I'd been looking at panini grills for years, but had never found the perfect model. Many of the grills I looked at in stores seemed very cheap and poorly built. One clear exception was the Cuisinart grill, which was very well constructed, but it was very expensive and also very large. When I saw this new Cuisinart Junior, I decided to take the plunge. It has become the hit of our kitchen. Making fancy grilled sandwiches has become a highlight of our weekends. My teenage kids love the sandwiches off the grill, and they don't seem to notice that they're eating healthier than before. The quality of panini sandwiches off this little grill is far superior to the paninis we get at our local restaurants.
Here are the features that make this grill a winner for me:
- The grill plates really are nonstick. I've never had to do more than wipe them clean, even when drippings seem to have burned on. The plates remove super easily, and also snap back in very easily.
- The grill pre-heats very quickly. I turn it on before I start making the sandwich, and it's always hot enough by the time the sandwich is assembled.
- The grill always creates the perfectly grilled panini. When I used to make grilled sandwiches in a frying pan, getting them perfectly grilled without burning was hit or miss. With this grill, I just set the dial a bit shy of medium and every sandwich comes out perfectly grilled.
- The hinged lid let's us make fairly huge sandwiches (a few inches thick). This might not sound like a big deal, but it's key to having fun with the grill, since it let's you make creative sandwiches that you could never cook all the way through or flip in a frying pan.
- The small size is perfect. It cooks one very large or two smaller panini, and it doesn't take up a ton of counter space. It's small enough that I can leave it out all the time, which makes it a lot more convenient to use.
One thing to be careful of: The lid does get hot. Make sure you only use the handle for opening and closing. I wouldn't let younger kids work the grill by themselves.
I have not tried cooking meat with the grill. We use it strictly as a panini grill.
I don't generally get excited about kitchen appliances, but this little grill is downright fun. Any gadget that can get my teenagers psyched about going to the grocery store to find wacky things they can turn into grilled sandwiches is a hit in my book. (BTW, our favorite sandwiches so far are: tomato and fresh mozzarela with basil pesto; chicken, apple, and raspberry with provolone; and pear with brie. My apologies if I'm not spelling some of these foods right.)
Great purchase. Getting used more heavily than our stove. I'm hooked.
Before deciding to buy the Griddler Jr. I called Cuisinart (and got someone on the line within a few minutes) to ask about the wattage rating of this product, which I could not find listed on Cuisinart's site or in the manual for this product (which is available in PDF format at their site). It's 1200 watts. The GR-4, which I guess is Griddler "Senior," is rated at 1500 watts. The tiny Hamilton Beach indoor grill (with NON-removable grills) that I used before getting the Griddler Jr. is rated at 750 watts.
According to an article titled "Grill Power" in the February, 2006 issue of Prevention Magazine, Steven Raichlen, host of Barbecue University on PBS, says, "The lower the wattage [of indoor electric grills], the less likely your meat will taste like it came from an outdoor barbecue. It'll taste like it was steamed, instead." The author of the article, Amanda Pressner, suggests choosing an indoor electric grill "at least 1000 to 1500 watts. Smaller appliances usually use around 750 watts; that won't get hot enough to really brown your food or apply grill marks."
So far I have cooked chicken, salmon, lean ground beef burgers, petite sirloin steaks, vegetables, panini, chicken quesadillas, beef quesadillas, plain old grilled cheese sandwiches, and Oscar Mayer Turkey Smoked Sausage on my Griddler Jr. Boneless chicken breasts come out juicy - really juicy - with serious grill marks and tasting great. Panini - wow; comes out great. Quesadillas come out great, with grill marks, and they go straight to the table nice and hot.
Before learning about the importance of wattage, my main reason for wanting to upgrade from the Hamilton Beach to the Cuisinart Griddler Jr. was because the Griddler Jr. has removable grills to facilitate easy cleaning. But the Griddler Jr. has so much more going for it... With it's stainless finish (all of the exterior but the handle and base are stainless steel), it's a handsome kitchen appliance. If your kitchen has room for it, you'll want to leave it out where it can be seen. It's "floating lid" allows you to get a thick piece of poultry or meat inside it or a thick sandwich or panini, and the top and bottom grills will make even contact with whatever is being cooked. And although this is the "Jr." sized model, it is a good size. The surfaces of the grills measure (by my own measurements) 7 1/8 X 11 1/8. The entire unit, when you include the handle, etc., fits in a footprint that is approximately 13 X 12.
The Griddler Jr. has a red "on" light to the left of the heat control knob, and a green light to the right that comes on when the grills have reached the setting you've turned the knob to. At the highest setting, the grills get very hot. I find that I can cook a panini so that it is hot on the outside with melted cheese and warm to hot insides in about 6 minutes after the green light comes on, with the dial set to the medium temperature setting. Cooking a boneless chicken breast at that setting takes about 10-12 minutes (I use a fork-type battery operated thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken).
It is so easy to clean. When done cooking with it, turn the knob to the off position, unplug the unit, and leave it open to cool while you eat. After 30 minutes the unit is completely cool and the grills can be easily removed for washing, and if all you've cooked is panini and there's not a big mess on the grills, they can probably be wiped clean without removing them.
Before getting the Griddler Jr., I ordered a full size Griddler model GR-4 from Amazon's Warehouse Deals, where it was sold at a reduced price and listed as an open box unit. When I received it the handle was broken, and so I returned it. Getting to see it made me realize that it was larger than what I needed, and I didn't really need the two-sided grills that the GR-4 comes with. I mention this because it is obvious that both the full size Griddler and the Griddler Jr. are manufactured up to the same high standards. The Griddler Jr. is just that, a junior or smaller and less functional version of its parent (less functional in that it doesn't have reversible grills), as opposed to a lower quality version. The same high quality is there.
I love it. I'm so glad I got it. I'd recommend it without hesitation to anyone who is in the market for an indoor grill. - Grill - Cuisinart - Panini Grill - Panini Press'
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