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 & Benefits

The Griddler is intended for:

• grilling boneless meat (pork loin chops, burgers, sausages, boneless chicken cuts, fish)
• grilling plain and panini sandwiches; also wraps, flat or filled.
• opened flat - cooking bacon, eggs, sausages, French toast, pancakes.
• grilling fresh veggies.

With the Griddler you get:

• two sets of dishwasher safe grill and griddle plates.
• two plastic cups for catching fat, a plastic tool for scraping grill plates.
• floating hinge and heat-proof handle.
• sturdy stainless steel housing.
• 3-year guarantee.

The Griddler in the Kitchen

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.

We really like the Griddler for grilled sandwiches and wraps. Both sides get done at the same time, so your fillings and cheeses don't get overdone, but the bread gets evenly browned.

We haven't used our Griddler opened flat a great deal because of limited counter space. But it would be ideal for French toast, or sausages, and maybe hash browns, too.

What We Like, or Not, About the Griddler GR 4

For the most part we're very pleased with the Griddler:

• cleaning up after each use keeps it simple, soaking the plates makes life easy 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 a lot of things, is not perfect:

• the cups for catching fat are a nuisance; they slid away if you're not careful.
• the "non-stick" coating on the cooking plates is not terribly effective (like most of the ones I've encountered), so I do use a light brushing of oil on the hot plates.
• when cooking more fatty meats, you will find that any contact grill is a little untidy and the counter will need extra cleanup.

Our Conclusion

Our Griddler is a good tool and we're happy with it. It does help when we need to get a meal together in a hurry, and it's easy to keep things low in fat.

Our experience with Cuisinart has also been good; both quality and service have been excellent over the years.

The Cuisinart Griddler GR 4 blog is the place to find more details, pictures, and info on the best source for the Griddler.

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