Hamilton Beach 31602 Raclette 8-Person Party Grill

The HB 31602 is an excellent raclette grill at a price well below that of most other raclettes on the market now. This is my second grill; the first a Swiss-made machine died after about 10 years of use. I decided to try the HB because of its features and attractive price, as well as my previous favorable experience with Amazon in the event I wanted to return the item.

In short, the unit functions perfectly. Its variable temperature control (a must for raclette cooking) does its job well. Clean up a frequent gripe among raclette grill reviewers is a breeze....assuming that you only use the top grill to cook normal raclette-type foods such as small potatoes, sausages or Canadian bacon, not frying eggs, and that you treat the non-stick surface properly.

Although the listing copy doesn't make this clear, the unit comes with both the rectangular pans and the plastic scrapers. And the cord length (another often-heard complaint) is quite adequate.

The only potential shortcoming is the way the item is shipped -in its retail box only, the way you would pick it up at a store. That means the only thing between your grill and the rough world of a UPS trip is a few pieces of egg-carton packing and a flimsy, non-corrugated box....a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, my unit arrived OK though the box was pretty beat up. Amazon should require its third party 'partners' to use shipping cartons, like Amazon itself always does. (On the positive side, my one experience with Amazon re a shipping-damaged item was very satisfactory.)

We are very pleased with our HB Raclette Grill! We originally tried raclette cooking in France with friends and bought our own. We've used it for entertaining and daily dining, and everyone has a blast with it! All you have to do is prepare food items (potatoes, cheese, deli meats, veggies, eggs, etc) and each person cooks up their own combination. As the food cooks/heats you enjoy great conversation with up to eight friends, over the raclette and perhaps a glass of wine. Cleaning is simple given the removable parts and non-stick cooking surfaces.

The machine is quite handsome (more stylish than other comparables) with those crescent handles and nifty (baby) pans. The grill that rests on top is very useful and easily removable. The machine comes with the temperature dial on one side and the red indicator light, letting you know that the machine is plugged in (heating is fairly quick). The heat resistant plastic (baby) spatulas are surprisingly versatile. (Some other raclettes don't come with an indicator light or spatulas!)

If I had to note anything I didn't fully appreciate, it would be that the machine doesn't seem to have an off mode, other than pulling the plug. The only other thing to mention is concerning grill cooking. If the heat is up high and you leave fatty foods or oil on top, splatter can occur firing unfriendly projectiles/globules and making clean up a bit more work. This is true of any indoor grill though. Just be careful.

All in all, we love the raclette and use it happily and quite often! It is highly recommended.

Buy Hamilton Beach 31602 Raclette 8-Person Party Grill Now

I bought this Raclette grill to add to an existing collection. I was a bit hesitant because I typically do not purchase Hamilton Beach products. I have to say, I like this machine better than my other more expensive European models. It certainly is great value for money and easy to use. I highly recommend it!

Read Best Reviews of Hamilton Beach 31602 Raclette 8-Person Party Grill Here

The grill works great. Used it for a few parties and we enjoyed it. The small trays and scrappers wash in the dishwasher without issue. The only thing I don't like is one has to pull the plug to turn it off.

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I love the adjustable heat control, and this is great for fun, social meals. However, my only complaint is that every time I wash it, it seems to lose more of the non-stick coating. I don't scrape it excessively or put it in the dishwasher, I just wash it by hand with a sponge. I'm disappointed that most of the coating is gone after having the grill for about a year...

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