CUISINART or BREVILLE SMART GRILL...What Food Do ... - Page 3

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

@His Grace wrote:
@suzyQ3 wrote:
@His Grace wrote:
@suzyQ3 wrote:
We just returned the George Foreman TSV, but we still wanted a countertop grill for sandwiches, etc.

It's not important enough to us, though, to spend huge bucks, so that ruled out the Breville Smart Grill. We went with the Cuisinart GR-N and and love it. It's much better designed than the GF and does an excellent job with easy clean-up.

We bought it for $57, free 2-day shipping, at Jet.com, but since my husband had a courtesy store credit of $100, we didn't pay a thing. :-) Still, I don't think you can get a better price on this grill anywhere.
SuzyQ3, what have you cooked/grilled?

Thanks
@His Grace, we've had it only for a few days. We have cooked panini sandwiches and also hamburgers. We were very impressed at how juicy the hamburgers were, considering that I buy 93% lean ground beef.

We will be using it to grill boneless chicken breast for sandwiches, salads, etc. We might try it for other uses as well, but our use will proably be fairly limited, which is why we did not want to spend big bucks on it.

For us, it will not replace stovetop or barbecue grill, in general. But it is very handy for quick meals, and we're very impressed with this appliance.

HTH.
SusyQ3, Have you noticed the grill plate cooling in temperature when you put the meat on it? If so, did it take long to get back to temp? This was a comment I'd read in a review. Thanks😍

@His Grace, when we did the hamburgers, I think the book said to use the "sear" temperature. In any case, no, we did not notice any unusual change of temperature at all.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

suzyQ3 · ‎03-09-2010

@His Grace, I forgot to mention another plus with our Cuisinart. There is nothing to store separately. Both included plates are reversible -- one side grill and the other side is griddle. When you open it to lay flat, you can use the grill plate on one side and the griddle plate on the other, if you want.

And the drip tray fits into the side of the Griddler. With the George Foreman TSV that we just returned, you had to store two of the four plates and the drip tray.

~Who in the world am I? Ah, that's the great puzzle~ Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

His Grace · ‎03-17-2010

@suzyQ3 wrote:
@His Grace wrote:
@suzyQ3 wrote:
@His Grace wrote:
@suzyQ3 wrote:
We just returned the George Foreman TSV, but we still wanted a countertop grill for sandwiches, etc.

It's not important enough to us, though, to spend huge bucks, so that ruled out the Breville Smart Grill. We went with the Cuisinart GR-N and and love it. It's much better designed than the GF and does an excellent job with easy clean-up.

We bought it for $57, free 2-day shipping, at Jet.com, but since my husband had a courtesy store credit of $100, we didn't pay a thing. :-) Still, I don't think you can get a better price on this grill anywhere.
SuzyQ3, what have you cooked/grilled?

Thanks
@His Grace, we've had it only for a few days. We have cooked panini sandwiches and also hamburgers. We were very impressed at how juicy the hamburgers were, considering that I buy 93% lean ground beef.

We will be using it to grill boneless chicken breast for sandwiches, salads, etc. We might try it for other uses as well, but our use will proably be fairly limited, which is why we did not want to spend big bucks on it.

For us, it will not replace stovetop or barbecue grill, in general. But it is very handy for quick meals, and we're very impressed with this appliance.

HTH.
SusyQ3, Have you noticed the grill plate cooling in temperature when you put the meat on it? If so, did it take long to get back to temp? This was a comment I'd read in a review. Thanks😍
@His Grace, when we did the hamburgers, I think the book said to use the "sear" temperature. In any case, no, we did not notice any unusual change of temperature at all.

Great! Cuisinart is looking good! Thanks.

His Grace · ‎03-17-2010

@suzyQ3 wrote:
@His Grace, I forgot to mention another plus with our Cuisinart. There is nothing to store separately. Both included plates are reversible -- one side grill and the other side is griddle. When you open it to lay flat, you can use the grill plate on one side and the griddle plate on the other, if you want.

And the drip tray fits into the side of the Griddler. With the George Foreman TSV that we just returned, you had to store two of the four plates and the drip tray.

That's awesome because we are talking about purchasing an RV and space is limited. I appreciate all of your input👏👏👏

Blessings!

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

suzyQ3 wrote:
@His Grace, I forgot to mention another plus with our Cuisinart. There is nothing to store separately. Both included plates are reversible -- one side grill and the other side is griddle. When you open it to lay flat, you can use the grill plate on one side and the griddle plate on the other, if you want.

And the drip tray fits into the side of the Griddler. With the George Foreman TSV that we just returned, you had to store two of the four plates and the drip tray.

That's pretty cool! For many years, I've used a Hamilton Beach brand contact grill and figure that if it ever dies I'll probably go with Cuisinart.

But I like that it has that reversible plate situation. Plus, I love that it has the drip tray fitting into the side, like my Hamilton Beach. I never liked the drip tray on the counter in front that the GF grills have. That's just an accident waiting to happen for a klutz like me!

Razzy 7 · ‎03-11-2010

While I don't have the Breville Smart Grill, based on the quality of the Breville products I do have, I'd definitely choose the Breville. I own the Breville Sous Chef food processor, waffle maker, Smart Oven and have an immersion blender on order. I think Breville makes excellent products. Check You Tube for some Breville videos.

His Grace · ‎03-17-2010

@Razzy 7 wrote:
While I don't have the Breville Smart Grill, based on the quality of the Breville products I do have, I'd definitely choose the Breville. I own the Breville Sous Chef food processor, waffle maker, Smart Oven and have an immersion blender on order. I think Breville makes excellent products. Check You Tube for some Breville videos.

Good idea. Thanks!

His Grace · ‎03-17-2010

@chickenbutt wrote:
@suzyQ3 wrote:
@His Grace, I forgot to mention another plus with our Cuisinart. There is nothing to store separately. Both included plates are reversible -- one side grill and the other side is griddle. When you open it to lay flat, you can use the grill plate on one side and the griddle plate on the other, if you want.

And the drip tray fits into the side of the Griddler. With the George Foreman TSV that we just returned, you had to store two of the four plates and the drip tray.

That's pretty cool! For many years, I've used a Hamilton Beach brand contact grill and figure that if it ever dies I'll probably go with Cuisinart.

But I like that it has that reversible plate situation. Plus, I love that it has the drip tray fitting into the side, like my Hamilton Beach. I never liked the drip tray on the counter in front that the GF grills have. That's just an accident waiting to happen for a klutz like me!

😍😍😍

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

I forgot to mention yesterday, now that I know we are talking about a contact grill - (I thought the items you mentioned were an open grill that goes on the stove or something). Not too bright lately!

As I mentioned before, I have a Hamilton Beach and have really liked it for many years. If I cannot get that same model again I would definitely choose one of the Cuisinart models.

A contact grill is something I don't use every single day but I use a lot. I use it enough that not only do I keep it on my counter, but I had a cover made for it. Yeah, I'm that weird. I like covers for stuff. I have always kept it sitting open until it cools completely. When it's cool and clean I put the cover on and it looks nice sitting there. That's another reason I might choose a HB one again - the cover would still fit.

Anyway, I use mine for hamburger patties or chicken patties. I've used it for steaks before. I've used it for so long and I can't even remember what else for which I've used the contact grill. It's a really nice thing to have handy, though!