Cuisinart Panini Press, Stainless Steel Griddler, Sandwich Maker & More, 5-IN-1, GR-4NP1

10 reviews for Cuisinart Panini Press, Stainless Steel Griddler, Sandwich Maker & More, 5-IN-1, GR-4NP1

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Shuaib Ali – 16 October 2024

   
   The Cuisinart Griddler has quickly become one of my favorite kitchen appliances. This versatile device does it all—grilling, pressing, and even making waffles with ease. We bought the waffle insert, and it’s such a great feature! The ability to easily remove and insert the plates makes switching between cooking methods incredibly convenient.The adjustable temperature controls allow me to cook a variety of foods to perfection, whether I’m searing a steak, making a panini, or making delicious waffles. The non-stick plates make cleanup a breeze, and I love that their dishwasher safe for added convenience.I was also impressed by the compact design; it doesn’t take up much counter space but still delivers big results. Overall, the Cuisinart Griddler is a fantastic investment for anyone who loves cooking and wants a reliable, multi-functional appliance. Highly recommended!

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   CUSTOMER CONSUMER – 3 January 2022

   
   We love this grill. We had a George Forman grill. We gave it away. We love this grill because it has plates that have two sides. It has 2 temperature controls, so you can control the heat for each plate. Do NOT put the plates in the dishwasher as the cleaning material eats at the coating on the plates. We easily clean the grill with two connecting sheets of paper towels in a layer of 4 of these together which we make wet and wring out the extra water. After we are done cooking and while the plates are still fairly hot, we clean the plates with these, which does an excellent job. This makes cleaning a breeze. You can use both flat plates or both grill plates at the same time or use one of each at the same time. The grill has never smoked for us. When you make hotdogs, you can smell the grill smell of grilled hot dogs. You can make all kinds of things, such as grilled cheese, eggs, pancakes, grilled sandwiches, burgers and all kinds of paninis. You can make many things as we also ordered the cookbook with it at the same time. The grill is made so you can adjust the height for the thickness of the food you are cooking. It is amazing what this can do! We highly recommend it. You have to use it fairly close to an outlet just like anything else because the laws demand how long the cord can be. The grill is worth every single penny. Always of course use utensils that will not scratch the plates. It says you can put the plates of the grill in the dishwasher but understand that dishwasher detergents pods or powders etc. will damage the plates. You can wash them by hand. We always just use the wet paper towels, and the plates are the same as brand new. Since it has dual temperature controls, you can put each plate on the same temperature or on different temperatures. You will not be disappointed with this awesome grill. We love it. We checked a ton of reviews of different grills sold and chose this one even though it cost a little bit more than some, but we chose it because we feel you get what you pay for. This grill is definitely worth the money. Don’t waste your money on cheaper grills that don’t have the dual controls, dual sided plates and all the things you can do with this grill and the fact it does NOT smoke! Also, it is so easy to clean. The food tastes like grilled food. We love it and highly recommend it to everyone. If people say the coating comes off the plates, then they put it in the dishwasher. It states you can do this, but understand if you do, the chemicals in the dishwasher cleaning ingredients eat at the coating and therefore it will definitely take pieces of the coating off which defeats the purpose of having a coating to keep food from sticking. Personally, they should say they are NOT dishwasher proof. The plates are so easy to clean, it is not an issue whatsoever. I clean the outside of the grill with a product called “Krud Kutter” which takes all the grease and brown discolor from the outside of the grill off of it and makes it look like brand new. I use the Krud Kutter and paper towel to clean the outside which is such an easy way to clean the outside. Using 4 layers of two paper towels connected with water on them and squeezed out to get most of the water out and roll them up into a nice roll, I use them to clean the inside of the grill while it is still hot. It makes it easy to fit in between the grill side and also keeps me from burning my hands and fingers. It makes it so easy to clean. I do NOT put the griddle pieces in the dishwasher as the detergent whether it is powder, liquid, or packets will slowly eat away at the coating on the plates. It is so easy to clean the grill the way I do. I love it as it is so easy to clean it this way. We love also that this grill does not smoke whatsoever. The hotdogs we grill tastes like grilled hot dogs and the kitchen even smells like grilled hot dogs. We love this grill for all kinds of things such as for eggs, bacon, pancakes, grilled cheese, grilled ham and cheese, hamburgers, hotdogs, salmon patties, fish patties, and we also purchased the cookbook for it which has so many amazing recipes for it! The possibilities are endless! We love it and highly recommend this grill. I also love that you can regulate the temperature on each grill separately. This would make an awesome gift as well. We use it all the time, so it stays out as we use it at least 5 times or more a week. It does not heat up our kitchen either which is a big plus! You won’t be disappointed!

