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 would try a grilled sandwich with cheese and chicken and some salsa.
I think I would try to make a panini sandwich in the new grill.
I’d grill portabello mushrooms with melted cheese on top. Mmm, can taste them now.
Would love to make paninis with this!
I’d make a grilled cheese sandwich, with mac and cheese in it, some more cheese, ham, bacon, and after it’s been grilled, open it up and put some homemade bbq sauce on it
some grilled veggies!
Breakfast panini
I’d make some grilled pineapples sprinkled with cinnamon.
I would use it for my double ham and grilled cheese french toast breakfast sandwich.
I would enjoy making Saskatoon berry pancakes in honour of Canada Day.
Stuffed french toast!
Classic grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches
I would love to be able to do burgers when it’s too cold for the BBQ.
I would love to try French Toast on the griddles
I would try pancakes and sausages
With my new grill , I would try to make french toast
I would use a Cuisinart Griddler to make my Spicy Grilled Chicken Quesadillas!!
If I win I’ll cook Cajun pork chops!
I would make French Toast using Brioche bread and bacon on the other side of grill.
I wouldn’t need to go to Timmies anymore! I could make homemade Grilled Cheese sandwiches at home, and use smoked Gouda cheese
I would make scrambled eggs and pancakes
I would make French Toast on the griddles. Amazing product
Grilled cheese, bacon, egg.
I love trying new recipes and look for new ones every day so if I win this lovely prize, I will make a unique recipe that I find that day that I have never made before.
I would try grilling green and red peppers with white onions to see how it worked..
I’d grill portobello mushrooms.
Id be making pancakes!
If I won the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe, something fun and interesting I will cook is grilled tofu and vegetables.
Something fun and interesting I will cook with the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe if I win would be homemade beef/onion burgers.
Grilled cheese sandwiches!
Classic grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches. Cheers!
Turkey burgers on one side and onions and peppers on the other side, plus heating the buns.
Would take it outside sometimes as it can get too hot to cook inside.
Thick-cut grilled Bologna!Great review 🙂
I think I would try to make a panini sandwich in the new grill.
I would serve up grilled fajitas for dinner! All three fixings and shells done on the grill, camping all the while!
Ohhh my wife loves grilled cheese – maybe with jarlsberg and bacon
I’d try grilling a desert.
I think I would try to make a grilled cheese & ham sandwich in the new grill.
I would grill asparagus basted with a little olive oil, salt and pepper with the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe. Sprinkle it with parmesan when it is hot off the grill.
Looks like you could make a lot of stuff. Would love to be able to do burgers when it’s too cold to grill outside
Would definitely like to try making paninis with the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe!
Would like to try making bacon and eggs on this griddle
Fruit skewers would be delicious on this!! Dont knock me til u try them’!
French Toast and ham
hash browns, eggs, bacon, ham
grilled peanut butter & potato chip sandwiches
green onion cakes
onions, peppers, and sauerkraut for hot dogs and brats
I`m a huge fan of the bacon, eggs and pancakes as breakfast staples but sometimes you just want some French toast – in the evening – for dinner or as a midnight snack. Love the interchangeable grill plates. Brilliant.
I think I would try to make a grilled cheese & ham sandwich in the new grill.
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