Cooking Breakfast on the Cuisinart Griddler GR-4N - Test & Review
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- čas přidán 13. 05. 2015
- Join Amy as she tests the Cuisinart Griddler GR-4N by cooking a full breakfast of bacon, eggs, and waffles. Using the waffle plates, Amy cooks up some delicious waffles and tops it with butter and maple syrup. She also makes some yummy bacon and eggs over medium. While the Griddler has lots of benefits, there is one issue that came up during the cook that concerns me. Watch and see how my test turns out! Enjoy! Please share!
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I own this appliance since early 2013, and I can tell you for sure that YOU CAN GET CRISPY WAFFLES, and crispy panini, for example. For waffles and grilled sandwich/panini you choose GRILL/PANINI setting on the middle knob, and on the very right (your RIGHT) knob you set to SEAR - these to knobs work together. If you leave it on vertical setting (=would be MEDIUM), your stuff stays slobby/soggy. I learned all of that by using the little gem frequently, adjusting, playing around. Nevertheless, it's all in the manual which buttons to use. The only time I did not get crispy waffles or crispy grilled sandwich was when I forgot to turn the right knob to SEAR. It has low-medium-high-SEAR settings... I used it today again for making yummy panini sandwiches (made with the GRILL side of the panels), the paninis came out perfectly grispy, with nice grillmarks, as always.
can you help me with pan cakes . they are never golden until batter dries. I tried to heat in closed up to full griddle heat then open it but it didn't work . can you tell me how to make pan cakes on it please ?
This is the only honest review of the Cuisinart Griddler that I've seen. She didn't cook asparagus and she pointed out deficiencies in the unit, real or perceived. She actually used the temperature knob and told us what temperature that she was using. The other reviews spent more time talking about the food they were cooking. Kinda like going to buy a car and the salesman spends all his time telling you every place the car will go and nothing about the car itself.
Rick, I tested the temperature before, during and while it was cooking and at no time did it reach my set temperature. The lights are a joke. I was only making pancakes, it couldn't even do that! Had to finish with a regular pan. My Cuisinart arrived Sunday, tried it Monday, it's going back today (Tuesday)!
@@Tsch6373 With mine the light will only stay on for a couple minutes then it'll start cooling down for no reason and the light will shut off. I do agree that it never gets up to the temperature it's supposed to.
I've had this product for at least 6 years and probably longer. I've never used it for much more than a panini press, which I love to use it for. After watching this video today, I went and grabbed a lb of thick bacon and cooked 14 slices, nice and crispy. It did a fine job. I only have a meat thermometer, so I laid the probe across the surface and it certainly did read less than the 400 I set it at. It was reading probably 100 degrees off, but it did a fine job. I cooked 3 eggs over easy, it did a fine job there too. I didn't time it and maybe it took a little longer, I can't say. I'm not sure that's, that important to me. The food is good and the clean-up is easy and it sits nicely in a cabinet, out of the way when I don't need it. Y'all can dump yours, I'm keepin' mine.
Thanks for telling it like it is, you're doing better than most
Thanks Corey!
We are testing out the Cuisinart Griddler by cooking breakfast. We made waffles using the waffle plates, eggs, and bacon. Watch my test and see how it performed!
why are you wearing gloves??
+Yuri Barros I was handling raw meat.
Okay. Sorry for that repetitive question
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Many, many thanks for this review. I've been considering purchasing this unit and you've helped me better understand what I'm looking for. Thanks again!
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For what it is its pretty good. If you have a stove or something like that, those would be preferable over these griddlers. If you don't have any means of cooking this is a good choice for you. It doesn't cook as hot as a stove would but it can get you close. If you aren't a picky eater but want to cook in your college dorm or Army barracks, I would recommend this.
Oh what stove do you have that quickly cooks the chicken Breast or steak on the top and the bottom at the same time?
So happy I found this page
Great video. I just bought this set and watched your video before using. Made waffles which turned out great and some eggs. The eggs did take a little longer to cook so I think what you experienced is common. However I agree the convenience of the removable plates and having one device make me inclined to keep it. Have you been using yours regularly?
I had this exact same machine here in the UK and I had the precise same issues with the lack of heat. I had it on full power and it took me forever to cook a simple fried breakfast. The lack of power made it really faint hearted. It was good for toasted sandwiches but that was about it. I found it not very good for draining fat away either because the plates were flat as opposed to angled, so the meat was just sitting in the pools of fat and not draining away. So I fully concur with what you have said.