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   ocean dreams – 8 April 2020

   
   Admittedly, after reading many of the reviews, i was quite hesitant. However, I used Amazon rewards earned from doing surveys, so I didn’t feel like paying only $7 our-of-pocket for a $45.95 item would seem so bad if this thing failed. At the last minute, based on comments about the warranty, I did look at the ICHICH brand offered, but had never heard of, despite what sounded like a far better warranty. Anyway, I have had it a couple of weeks, and it has actually helped me to sort of like the kitchen and cooking. (Most of my friends/family know I HATE the kitchen and cooking.) I did tell a friend, who is a professional cook, and he agreed good name brand. He also agreed, despite non-stick cooking surface, to use cooking spray, which I have done–except for grilled cheese, bagels, or other sandwiches, bagels, etc to griddle for which I butter the bread that goes on the cooking plate vs cooking spray. As well, it had helped to have previewed the video and learn some of the item’s “quirks” to be aware of upon arrival. E.G. Green light shows up to temperature, but temp will drop when food placed, but does come back up to temp., sometimes more quickly than other times, seeming to depend on how thick the food is and if in closed cooking position. (My electric range for baking does about the same thing for a few seconds when I open the door and place food to bake.) The very first thing I cooked were hamburgers. I set to the ‘well done’ as per instructions for temp which is what my hubby likes. I figured I would just take mine off a little early as I like medium to medium-rare, but I got distracted. They came out perfect for his well done! I did goof with my first experience with chicken breasts which made me pay more attention to the settings! LOL! I thought I had turned the dial to high, but the chicken was taking forever; then I realized, I had not pointed the lighted end of the dial to the high temp. DUH! Even with the error, I cooked huge chicken breasts on the grill in about 15 minutes! Juicy and very good! First thin salmon filet cooked in about 10 min; next time thicker filets took about 15 min! Turkey bacon on the griddle– watch closely. Hubby likes his really crispy. I should have taken mine off when it looked like still droopy, but the crispy was okay. Further, we always cook the entire package and freeze the leftovers to micro later for other meals/sandwiches, etc. Definitely would want to take off earlier than crispy for those not being eaten immediately! Grilled cheese and grilled ham with cheese have been PERFECT based on settings and time–on the griddle-opened. Tuna melts in hamburger rolls with cheese slice on panini using the grill plates, as I wanted the little toasted marks gave another PERFECT result. For once in my life, something actually came out looking like a photo in a magazine! Marinated pork chops were to “die” for as per grill and time given in instructions, with cover closed! In the summer, my hubby travels a lot, and I tend to not cook for just myself, mostly because the cast-iron skillet (which I LOVE), is too heavy for me to carry across our huge kitchen to get to the sink and difficult for me to scrup with serious RA. I will definitely love having this little griddler. Am using 2 to 4 times a week with cooking spray except for grilled sandwiches, such as grilled cheese for which I butter its bread. (Have not tried eggs yet, mostly because hubby cooks when we have eggs, and he won’t use the griddler–doesn’t like to try new gadgets! LOL) His loss. . . . BTW: Heat distribution: I used in open position for the bacon on both panels and found both sides to cook at the same timing. Would need to try something else to verify heat distribution, so my 5-star heat distribution may be biased. Temp control: knowing it loses heat when food placed and then comes back up to temp to green, does not deter my rating in this arena. I LOVE THIS GRIDDLER!ADDENDUM: I still love this gadget. I attempted to answer a question from someone who had asked if BBQ sauce could be used. As I was answering, I got a red flag, saying the link had expired–DRAT! Anyway, here is my response to if one can use BBQ sauce with this appliance: Yes! I’ve had excellent results using the grill plates and using teriyaki sauce or BBQ sauce. What I have done, just trying it all out is as follows: 1. The first time I just brushed teriyaki sauce onto my burger on its top, slid spatula under, and when I got to the grill, I flipped the sauced side down. This leaves the top of the burger available to brush sauce on it. (The beauty of this grill: put the cover down and you don’t have to keep flipping the burgers which can cause them to dry out. Not having to flip, has given really juicy, flavorful burgers. 2. The 2nd time, I had bought a London broil and marinated it in a bowl in the refrigerator for a day and overnight. (during the day, I flipped in the bowl periodically, to make sure teriyaki was getting into both sides of the steak). I got my “pinky perfect–i.e. medium rare on grill/sear for 4 to 5 minutes. 3. BARBECUE SAUCE–with steak. I put some sauce in the bottom of a bowl, placed steak in the bowl; then coated the top. I let it sit overnight in a covered bowl. Again, used grill/sear for 4-5 minutes and got pinky perfect–i.e. medium rare. NOTE: Before I bought this grill, a friend of mine who is a professional chef agreed with me to USE COOKING SPRAY ON THE GRILL/GRIDDLE even though non-stick surface. The only time I have not used cooking spray was when I made grilled cheese, for which I melt and brush melted butter on the sandwiches before grilling. I brush melted butter on the top of the sandwich, pick up with spatula and flip to put the buttered side down on the grill first, which puts the unbuttered side up. Brush melted butter on the top, close the cover and VOILA! As much as I despise the kitchen and cooking, this little gadget has been my GODSEND! I have RA and as much as I love a cast-iron skillet, when my husband is gone, I struggle getting the skillet to the sink to wash and hard for me to scrub. Now, I don’t hesitate to cook a hot meal for myself when he is gone. EASY PEEZY clean up with no scrubbing, just a dish rag, and everything cooks perfectly. BTW: I LOVE my salmon on this grill. As with the steak, I have marinated in teriyaki sauce overnight; and I have also marinated in maple syrup—Spraying cooking oil has been another ‘key” to the easy cleanup after the sticky sauces! YUMMY! YUMMY! Hope this helps, and I hope you enjoy your Cuisinart grill/griddler as much as I do! Blessings! JJ

