Breville BGR400XL Ikon 1800-Watt Removable-Plate Grill

UPDATED REVIEW Oct. 15, 2008:

Well, I posted a nice review on Dec. 27, 2007 after purchasing this grill. After use of 2 to 3 times per month for 9 months it's totally stone cold dead. Plugged it in the other night, no lights, no heat. I am very disappointed. I will be trying to receive a replacement because it's too late for money back. Just wanted to post an update on the product.

I would have rated with 0 stars but it would not let me change my previous star rating and would not let me post another review.

FIRST REVIEW Dec. 27, 2007:

Pros: Very easy to remove and clean the grill plates. When you replace the grill plates, they are secure. Cooks meat to perfection and makes a wonderful panini sandwich. Top locks in place, cord stores securely underneath for space saving upright storage. Clean stainless steel design.

Handle remains cool to touch.

Can be used under overhead kitchen cabinets. I have 18" from the top of my countertop to the bottom of the cabinet front and I have 1" remaining with the grill fully open.

Cons: Does not open all the way to lay flat for use as an open grill.

This is my lst review on anything so please bear with me. I did extensive research on Breville's grill and I decided on this one just for the fact of removable plates and it is a little smaller than the other one. SO, my husband bought this past Monday 31st for my birthday 3rd of Jan-Yeah!!! Anyway, we opened the box up and the temp. control knob fell off which he re-inserted just fine. Thinking everything was ok I preceded to cook some sausage. Had it on sear and the sausage would not brown, had the indentations but would not get "crispy". It was as if it was not "hot" enough. So I decided the cook an egg on the griddle and it ran all over the place. The whites of the egg would not cook. Yes the grill was not tilted. So last night I decided to try a boneless chicken breast on sear. Let it preheat for 15 or so minutes. Put the chicken on it and you could barely hear the "sizzle". It cooked it,had the indentations but would not get browned. It was not very "appetizing" to look at to say the least. I will save it to make chicken salad. I wrote Breville which they responded..very nice. I could either ship it back to them or take it the retailer. So I am going to take it back and hopefully they will have another one in stock. I am going to try it again, maybe that is the only one defected. I hope it is not that whole lot shipment. I wanted something better that will last longer than old GEORGE. That is really the only complaint:>(

Looks great,feels solid, easy to clean, like the plug, think the "ready" light could be bigger and/or brighter. Thanks.

UPDATE: I returned the product back to the store and they were very nice. I exchanged it for another one. I LOVE IT :>) Talk about getting hot...sears beautifully. The handle stays cool but the rest gets hot so be careful. The only complaint (small) is that I think the green "READY" light should be bigger/brighter. You have to get up close and personal but that maybe my 57 years old eyes. By the time you use your discount coupon, send in for a rebate it is so more expensive than good old George and it looks much nicer. So far I am pleased! :>)

Buy Breville BGR400XL Ikon 1800-Watt Removable-Plate Grill Now

I just bought this as my first indoor grill hoping to cook some tasty and healthy food quickly in my busy life.

My sister owns a George Foreman grill and mentioned that to me. She has a non-removable grill so cleaning was a bit tedious. So I wanted one with removable plates to wash them in sink.

From what I read on George Foreman's removable grills, they are not very well built and don't get very hot (see their reviews). Then I found about Cusinart GR-4, their highest end model. While it has many fancy features, I also heard they are cheaply built, the handles are easy to break. Anyway, the last one I found, this Brevile Ikon Grill seems to be perfect for me. The size is not too big, neither too small for one to two people.

I went into Bed Bath and Beyond compared all of them. This one is definitely the best built one. To be honest none of them are what I consider "well built". But this one is much more sturdy than others. I've grilled 1 inch thick steak no problem (I tried 2 inch thick steak and that's not going anywhere, but it's expected I'd say). It can get very hot. Takes about 4-5 min to warm up depending on your setting.

Oh, before I decide to purchase this grill, I called Brevile USA to check if they have replacement plates in case the non-sticking coating gets worn out (they don't list this on their web site). They told me they do sell it and it costs $35 (Cusinart replacement plate sells for $30). These plates should last for a while if you take care of them.

I actually like it requires you to pull the plug to turn it off. It's much safer this way and has not been an inconvenience.

Overall, I'd recommend this grill over others.

Read Best Reviews of Breville BGR400XL Ikon 1800-Watt Removable-Plate Grill Here

After having tried and returned a George Foreman grill with removable grill plates, I was leery about this grill. The George Foreman grill didn't get anywhere close to hot enough to sear meats. I read in the negative reviews (of the George Foreman grill) that this was in part due to the removable grill plates.

My concerns about removable grill plates all went away once I cooked on this grill. It is an awesome grill that sears very well. It actually got a little too hot, so I turned it down. Sorry George. This grill beats yours hands down!

My reason for the 4 stars instead of 5 is that I wish it were a little larger. Other than that, it's perfect!

***Update***

After having used this grill for about 2 months, I've had to return it twice for the same reason. The top grill plate falls off very easily when closing the grill. This is VERY dangerous, as you can imagine. I thought that I got unlucky with the first unit I received, until the second one started doing the same thing. I'm hoping that the third one works better. If not, I'll be returning it for a full refund.

The grill cooks great but because of this flaw, I wish I could change my rating to 1 or 2 stars.

**2nd Update**

BUYER BEWARE!!!! In the time I've owned this grill (about 2 years now), I've returned 4 of them! Yes 4!!! Only 1 has worked for longer than a few months. Notice the other reviews because it's true. This grill just suddenly stops working. Deserves no stars at all.

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I received this for Christmas and have already made several pressed sandwiches, such as a bacon, egg and cheese english muffin sandwich, grilled ham and cheese, and a grilled BLT. The sandwiches are great and I'm looking forward to learning how to do other things with it, such as grilling meat and making pizza. It's not too heavy and locks so that you can store it on its side. The feet tilt so that you can grill and the drippings will drain into a drip tray in the front of the unit. The cord rolls up on the bottom of the unit. It is sturdy and the plates are easy to remove and clean. the grill heats up quickly and the sandwiches come off the grill very hot. Overall a great addition to my kitchen.