If you have a griddle you love and you wonder why you’d ever trade it in, you have to take a look at the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe. This griddle doesn’t just make pancakes; it makes pancakes and bacon at the same time, sears steak, fries up a great burger, and makes the perfect panini. I tested out the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe for two weeks, using it almost every day, and there’s nothing this griddle can’t handle. It also has a few convenient features that make it a go-to small appliance you will use every day.
Appearance and features of Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe
The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe is a foldable grill. It has a 240-inch non-stick cooking surface and it weighs 7.48 kg.
- Gives you six ways to cook including contact grill, full griddle, full grill, half grill/half griddle, Panini press, and top melt
- Dual-zone temperature control so you can set the temperature for each side of the grill
- SearBlast button will sear your steak or crisp your bacon
- Family-sized grill makes pancakes and bacon or bacon and eggs at the same time
- Panini-press can be set by height so you can press down on your sandwich or just melt the top
- Grease trap catches all grease and is easy to clean
- Removable and reversible grill/griddle plates are dishwasher safe
Testing Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe
I’ve had the same griddle for at least 10 years, but I never thought much about upgrading it until I tried the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe. I had no idea a griddle could have so many different functions, and I made use of them every day I was testing it.
Reversible grill plates
If you have a standard griddle the way I do, with a long flat surface, you wipe it clean before you put it away. If it becomes really dirty you will have to scrub at it to get it clean, and over the years it’s become more difficult to get it really clean as food accumulates in the gaps between the grill and the casing.
With the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe, the grill plates are removable. You just press on the sides to pop them off. Even better? They are dishwasher safe so you don’t have to scrub at them.
Removing the plates means you can switch up how you cook. Instead of cooking bacon and eggs or pancakes on your griddle and having the bacon grease drip into your eggs, everything can be kept separate. You can have pancakes on one side, bacon and eggs on the other.
Different temperatures for both sides of the grill
You can adjust the heat on both sides of the grill, and this is a fantastic option if you’re cooking a family-sized brunch. Normally we cook pancakes on our griddle and bacon in a pan or in the oven. I could easily fit six medium-pancakes on one side of the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe and 5 pieces of bacon on the other, and having them all cook together at the same time on the same grill meant that a full breakfast was served all at once instead of in stages. I love the adjustable temperature for both sides, because I tend to cook bacon at a higher heat than pancakes.
We cooked bacon at 375 to 400 and it came out perfect. We did try the sear function on the bacon because my son loves crispy bacon. He liked how it turned out, but you really have to watch over it while searing. SearBlast will turn up the temp to 500 for about 2 minutes, so if you’re not hovering you’ll end up with really crispy bacon.
I also loved how the surface of the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe was very flat and level when it was extended into a full griddle. That meant the eggs I cooked didn’t leave a long trail of egg white the way my grill does when I cracked them right on the surface.
The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe is not just for breakfast
If you only used the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe for breakfast, you’d be missing out on some amazing lunches and dinners. It can sear steak to perfection, leaving those great grill lines on the meat, and it works just as well with chicken breast. I experimented with the flat grill surface and the griddle, turning SearBlast off and on depending on how far into the cooking process I was. I found I liked how the griddle would cook chicken, but the steak was pretty great on the flat surface too.
I think comes down to a matter of preference, but after using the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe I feel like I’m a flat surface girl for burgers and a griddle for steak and chicken.
A better grease trap for easy cleanup
The grease trap on the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe sits between the grills. While my own griddle has a grease trap, it’s attached to the appliance and sits at the front end. That makes clean up more difficult because you have to wipe an attached basket out. With the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe, the grease trap fills up and you just slide it out and wipe it down. It’s a small convenience, but I love it.
Panini anyone?
The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe makes Paninis so well my entire family is asking me to upgrade to this grill. I could make four small Panini or two large and one small Panini at the same time, so there was no waiting for grilled cheese. We got creative with our sandwiches too, so it was a fun family dinner.
You can adjust the top grill so it closes right down on your sandwich or micro-adjust it so you only get a light press. We propped it at up at the top spot for a top-melt sandwich and it was so good, with the bottom bread lightly toasted and top cheese melted.
Once you start making Panini with the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe, you won’t want to stop. There are so many combinations, and because the grill is so large you can make a weeknight dinner in no time at all.
The sky’s the limit with the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe
After so long with my long, flat griddle, the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe has made me realize it’s way past time for an upgrade. I love the dual temperature options, the removable and reversible grill plates, and the adjustable Panini press options. I can’t believe I can say I love a grease trap, but it’s so nice to be able to pull off the trap and clean the grease out.