4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   gbk4321 – 10 July 2024

   
   I mainly purchased this Cuisinart GR-150P1 Deluxe Electric Griddler for searing steaks that have been sous vide cooked. This Griddler does a very good job of searing steaks. I have also used it to make Paninis, grill cheese sandwiches and other sandwiches. This Griddler has a lot of cooking area. With the removable cooking plates, cleanup is a very easy. I need to use this Griddler more.The only issue that I have is that the cooking plates do not always lock in place, so I make a point of looking to see if the plates are secure within the retaining clips. You press a button to release the plates for cleaning and sometimes the plates do not snap in place at the clips when the plates reinstalled. You may have to press the release button and install the plates to make sure the plates are securely in place.Here is the review ranking basis that I have adopted:⭐️1 star – I don’t recommend it at all, poor quality.⭐️⭐️ 2 stars – I don’t recommend it, it has multiple faults.⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3 stars – It’s passable, It has some faults but the quality is ok for what it is.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 4 stars – Product quite acceptable, it does what it promises.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars – Product that I totally recommend.

5. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Terri Salas – 25 August 2024

   
   I ordered this to replace a Calaphalon version of the griddler that broke. While I was shopping around, I found a set of rhe waffle plates secondhand for 5 dollars, and that sealed the deal. I’ve used it several times since it arrived and I like the weight and feel of the machine but was a little disappointed that the plates don’t feel as heavy duty as the ones on the Calaphalon. The waffles were a little uneven as the upper surface does not heat as much as the bottom. Still, it was passable and grills up tuna patties, shrimp and sliced veggies nicely. The plates are easy to remove and clean and the unit has lights to tell when it reaches temp.

6. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Michelle Kirk – 27 October 2024

   
   I just set the dials and plug it in. It heats up fast. I just leave the dials where I want them and the next time I just plug it in.Very easy. Great even grill. Perfect so far for steaks and chicken. Low smoke too. The grease drops into the grooves. Extremely easy clean up. In winter I’ll just keep it under cover and go on grilling. I really love this grill. VERY happy with it.

7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   ❤️AlleyCat❤️ – 29 December 2015

   
   I purchased this Cuisinart Griddler because my husband and I just weren’t happy with our George Foreman Grill

   George Foreman GRP1060B 4 Serving Removable Plate Grill, Black

   . It didn’t have temperature adjustment, the drip tray would melt every time hot grease would drip in it (or after being put in the top rack of dishwasher), and it just wasn’t big enough really. When I came across this one on Amazon with such stellar reviews, I thought this would be the one for us. So I ordered it along with the waffle attachment