Quite a good unit. Doesn't feel cheap, but the price is. It is nice to use a gives fine results.
Hi!!! Im happy I found your channel. I just ordered this machine yesterday. Cant wait to try it. I also ordered the waffle plates. I will watch your videos!!! Di Di from OHIO!!!
DIAN -ca how did it turned out are u happy with the purchase especially waffle plates :)
Thanks Amy for this review. Not as excited to purchase this unit now. I also have a Presto grill.....so I'll stick with that for breakfast. Always appreciate your videos!
Theresa Schnable I have mixed feelings about this little grill. It definitely does not get to the temp that it is set to. I set if for 400 degrees and it barely got over 300 - 325. This means when you put something on it that is cold, it takes a little bit to come back up to temp. Other than that...it does have a lot of features that I like.
I recently ordered one from Amazon I loved it----I been wanting one. I fried me an egg on it but it turned out good. However I ordered the waffle plates,I made a blueberry waffle it turned out good. I highly recommend it. I got a good deal on it,the price was $56 and it was $79 at Walmart. Amazon has great prices.
How is it holding up now?
I have this same model and mine seems to get hotter using the Grill/Panini selection rather than the Griddle option.
Yes please, an over easy egg video! The fluffy scrambled vid was great! Iagree with Amy, I prefer removable plates. I think I'll get it, hold on to my cuisinart and do exactly what you said, use it a lot in the first 30 days. Much appreciated Eric!! Tell Amy I ordered the Breville all in one immersion blender set. Can't wait to try the potato masher attachment. Thanks you guys.
+Felicia Harris You will like the Breville All-in-One. It has the same blades as most of the big food processors. I love how it stores all together.
I was just looking to buy this, thanks for the review.
Techie Grandma I really wish that it heated better because I really like the fact that you can remove the plates. I am not sure if the problem is with my unit or the Griddler as a whole. There are a few reviews on Amazon that have had the same issue. Thanks for watching!!
@@AmyLearnsToCook It's only 700 watts. I just got one and i am sending it back to get the 1500 watt Deluxe version. Hopefully it is better.
This is upsetting... It seems you have to spend the money to get the good stuff. I may be returning mine...
@@texassportsoutdoors
What was the price difference on the deluxe version? This version in the vid is currently going for $80-90.
How did it work out for you? The design is awesome. I picked one up at Walmart tonight and an associate said it worked great but it wouldn't crisp a panini properly but ended up just making the bread soggy. I didn't get it for making paninis but I was skeptical after hearing that. I was looking for specs but didnt come across any. 1500 watts sounds like it would be able to achieve heat levels equivilent to a gas/charcoal grill.
I've had two of those and they have both done the same. Not enough heat!
I have a Bella 8 in 1 that also has a similar temperature issue to your Cuisinart Griddle. I have a suspicion as to why this occurs.
I occasionally disassemble my Bella Griddle to clean it out since it has a low portion within the bottom half where grease tends to collect over time. (I might add a drain plug)
What I found is that the heating elements are wired in a series rather than parallel.
This means that power goes to the bottom half first, and then the top half gets its power from the bottom half rather than having power equally distributed to both halfs via dedicated wires.
As the first griddle gets hotter and uses more power, it increases electrical resistance, slowing down the flow of electricity and creating a voltage drop to the second griddle. The problem worsens with higher temperatures.
I am not responsible for what you do with this information (please don't burn down anything attempting diy modifications to electrical appliances), but thats why, for my griddle at least, it cooks slower on one side.
Pretty sure that parallel wiring would increase electrical draw on the power cord. Your 1200w griddle is now 2400w. Also, rather than having your watts spread across both griddles, it may double, ie setting temperature knob to 250F might give you 500F which might be too hot for the unit design specifications, so words of caution on that.
The easy fix would be to replace the temperature control knob with one that has twice the resistance to compensate. There's ways to do that with resistors on the existing knob or with a pulse width modulation circuit, but that's a whole other can of worms that requires electrical math formulas that if you are unable to perform, you probably shouldn't be doing these modifications should you choose to do them.
Series wiring for stuff like this is almost always done for cost reduction, because while parallel might be better, it adds complexity and additional parts.