This griddle folds up for easy storage, heats up in a hurry, and is so versatile. My husband loved making weekend pancakes, eggs, and bacon on it, and the entire family has really enjoyed the Panini press.
If you’re looking for a grill/griddle upgrade, I can’t recommend the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe enough. This great double-duty small appliance is available right now on Best Buy
I’ll make blueberry pancakes!
There are few things in life more satisfying than biting into a homemade and greasy bacon-filled grilled cheese sandwich except maybe two more of said sandwich. I mean, can you imagine it? Dipping one of those bad-boys into a bowl of creamy tomato soup and enjoying that with a side of pickles? And then more sandwiches? GRIDDLE IT BABY!
I would grille my homemade burgers.
I don’t have outdoor space for a BBQ so I would grille my famous homemade burgers. They’re to die for on a pretzel bun!
This is fabulous and would come in so handy, I think I would make pancake breakfast with it first, with eggs and bacon oh my I can taste it now. Would LOVE to win, thank you for the chance
Thanks for the review. I love how each side has it’s own temperature control…that is such a smart idea. I would make some juicy burgers stuffed with cheese. Sauteed onions and peppers to add on top. All on a toasted bun.
This looks perfect for a spicy salami and swiss panini
I’ll start with doing some cheeseburgers
Spicy mac and cheese Panini
Bacon , eggs , hashbrowns and fried mushrooms …. with a touch of sunshine on the porch !
Thank you for the very thorough review Shelly. You’ve made me very hungry!
I would do an amazing vegetarian panini on whole grain artisan bread with goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, diced red onions and an olive tapenade.
I would cook yummy pork chops!
grilled vegetables on one side and steak on the other
I would love to try this griddle with a salmon fillet or burgers.
How about a lovely lamb chop? Then pop the removable grill in the dish washer. Would love to make gooey grilled brie with apple sandwich too.
We love ours but ours is missing the drip tray. We love making bacon and then bacon grilled cheese sandwiches.
mmm!! Breakfast sausages!!
I feel the Griddler would make the most amazing cheese melt sandwiches with bacon!
steak scallops shrimp
Blueberry pancakes
Oh what my gosh if I won this I would make the most delicious panini with salami, prosciutto, monterey jack, mozzarella and cheddar cheese drizzled in a yummy balsamic dressing
The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe would be awesome for making blueberry pancakes for my kids!
Oh maybe panini? Smile please and thanks
steak & shrimp
Spanish omelet GLA
Reading your review has got me thinking about bacon, chicken and paninis sooooo I would cook up some chicken breast and bacon and then make a bacon, ranch, chicken panini with cheese, tomatoes and spinach .mmm soo good . This would deft be 100 percent better than my ancient grill – thank you for the chance PS Id make extra bacon so I could make eggs in hole and cute lil pancakes with choc chips for breakfast the next day.
If I win, I would defintively invite my family over and we would make a raclette with cheese, bread, vegetables, meat and wine.
Make some grilled garlic shrimp.
I would make cheeseburgers 🙂
I would grill up some Shrimp & Veggie Kabobs. MMMMMM
I’d like to cook japanese grilled chicken with the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe if I win.
This machine sounds amazing. Last time I went to Subway I ordered a panini. Person did not tell me press was not working and made a ‘panini’ by putting ingredients on bread and then ask8ng me if I wanted it toasted!
Yes…a panini would be the first thing I make
I would love to make some fresh omelets on this!
If I win the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe, I’m making the good old staple bacon and eggs.
seasoned fries with pork chops and apples
apple pancakes
bacon and eggs with hashbrowns
three cheese grilled sandwiches
I like how the grill plates are removable and swappable.
I’d make bacon and eggs
Shelly, those paninis look amazing! I would love to try making some italian style paninis with tomato, fresh mozarrella cheese, chicken cutlet and fresh basil.. yum!
A hot breakfast would be great so bacon and eggs for me.
ok… this seems incredible for ooey-gooey cheesy sandwiches so how can I not do a deluxe grilled cheese with some applewood smoked bacon?
I love pancakes so that would be the first breakfast food I would make.
Bacon, bacon and more bacon! And eggs!!
Homemade Hashbrowns
This device would make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich.
How about cool textured pancakes!
I would make three-cheese omelets with this Griddler!
If I win the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe the 2nd thing I’m trying is both potato pancakes & french toast. See my other entry for my first meal. 🙂
Comments are closed.