   Cuisinart GR-WAFP Griddler Waffle Plates

   .I have used it at least ten times since I received it. So far I have cooked eggs, bacon, pork chops, toast, a Philly steak sandwich, and waffles (with the waffle plates I purchased separately). Everything has turned out great except the first time I cooked eggs on it because I didn’t use cooking spray on it beforehand. So keep in mind that you will need to lightly spray the plates with cooking spray or use butter before placing your items on it that may stick.I love that I have the option of using either the griddle or the grill plates. When you use the Griddle setting you get to select a temperature between 200 up to 425 degrees. If you use the Grill/Panini setting you select your temperature as either warm, low, medium, high, and sear. There are also marks in between those settings so you are able to get a setting of medium-high for example.The plates (including the waffle plates) are dishwasher safe but after owning the George Foreman for years I am choosing to hand wash my plates on this Cuisinart. When I would put the George Foreman plates in the dishwasher it would never seem to get them very clean. I guess it is just too difficult to cut through all that grease and stuck on food that was burned on. It is super easy to clean the plates on this Cuisinart though. The non-stick plates make it where I can just wipe the mess right up with little to no effort. Very nice.I like that the drip tray on this grill is attached underneath the unit. That was a big frustration for me with the other grill. To constantly have to place it under the grill in just the right spot, then find something to do with it until it cooled down. I have furbabies so I didn’t want to leave it out because they look at it as “oh look, a meal!” Since this drip tray is attached I can pull it out and clean it when I please and then place it right back into the slot. Easy peasy.I love that I can fold this unit flat and make bacon, eggs, and toast all at the same time. It is wonderful. It is so nice not to have to dirty up a bunch of pots and pans and tun on my range all the time.Overall I really am proud of this Griddler. It has been a welcome replacement to our old grill and is definitely one of my best Amazon purchases.If you find my review useful please let me know and if you have any questions or comments, feel free to post them below and I will answer them as quickly as possible. Thank you for checking out my review. 🙂

   
8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Lottie Broussard – 6 October 2024

   
   We love this grill. I have had it for a few months now and I use it 3-4 times a week. Follow the temperature guidelines for what you want to cook and it’s perfect. Chicken is juicy and steaks just right. It’s super easy to clean. Food particles come off without problems. Definitely a buy to try.

9. 