I guess what I am saying is that you will likely run into this problem with any similar product on the market.
Do you have to wait for the waffle plates to cool down to remove?
I'm not sure how the dials work on my grill.
Can you explain how the 3 dials work?
Why helpful
I ended up getting just the griddler
It’s a bigger one
Than this I think
Ima use it tomorrow
So,we shall see
Mine has the same issue with not enough heat. Also the bacon grease didn't drain.
Got mine at Goodwill for $6 -- no kidding.
Looked like brand new without a box or manual.
Never had a problem with getting the heat I needed.
Does great with burgers, but just as well with grilled cheese sandwiches, chops, steaks, chicken breasts, fish, paninis -- along with eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and pancakes, (using the griddle surfaces, of course).
For cleaning the plates, just soaking works great and they rinse clean as new.
did you try ot with pan cakes ?
Use pan on the stove probably be faster and less clean up.
Great video
shickable Thanks for watching!
Can you make flat cakes with this
Great review video, I would not like it not getting hot enough either, are you going to try to return it?
Overall it is 'cute' so Amy kept it. As long as you don't load it with a lot of things, it cooks 'ok'. I'm guessing anything with removable plates just adds a degree of difficulty for the manufacturer to design it to work right. But then, if they weren't removable, then Amy wouldn't have bought it. I'm glad you liked the video and thanks for commenting!
Amy &Eric, I have the cuisinart griddler deluxe with the sear blast function. I've never checked the heat output, but will now. I've been thinking of upgrading to the Breville Smart Grill. Have you used it? would you consider reviewing it? I could never cook bacon satisfactorily until I started cooking it in the microwave, so now it's the only way I ever do it. My wife Faye loves eggs over easy, but for some reason I cannot cook them! I always over cook or spill the yolk when attempting to flip them. I wish you'd do tutorial on that.
Breakfast is my all time favorite meal, I'd eat it for every meal: waffles, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs with white sharp cheddar, and of course crispy bacon, Heaven, lol. thanks for another great video.
+Felicia Harris I agree with breakfast. That's Amy's favorite food group too! We don't have the Breville Smart Grill. I'm trying this from memory, so bear with me. The one with removable plates has some mixed reviews on Amazon, thus scares me. The one with fixed plates has better reviews, but might be harder to clean depending on what you just cooked. Amy loves the removable plates for dishwashing purposes, thus fixed plates are a no-go with her. Breville generally has good products, but some of their electronic products have mixed reviews due to issues with sensors not working. I say keep the receipt and definitely use it A LOT in the 30 days so you know if it will last. As for bacon, have you tried it in the oven? Use a rack to catch the grease and cook it until the crispy level you like. If the microwave does the same thing, but quicker, then no biggie.
Egg video for over easy eggs? Sounds like a good idea.
@@EricLearnstoCook don't trust Amazon reviews. Check out Fakespot. It's an app that you share suspect items to and they give you reliable feedback on the reviews you see there. Amazon likes to remove bad reviews... Watch out...
I bought a griddler a while back and I love it. especially for panini sandwiches
Big Reggie Do you have any issues with it heating? This one would not heat up enough and took forever to recover after you put a cold food item on it. I see the reviews on Amazon are really good but a few have had this issue.
No but I have not cooked open like you did, I will try and get back to you. Maybe in a vid.
Me too it's amazing!😊I won't to do a commercial,starring me and my grill😎
Hi, Amy. Thanks for the review! I loved it! I do want to mention that when you were cooking your breakfast, you may not have had your settings right. The grill side works different from the grill/panini side and each have different settings. Great job!
Douglas Elliott Thanks! I'm glad you liked the video. Yeah, we used it a bit, but noticed that anything cold does present a challenge for it to recover. Amy likes it because it is 'cute' and can cook stuff on it. So we didn't return it. So we will hope it lasts a while. I made a tasty panini on it that I'll be uploading. We saw the two sets of knobs. One is temp in degrees and the other is like high and sear. Obviously, the sear isn't 500 degrees or anything with non-stick, but it works OK. I wouldn't use it for thick cuts of meat. We have more breakfasts to test/eat. Once again, thanks for watching and leaving a comment.
