I saw this product on QVC and was intrigued by the possibilties. The model on QVC turned out to be only 1500 watts with less cooking real estate for the same $99.00 I paid on Amazon.The package was delivered quicker than I had anticipated so no complaints from me. The box was intact and didn't look like it had been abused during shipping.
The Griddler was easy to assemble and as advertised most of the parts are dishwasher safe. After running the parts through the dishwasher, we used it for the first time this evening.
In the lower area, I placed 6 skewers of beef shish-ka-bobs and on the upper grill, grilled a steak. The shish-ka-bobs were cooked to perfection in about 20 minutes. The veggies were cooked but still had a little "crunch" while the meat was very tender and cooked to medium.
The grill imparts some attractive "grill" marks on the steak, and the steak was cooked evenly. Even though the steak had been rubbed down with some olive oil and other seasonings, there wasn't any smoke. The cooking task was completed in about 10 minutes for medium. Unfortunately meat grilled on an indoor electric grill doesn't taste the same as meat grilled on an outdoor gas grill. That's probably because the dripping meat juices can't be vaporized on an indoor grill like they are on an outdoor gas grill. Those vapors help flavor the meat further. I expected as much so I didn't take off any stars.
Give the Griddler ample time to cool down before attempting to clean. It is very easy to clean. As stated before most of the parts are dishwasher safe. The grill plate was particularly easy to rinse and wipe off before putting it into the dishwasher. Crusted cooking residue didn't stick and could be removed with your fingers under a litte running water.
Something everyone should be aware of is the Griddler puts out a lot of heat. It will get hot. Very hot. Families with kids need to understand that when the lower cooking area is being used, the upper cooking grill/griddle is just as hot. Keep young kids away and be careful that nothing gets placed on the upper cooking area (except food to be cooked) while the unit is in use. I used the Griddler on the stove where the kids know to stay away.
Overall this is an easy product to recommend. While I prefer the taste of meat grilled from a gas grill, the Griddler will work fine when outside temperatures and inclement weather dictate using the indoor grill. Finally this unit is not small and will take up some room if you're going to store it. But the Griddler is attractive enough to leave out and its functional enough that it should be used often.
UPDATE: We used the Griddler rather extensively over the weekend. Hotdogs were cooked on the lower level while the buns were toasted on the upper cooking area. The dogs were cooked perfect. Later we sauteed a large amount of onions and mushrooms on the griddle. Again the results were perfect, and we could lower the heat to keep the onions and shroons warm while other items were prepared. Cleanup was very easy and quick.
Clean up using all the parts takes just minutes, no scrubbing, and the booklet that comes with it explains the workings perfectly along with many menus.
I would recommend this to everyone who wants easy cooking with great flavors!
Buy Cuisinart GC-17N Griddler Grill Centro 1700-Watt 2-Tier Grill/Griddle with Rotating Skewers Now
Leave it to Cuisinart to come up with a fantastic, very versatile multi function appliance. As usual, and as with all Cuisinart products. This unit is very well built, easy to use, and clean up's a breeze.The unit has a heavy duty calrod coil (heating element) that insures even heat distribution for both the upper griddle/grill, and lower cooking area. The griddle plate itself is a good size, and comprised of a very good thickness/weight. Therefore NO griddle cool spots. Considering all the options this unit has to offer, and the amount of food that can be prepared at one time. Due to its sleek contemporary design, it truly does not take up a lot of counter space. If you enjoy cooking & entertaining. This is a must have appliance for your kitchen.Just an fyi for those who have purchased this grill so they will keep an eye on it while using. I read all the good reviews on this product so I felt reasonably sure this would be a good safe product for me to use at our lake house for hotdogs for the grand kids. I used it the summer of 2011 approximately 10 times with no problems. Then this week, May 14, 2012 we went to the lake house for a few days. The second time we used the grill it caught on fire. The flames only went about 6 inches high so I was able to turn the unit off and the flames subsided. After cooling, I lifted the grill plate and saw that the heating element had split and separated into 2 pieces.I read reviews on this griddler and thought it would solve some issues I have in my kitchen... like not having enough room for all the small appliances I want to have. So far I have really been disappointed with this Cuisinart product! It's slow and seems underpowered even though it is 1700 watts. The best thing I've managed to make on it so far is pancakes and they can be made almost anywhere. I tried link sausages on the rollers and they barely got done in about 20 minutes. Yesterday I tried the skewers for some peppers, onions, and potatoes (already boiled the potatoes somewhat) and they took way too long. Meat on the skewers barely got past the raw state. I did not have it overcrowded because you can only put half the skewers on at a time because there isn't enough room. It looks nice and does clean up easily but in my opinion it is too slow and even though it popped a breaker on a heavy duty surge suppressor power supply I'd plugged it in to, seems way too underpowered. A skillet or two and my stove top can do a better job.
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