   Rated 3 out of 5

   zookeeperX – 27 December 2017

   
   What to expect from a knowledgeable cook and simple apt-dwelling single woman……… but where is Hazel?!?!!!! You’re gonna need HER!But please read, there are immense PRO’s to this item, but it was the major CON that turned me off sadly :((( First off: XLNT Sear & Taste!!!! But: *Cooks Faster than most are accustomed to, *Be prepared for immense grease cleanup, HAZEL would even complain! *Plus a few other things that need be mentioned…..The Pertinents to my needs:My oven died, it’s Christmas week, no “woe is me” preferred — so I (was forced) to do my research and picked this above all other products out there (also necessary was the NEC xmas eve-day delivery).Steak was marinating and a-waitin for xmas day dinner (just me…. invitations rescinded obviously)…. A few issues to deal w/amazon with, and a free amazon return to come hopefully. Those issues: 1) poss not all heating elements working (did a test run on scallions) and 2) cosmetic blemishes/almost scratches underneath the big friggin sticker on top. I know how to use these puppies indoors, but I’ve a few gripes beyond the above-mentioned 2 items…. see below.The Outcome:The steak truly&exceptionally seared like nothing I have ever encountered indoors…twas wonderful!I also placed this directly on top of my gas stove with a tempered glass cutting board and foil oven liner on top of it.I did have to put the meat directly on the center of it due to abv poss issue (and not towards the outsides; this also limited my additional items cooking on the grill-base).I seared twice (at beginning of grilling, and midway thru), added more scallions to the grill trying to keep them more centered —- and I was impressed! Not to mention ….ALL was extremely tasty!I also did not scrape off my bbq sauce/etc marinade before cooking (instructions say to do so)….. that’s how creative chefs are made! Besides, I like my meats the way I like them …..and it still did fine!However —-if not for the following issues, I would have requested a replacement because all was soooo utterly fab tasting:1) My Filet Mignon (more reg-steak-sized than fist-sized) approx 1.5″ tall looked more like a McD’s ‘patty’ after searing top&bottom at the same time. BBQ-sauce glazing worked out fine, as did the final clean up of the unit.2) This thing is lovely looking, but it’s footprint is quite B-I-G. An apt-sized kitchen prob won’t have anywhere to store it (save your box+pkg), and the dust where I live will be too much to just leave it out on the kitchen counter. I prefer a nice clean kitchen counter without many appliances left out. However, I was willing to accept this left out, but the greasy mess caused by cooking (mentioned above) IS more than I am willing to tackle after every meal/every useage.3) Also, get used to cooking TWICE as FAST as you are normally used to. While a benefit for electric useage and time waiting to eat…… you’d best have everything ready to ‘sit down and eat’ before you even start cooking. I’d be willing to go there except for all the issues above. All in all, cooking @ twice(x2) the normal amt of time IS something to get used to for most of us probably.4) I did do as another reviewer mentioned, something I’ve normally done for these 4-sided open cooking units normally…. I placed alum foil all around the sides and front (for the knobs) in order to catch any small excess grease that may have popped out. Sadly, I wish I had also included the rear in order to protect my stove (which it sat on). All was for expected grease clean-up…. and yes, I am thankful that I did. Yes, perhaps my left-on bbq sauce made the entire moment messier — but I like my meat flavorful and I am not into tossing on some room-temp bbq sauce after the meat has cooked. Beyond that, I was truly disappointed that my $26 filet shrunk so much (they don’t when I normally broil or bbq them) into some tiny patty-like thing. But was happy enough to eat it as my xmas meal cuz it was so darn’ed good….much better than sitting in the cold outside and attempting to do a bbq moment.5) This is what made me decide against a replacement:Even though a very big footprint, and while it yields quite the tasty food (willing to accept still) —- it was because of the grease splatter that found it’s way UP to the microwave. My micro is at least 3 feet above the stove, and yet it had grease-splatter all over the front of it. This leads me to wonder just how much grease is splattered everywhere else on the side counter-tops and the floor. Yes, it is an open-sided (all 4 sides) unit —but I never ever imagined that by just lifting the top up possibly 4-8 times that I would end up with the mess that I had!So yes —– it was a long morning of cleaning up that mess, at least the grease that I could see.All in all, I’d recommend this in a minute to anyone who has a maid (and poss no conscience)… or who doesn’t mind spending quite a bit of time in clean-up mode the morning after. The unit is amazing for what’s out there, seared extremely well (I did 2 sears (at beginning and midway)), and flavored my meal with a grill/blackened taste that just rocked my world! That searing did, yes it did – set my meat with nice hard, flavorful black sear marks that I could taste! It was all wonderful…. until the cleanup the morning after :(If you do buy and use, I recommend the following:1) Use the grill scraper while it’s still warm to clean off the burnt stuff…. makes tomorrow’s cleaning much easier. Don’t remove anything, just make sure that you use the scraper (w-all of the plates in place) to get that stuff off (let the top stuff fall onto the bottom plate) before it hardens. Washing the 2 plates this morning was a breeze by doing that last night after eating.2) In the morning, get out your paper towels and 405! Be ready to inspect all counters, under cabinets, floor, etc and clean up properly so as to avoid gooey greasy build-ups and poss bugs. Not to mention, that you’ll appreciate your lil bbq clean thru the years to come.Wish I could’ve kept this (sans the replacement I would need) cuz it truly does a most wonderful job of searing/grilling indoors (other than turning your boneless piece of meat into a small patty). But that final clean-up this morning has led me down the path of 2 alternative options of indoor, cold weather grilling. Both much cheaper than this, but I am one who has decided that if I’m doing this kind of cooking on the countertop (I normally do my bbq’ing in the broiler when it’s cold outside) —- then I need a unit that has a closed top to it. This panini-style with 4 sides open allowing grease to splatter everywhere just ain’t gonna make me happy ever! Additionally, a unit with a close’d top will offer me a more familiar grilling time when it comes to cooking, readiness, etc. They may not offer any top-searing abilities, but at least the grill portion is fully encapsulated with a cover of some type.The two that I am now looking at have both been decently rated in 2017 indoor grilling reviews. Anything to keep me from feeling like my own maid, esp if I want to use something during these colder months should my oven ever die again.Hopefully even Hazel might approve of one of them…..In finalizing, while I REALLY want to love this item —if it weren’t for this morning’s cleanup— I just can’t. For me at least, I just can’t do the cleanup that will be required after using. I will be more than happy if I can find something a bit less messy in the long run as long as it fulfills my needs of grilling indoors tastily. But for those of you who might have your own Hazel —go for it! It’s exceptionally fab in regards to searing, cooking, and taste. Given only 3 stars due to the cleanup…. wanted to give 4 for fairness, but just can’t.In today’s world, that kind of final exterior greasy outcome is completely unacceptable because we are all waaay too busy!!If just a tiny small panini-style unit used basically for sandwiches & left on the counter-top that req’s negligent cleanup, that’s one thing —- but this thing truly is a beast… at both a) larger than you will probably expect, and b) grease output & cleanup :(Really, I wanted to absolutely love it…. it was so ‘sweet’ (although a tad bit large). But that cleanup this morning, esp upon looking up and finding grease spatter 3 FEET UP on my microwave door….. I just can’t love it any longer, but boyhowdee –I sure did want to…