+Eric Learns to Cook sixpornuh
Amy have you tried and reviews the Cuisinart Griddler Elite? Am just considering buying one and this review left me not trusting the regular smaller griddle? Loved your review...
but also want the waffle plates and it doesnt look like the Elite offers those?
I haven't tried the Elite model. I noticed that it does not have the waffle plates..It was one reason that I chose this one. Do you have a Griddler?
Hi Amy - yes, just purchased one and did order the waffle plates from amazon... cant wait to use it :)
Please let me know how it works for you and if you have any problem with the heating. Mine doesn't heat as high as the knob says it is...but I still like the Griddler. I made some panini and waffles with it...Eric used it the other day to make his Dead Virginian burger. I love that you can remove the plates for cleaning.
I just got one mine didn't have the waffle plates thanks😘
olive oil on waffles?
+Queston Cano Yes. I don't like to use refined oils so I use olive oil because it is cold pressed. You can use whatever oil you would like.
Do you have other reviews
Thank you. I just purchased one of these from Goodwill, so of course no instructions.
I am glad it helped! Thanks for watching!
@@AmyLearnsToCook Manuals online at Cusinart.com
Girl, you got me hungry now ,lol!
11:33 😂😂 Off to watch part 2 of the test. :)
Yeah, Amy had a little "learning curve" about how much batter to put in there. ha ha ha.
Mine did just fine. I think it's your griddler. I can cook chicken and it's super crispy and fast, and anything else I put in there.
+M I've read a few reviews on Amazon where people have the same trouble that I do with the Griddler. I like it because of the removable plates. I wonder if some of them just have issues. I should have exchanged it.
Probably. That can be one of the reasons. But so far is a nice small kitchen appliance.
Mine made perfect pancakes and bacon at 350. I didn't measure the temp but 400 was too hot and burned the pancakes before the inside cooked. It preheated in like 3 minutes. Might have just been your unit.
I tried pancakes on it several times but it's never cooked golden untill batter dries. used open griddle for burgers and it was perfect but don't know whats wronge with pancakes . any advice about how to heat it right way?
What can you say about De'Longhi CGH902 5-in-1 contact grill? I'm thinking of buying it. Thanks!
+Nash Jacinto I've never used the De'Longhi grill. I've heard about the T-Fal getting really good reviews. The Cuisinart is the only one that I've used. I do like it, however, there is a problem with it not getting hot enough. I would probably get a different one if I were to buy another one. Breville makes one but it is expensive.
Thanks for the reply. Yeah i like Breville but it's too expensive for me. Will check the T-fal one..thanks for the recommendation! Cheers.
Nice Job, Thank You. Very Realistic review.
Should have watched this before I bought mine lol. Yep, I also feel it doesn't get hot enough. I made a panini that took forever to do.
Bacon's Bacon 😋 Now show the clean up and grease drip tray.
Hmmmm......I got mine at Khols about 5 years ago but it did not come w/ a waffle plate. Mine is just a griddle and a grill. Wonder if there are two versions?
I purchased the waffle plates separate on Amazon. I don't think there is a version where you get them with the Griddler. Here are the ones that I bought: amzn.to/3f5bduo
Thanks for watching!
Oh, thanks for the reply!!!
God Bless You Amy. I have been looking for a good review of this griddler with the waffle plates. As I suspected, it doesn't heat evenly or well. I do not think it is your model, just the model in general. Thank You.
I like the Griddler but I don find that the heat is uneven between the top and bottom plates as well as a lot of time it just doesn't heat up very well. Eric thinks most of the ones with the removable plates are like that. I am not sure tho. I really like that you can put the plates in the dishwasher and I have used it here and there but I really wish it would heat better.
Amy
After looking at your video. I discovered that your griddle never came to temperature. Your middle knob never turned green.
That tells me it wasn't on or the unit had a problem.
It should have been green
according to the manual, and my experience, the middle knob never goes green. my manual says the middle nob turns red to indicate the unit is turned on, and the left and right knobs will turn green when they reach their temperature. I am having the same issue with holding the heat, as soon as i drop food on it, the plate cools down. Why you ask, because the plates are so thin and they do not hold any heat themselves, imagine heating up a frying pan, and take it off the element, same situation here, as the element shuts off and the plates hold absolutely no heat
You are supposed to preheat with the plates touching, closed, so that they reach the temp.
