This article focuses on the different types of an ideal sandwich grill, Panini press, and another such kind of machinery Cuisinart offers.
A quick search on the internet and you will find that Cuisinart has been rated as the second most favourable brand when it comes to a good sandwich grill.
Sandwich Grill: What Cuisinart offers
1. Sandwich Grill
2. Griddler® Grill and Panini Press
3. Griddler®
4. Griddler® Deluxe
5. Griddler® Elite
Cuisinart’s motto is “Savor the Good Life”. What Cuisinart is vested in is making kitchen appliances that are easily manageable and affordable.
In 1973, the co-founder of Cuisinart introduced the food processor.
It was a great kitchen appliance addition, which can now be found in every household.
In fact, it has become somewhat of an important appliance for people who are not good at chopping.
The sandwich grills offered at Cuisinart are a mixture of the grill, griddle, and Panini press.
Each sandwich grill is made for the countertop and is a convenient appliance that can be used anywhere.
The fact that it’s a countertop appliance does not mean that you can use it just for the plain old sandwich.
You can easily cook gourmet meals in your kitchen.
Unlike a full grill that requires much space and is hard to maintain, a countertop sandwich grill allows you to cook steaks and sear vegetables on high heat without much trouble.
With Cuisinart, you can make breakfast, lunch, and dinner in 15 minutes.
The sandwich grills are fast, can cook anything, and have an easy grease management system.
Compact in size, the sandwich grills, do not have any unique features but some of them do have features that will give you a nice surprise.
Let’s start from the traditional sandwich grill and move on to the ones that are a little more complex with extra features:
Cuisinart Dual-Sandwich Nonstick Electric Grill
The first in line is the classic “Sandwich Grill”. It’s exactly what its name says – A sandwich maker that allows you to make perfectly golden and piping hot sandwiches. Following are its features:
- It weighs 3.5 lbs, which means it’s pretty easy to lift and you can clean it properly by flipping it sideways
- Red and green indicator lights
- Deep pockets with sharp edges that allows you to make high sandwiches without fearing the stuffing might slide out (The edges seal the sandwiches from all corners and keeps it from sticking to the cooking plate)
- Lockdown lid allows you to grill evenly on both sides
- Two grill pockets
- BPA Free
- Non-stick baking plates
- 3-year warranty
Cuisinart GR-11 Griddler 3-in-1 Grill and Panini Press
The Griddler also gives you the opportunity to experiment with sweets and savories.
The contact grill is best for cooking food when you are in a hurry or have a party at your house.
It also has a pretty easy grease management system, so you don’t have to worry about the cleaning. Following are its features:
- Self-adjusting stainless steel cover with a solid construction
- It weighs 5.5 lbs
- The cast-metal handle helps adjust the thickness of the bread
- Removable griddle plates
- Red and green indicator lights
- Drip tray (small opening at the end that allows the grease to flow into the tray. The tray is dishwasher safe and can be cleaned easily)
- Plate release buttons (With a single push of the button, you can remove both the plates from the surfaces and clean it in the dishwasher)
- Adjustable front feet (You can tilt the grill to get the grease flowing so that it drips into the grease tray rather than forming a crust with the food residue on the sides)
- 3-year warranty
- BPA Free
Cuisinart GR-4N 5-in-1 Griddler, Silver/Black Dials
The 5-in-1 sandwich grill is much more than what you might see it at first look.
This Griddler is a flipbook that allows you to try on as many settings to cook multiple things at the same time such as an egg on the griddle and a steak on the grill.
It’s a wide-open grill, a non-stick contact grill, the extra large griddle, the multi-use half griddle and half grill and the perfect Panini press. Following are its features:
- It weighs 14.8 lbs
- Cooking surface of 100 square inches when lid is closed and 200 square inches when lid is flat on its back
- Porcelain enameled cast iron griddle and grill
- Drip tray (small opening at the end that allows the grease to flow into the tray. The tray is dishwasher safe and can be cleaned easily)
- Removable and reversible cooking plates (dishwasher safe)
- Self-adjusting stainless steel cover with a solid construction
- Adjustable temperature control knobs
- Selector knob for griddle and grill function
- Panini style cast metal handle
- Red and green indicator lights
- BPA Free
Comes with a scrapping tool that can be used to clean the griddle.
Cuisinart GR-150P1 GR-150 Griddler Deluxe, Brushed Stainless
From eggs to burgers and corn cobs, you can cook everything.