10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    dakwriter – 3 February 2024

    
    I have made crumpets, English muffins and other stovetop breads in skillets and manual griddles of various types and after watching another person make a batch of crumpets on a similar electric griddle I decided to order this Cuisinart Electric Griddler Five to see if it would be easier as well as have multiple use features such as an open or closed grill, and panini or sandwich press that can be tilted to apply very even pressure. The unit is compact and attractive enough to earn a permanent place on my kitchen countertop and is simple to move to wherever I want to use it. In the fully open flat position I can easily pour and bake a variety of pan breads. Although the griddle plates are not perfectly level so as to facilitate drainage of oils produced by non bakery products, on my countertop I was able to level out the plates by setting the unit’s four legs on a thin bread board and then resting the wide cool handle of the opened top on a potholder. When using next to my smoothtop electric stove, I place the legs on the adjacent countertop and lay the handle on top on the cold stovetop, which is 1/4” lower than the counter. Either method achieves a fairly level result for both halves of the open unit. Just be sure the unit is cold and not plugged in when trying to find the best way to level your appliance. By getting both halves of the unit fairly level, good quality silicone egg rings as well as metal crumpet rings remain flat enough not to leak their contents and the nonstick surface of the griddle is very easy to clean. I prefer to wash all of my nonstick bakeware by hand but the removeable cooking plates for this Cuisinart Griddler can also be popped into a dishwasher.This Griddler is easy to set up and use. Instructions are simple. No matter the heat setting, the unit maintains the chosen temperature well enough to do the job. Grilling burgers and pressing patty melts took some time but worked well and didn’t create a mess. After the grill plates cooled down I wiped off most of the leftover grease and charred bits with a paper towel before removing the plates to soak in soapy water. There was no need to use the hard edged grill cleaning tool that came with the Griddler. After soaking, a soapy sponge took care of the softened residue and a simple rinse made the grill plates look new again. I did wipe the grease from the slide out plastic drip tray and popped that into the top rack of my dishwasher which worked perfectly to restore it to grease free cleanliness without any warping.My Cuisinart Griddler Five arrived extremely well packaged to protect it from the inevitable tossing about during the shipping and delivery process. I am glad to report that Cuisinart no longer applies sticky labels to any part of this beautiful appliance. The outer stainless steel surface wipes clean with a damp cloth, leaving it free of fingerprints. After unpacking my new appliance I simply washed and dried the grill plates, tested the heating coils to make sure they worked and then started pouring my first batch of crumpets within an hour. I use 4” (extra large) stainless steel rings to make my crumpets because they are a perfect size to also make English muffins and double as hamburger bun rings in my regular oven, too. As shown in my attached review photos, eight of these big rings fit comfortably on the two griddle plates when the appliance is in the fully open flat position. Using this Griddler has been much easier than cooking with any of my skillets on the stove. I have yet so see any damage to the nonstick surface of the griddle plates that are advertised as being non-toxic. And unlike many skillets, the plates do not warp when they are heated.I like the simple to use controls for heating this appliance and have not found any problems with them. The digital display and the timer work well, too. While it would be nice to be able to control each side of the griddle separately, I know the unit would have cost much more to manufacture to supply such a feature. Before choosing this particular model I found that high quality appliances with single side capability cost at least twice as much.I chose the Cuisinart brand because I have generally gotten very good service from other types of Cuisinart appliances over the last four decades. While a couple of other brands of small appliances have been just as reliable for me, Cuisinart seemed a safe bet regardless of where its products might have been manufactured. The Cuisinart design team is still one of the best.Even using it several times a week I hope to get years of good service from my Cuisinart Electric Griddler Five. If a problem does come up I will update this review to reflect that. For now, I can only recommend this high quality appliance as a great value that is serving my needs very well. Thank you, Cuisinart, for a job well done! 🙂