@@MonkeyBurrito, yes, I did and I had the same problem. Also, she's cooking eggs AND bacon. Eggs require much lower heat than bacon. She clearly isn't getting the heat. I got half - done pancakes when I first got my griller yesterday. Glad I wasn't doing any serious cooking! It's going back!
Great video but where your drainer I thought you supposed to drain the grease out from the bacon isn't that unhealthy?
Thanks for watching, we appreciate it. the below PDF shows the exploded parts diagram. The drip tray is #5.
www.cuisinart.com/share/pdf/manuals/gr-4n.pdf
It's in there under the griddle with the controls and to the right. If you look at the plates, they have grooves or holes cut out near the middle where they join. The grease would be channeled to the drip tray from there. Bacon is very greasy so it is unhealthy at that level. We usually drain ours on paper towels or napkins to absorb what it can. I don't know if bacon cooking in an inch of grease is any worse than 2 inches of grease as long as you drain it before eating.
Can the waffle plates be reversed, and what does the backside look like?
+noroxus No...the waffle plates are not reversible. The back is just the indents from the waffles and it is just painted...not nonstick. Only the main plates are reversible...one side a grill and the other is a griddle.
You're making me hungry lol
Your waffles are soft for the same reason your eggs cooked slowly. It just wasn't hot enough. I imagine you can keep turning it up..
Shouldn't have to Dave
I noticed a couple comments about not enough heat. I will say that I tried exactly once to make pancakes and the top half (opened up flat, obviously) did not get nearly hot enough. The pancakes on the lower half side cooked just fine, but the other side were pale and gooey. I ended up switching them to the other side to try to cook them more. Also, it does not lie completely flat.
Now, mind you, I am no pancake expert. haha. But I'm actually going to buy an additional flat griddle just for pancakes.
Thank you for watching. Amy is our resident Pancake Guru in Training. She agrees that a flat griddle is great for cooking pancakes because there's plenty of room to flip them, and they generally cook better because of no uneven temperature issues. I make fun of the Griddler, but it does a decent job on stuff that doesn't need exact temps and can be flipped, such as Panini or grilled cheese sandwiches. Yeah, we noticed this thing cooks unevenly, but we can toss it in the dishwasher, so its a fair trade for Amy. :-)
That's a shame on the heating inconsistencies. It's a great idea for a multi use griddle/press. Come on Cuisinart!!!
BosleyBeats Thanks Samuel. As inconsistent as the temps have been, it still cooks reasonable. Just have to flip the sandwich (panini) so not to overcook one side. Amy didn't want to return this thing (thinks it is cute). The Breville 'smart grill' and their panini grill have their own issues with the smart grill has removable plates, but have had reported issues with electronics malfunctioning (think $$$) to return it and $200 to have it repaired after 1 year. Their panini grill has non-removable plates, thus a deal buster for Amy.
BosleyBeats Stay tuned for my panini sandwich. Think for a minute on how much it weighs.....yes, 1 pound!
Eric, cute doesn't cut it with me! I paid for something to work and it doesn't - so goodbye!
Mine doesn't need to have 'removable plates', wipe-clean is good enough for me.
Mine didn't have the waffles plate! Where can I get it??
+ecofusion You should be able get them on Amazon or Macy's.
Plates are sold separately?
Riya Gill yes
I purchased this yesterday and it did the same thing to me with my bacon 😓
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Grease won’t drain to the rear
What is ur nationality ? If u don't mind
can you close it and pick it up by handle
No. It doesn't really latch closed. It would just flop around.
So the very worst thing is the waffles? Freudian slip? 8:27
+EddyGurge Not sure what you mean.
I had to fix the time stamp. Just kinda amusing :)
+EddyGurge The waffles aren't that great and there is an issue with it heating. It is an ok griddle. It has some nice features but it also has some issues.
I've been thinking about one, so I did find your video helpful. Thanks.
Slow...
Edit. It just turns off after it reaches temp. I turned it down to 400 and it just quit. Turned it back to max and it too more than 5 minutes to start cooking my French toast.
A pure POS that my in-laws decided we needed.
not buying because of your video
Thanks, wont buy this unit, not even hot enough to cook on for the large price.
Russell Farnandez I really wanted to like the Griddler. It just didn't stay hot enough. It looks like some others have had the same issue with it based on the reviews on Amazon. But then again...a lot of people like it.