

Pros: Removable, interchangeable, nonstick grill surfaces; floating hinge; adjustable temperature; makes CRISP sandwiches.

Cons: Grill top gets hot.  Cord placement somewhat awkward, careful not to burn it.

The Bottom Line: 
I got this as a deal from Cuisinart, but knowing what I know now, I would pay full price.  This is a wonderful kitchen tool!

Author's Review
I have had the Cuisinart Griddler now for about two weeks, and have used it numerous times.  I LOVE it!  I know how to cook, but typically, I do not enjoy it.  I have thoroughly enjoyed using my Griddler.  This appliance is incredibly well-made, and was well thought out. 

The Griddler comes with:
-2 non-stick grill plates
-2 non-stick griddle plates
-2 drip cups to catch grease and runoff
-grate cleaning
-tool spatula tool

The controls include:
-Adjustable Griddle control with numereric temp control
-Adjustable Grill/Panini control with warm/low/medium/high and sear settings
-Selector knob to choose between griddle or grill/panini settings

Cooking features include:
-Floating hinge, so that the grill top lays flat on extra thick sandwiches or cuts of meat.
-Top grill heats and cooks the top of foods at the same time/temp the bottom is cooking for even, uniform cooking without the need to flip.
-Open flat design, so that you can can use the machine as a cook-top for bacon, pancakes, eggs or whatever you might want to cook on an open, flat surface.
-You can make one side a grill and the other side a griddle, if you want (I have done this)

One caveat when cooking eggs on the griddle pan: make sure the griddle is hot enough before putting eggs onto the surface.  I poured my eggs onto a semi-hot surface, and the eggs ran right off the edge of the Griddler.  The good thing was that clean-up was EXTREMELY easy, but it was still not fun having eggs all over my counter!  A hotter griddle would have began cooking the eggs as I poured them, preventing them from running the way they did.

This is a multifunctional cooking tool. I plan to try to make some steaks on it this winter. Should work well. When you make grilled sandwiches, they are done in just a few minutes with crisp bread and melted cheese, complete with beautiful grill marks! I usually spray the top and bottom plates with a bit of Olive Oil cooking spray just before I turn on the grill to make sure the surface stays non-stick.

Clean up Cleaning up after using the Griddler is a breeze. Just let the plates cool for a bit (15 minutes), and just use a soapy dish towel and hot water, and food particles easily wash away -- even baked on cheese! The plates are dishwasher safe, but I've found that's it's just easier and quicker to wash them by hand. This appliance has sparked my creativity with sandwiches.

Some of the sandwiches I've made are:

REUBEN
Deli corned beef, well-drained sauerkraut and swiss cheese.

TURKEY
Deli turkey, swiss cheese and sliced tomato

CHICKEN PESTO
Leftover baked chicken breast sliced into strips, pesto (any kind), sliced tomato, and mozzarella cheese


I have LOTS more ideas I want to try. Cooking is actually sort of fun with this (for someone who prefers to not cook). lol I'd buy this again! It's a fantastic addition to my kitchen!