Each grill is one step further than the other and the Deluxe offers the sear blast option that locks in the flavor and the juices for a more flavorful steak. Following are its features:
- Removable and reversible cooking plates (dishwasher safe)
- It weighs 13.3 lbs
- Dual-zone knobs for temperature control
- Independent temperature controls up to 450°F
- Sears meat at 500°F on both sides for a total of two minutes
- Drip tray (small opening at the end that allows the grease to flow into the tray. The tray is dishwasher safe and can be cleaned easily)
- Adjustable top (There are six presets which you can change to accommodate different sizes of food)
- 240 square inches of grilling surface
- 1800 watts of power
- Red and green indicator lights
- BPA Free
- Brushed stainless steel housing
Cuisinart Griddler Silver – Elite
The Elite is the last of Cuisinart’s Panini press. It is much more advanced than the other grills.
The best part about it is that it offers an electronic LCD display that allows you to keep track of the grill’s temperature.
Just like the Deluxe, it also has six cooking plate settings, which include the contact grill, Panini press, full grill, grill and griddle, full griddle, and top melt. Following are its features:
- 240 square inches of grilling surface
- It weighs 16.8 lbs
- 1800 watts of power
- Red and green indicator lights
- BPA Free
- Brushed stainless steel housing
- Removable and reversible cooking plates (dishwasher safe)
- Dual-zone knobs for temperature control
- Sears meat at 500°F on both sides for a total of two minutes
- 60-minute countdown timer
- Drip tray (small opening at the end that allows the grease to flow into the tray. The tray is dishwasher safe and can be cleaned easily)
- Electronic LCD display for temperature
- Adjustable top (There are six presets which you can change to accommodate different sizes of food)
- Comes with a scrapping tool that can be used to clean the griddle
Important Safeguards for Use of a Cuisinart Sandwich Grill
Following are some safety precautions when using anyone of the above sandwich grills:
- Do not use any abrasive cleaning tools to scrape food residue from the plates. The plates have a special coating on them that can get scratched with sharp objects
- Do not try to take out the plates on any grill that does not have removable cooking plates
- For grills with removable plates, you can put them in the dishwasher
- Read the instruction manual thoroughly to see which accessories can be added to the grill (Extra accessories in the grill can cause a spark or result in fire)
- Avoid using it outdoors
- Make sure that the power cord is wrapped and kept in a corner
- Do not place it near heated surfaces
General Instructions for Use
All Cuisinart sandwich grills and Panini press come with protective paper to keep the cooking plates safe from any scratches and dust.
Remove this protective paper and wipe off any residue with a damp cloth.
Since most of the grills are coated with a chemical to keep the plates protected, you need to season them before using it.
Most people don’t season their sandwich grills and that’s alright when they have normal cooking plates.
In Cuisinart’s case, all the sandwich grills require seasoning because the plates are made with a non-stick material that needs to be kept smooth and oily so that the food does not stick to it.
The first time the grill is turned on, leave it on high heat for 10 minutes to burn off any residue from the chemical. Then clean it with a warm cloth and proceed to seasoning.
Following is a Step By Step Process How to Season Your Cuisinart Sandwich Grill
A seasoned cooking plate is non-stick, shiny, and smooth.
These are the materials that you will need for the seasoning process:
- Sponge
- A clean and dry cloth
- Paper towels
- Shortening or vegetable oil
- Oil brush
Instructions
- Once you have burned off the chemical from the plates, wipe them with paper towels
- Wipe the non-removable plates with a warm cloth and place the removable ones in the dishwasher
- Clean the cooking plate with a dry piece of cloth
- Use an oil brush to evenly spread the vegetable oil or the shortening across the surface
- Turn the Cuisinart Panini press on and let the oil bake for half an hour
Note: Apply seasoning every time you are done grilling.
The more accurately you do the seasoning, the longer the cooking plates will last.
Avoid using metal utensils as they can damage the surface of the cooking plate.
Makes sure that the plastic spatula is heatproof or you can always use a wooden spatula.
One of the best things about Cuisinart Panini press and sandwich grills is that they all have red and green indicator lights.
As soon as the food is done, the green light comes on. You don’t have to worry about overcooking or burning your food.
The above-mentioned sandwich grills and Panini presses are some of the best Cuisinart grills in terms of power, cooking surface, and weight.
All of them are lightweight and you can easily shift them anywhere from your kitchen countertop to your dining table or on the patio for an impromptu lunch.
