- Great Indoor Grill! I purchased this grill after doing some research online about the various grills available on the market including price, heating power, features, service, etc. While pondering all the other grills and noting that most had some good features but lacked some others, I happened upon this grill at Williams & Sonoma. The price took me back a bit, but mentally comparing it to the others I had researched, it seemed to have by far the most comprehensive list of features all in one package. Since I've never been one to buy anything but top of the line (I do believe that in most cases you get what you pay for), I went ahead and spent the money. I've had it now for over a month and I couldn't be happier. I use it almost daily since my husband and I are attempting to go low-fat protein & complex carb meals. It's fantastic. I feel I absolutely purchased the best item on the market, even if the price is on the high side and it doesn't include the extra plates. I didn't have the heart to give it only four stars since I love it so much, but if I could give it 4.5 stars, I would do that only because the points made by the other reviewers are valid. I agree with all of them (grease drawer needs re-design at back, a buzzer for auto shutoff, and extra plates would be fantastic), although I have not used the entire surface for pancakes and cannot speak to the two surfaces being different temperatures. Features I absolutely LOVE: the ability to change from flat to tilted lower surface, ease of cleaning, and (believe it or not) the finger hole in the three-pronged plug! Why hasn't any other engineer prior to this thought about putting a finger hole in the plug???? It would certainly have made my life easier for the past 4 decades as gripping a plug while I was in an awkward position has been a pet peeve of mine! If this grill lasts several years, I will feel I have been in hog heaven. Great grill, guys!
- My Favorite I must say that I have been using this grill for a few days now and it is by far the best cooking device that I have ever used. My fish stakes come out perfect every time. It also makes phenomenal paninis and cleans super easily. If this is any indication of the quality of Breville products; they have found a new customer for life.
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4 stars but should be 5
We love your smart grill but do have the same opinion as others about providing extra plates for larger griddle or grill. The price warrants more flexibility, especially since competitors do provide the plates, albeit with a slightly smaller cooking surface. Your appliance provides the opportunity for healthy food and easy clean-up. What could be better? A more generous collection for drippings. If you made this adjustments we would give 5 stars without hesitation!!!
From Breville:
We will have plates available soon. Thanks. - Almost there Great grill, just need a way to balance the heat between the two plates. The bottom plate heats up much faster then the one on the lid and seems to always be a little hotter than the top. L& G had a similar problem with pancakes browning on one side faster than the other. Can it be sent back for calibration?
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Great product that could be easily made better for the price.
After picking up our product last night and using it for the first time this morning, I would agree with J's assessment, with perhaps one caveat. The pancakes cooked on the left side of the grill were less browned than the ones on the right, even though that batter was added first. I'm concerned about the evenness of cooking. The bacon cooked on the grill side was cooked perfectly. We traded the panini grill received as a Christmas gift, even though it appears to be a near-perfect product. We needed to replace our ancient griddle and this multi-purpose product seemed (almost) ideally suited to our needs.
So my recommendations for improvement:
1. Provide the extra plates to make it all griddle or all grill; that lack was our only concern in buying the product. At US$350, that's a reasonable expectation. At the very least make it an (affordable) option or add-on.
2. Address the "even heat" issue (only more use will tell if we continue to experience the same issue). The flat surface should have the same heat edge to edge.
3. Again, my experience with the grease trap echoes that of "J" - it needs to catch all the runoff.
4. Add a second control so that the grill side and the griddle side can be set for the precise temperature needed.
5. The auto-off feature needs a warning buzzer; with preheat and several items to prepare, I didn't notice the heating element had shut off in mid-cook until I realized that it wasn't cooking properly. Fortunately, I'd made plenty of batter, but that could throw a cold experience for a hot breakfast in serving guests.
With some of those issues corrected, I would happily give this a 5-star rating.
Larry,
Thanks for your valuable feedback. We will pass this along to our design team. - Best grill Breville has ever made! Performs well, heats fast, cooks evenly. Additional plates should be available for purchase, so a larger open grill (all flat or all ribbed) surface can be achieved, if desired. Only complaint; the grease trap should be a little deeper where the grease flows initilaly. If the flow beomes too great, it will spill a little. This is only a problem if you are cooking bacon or fatty foods. For the price $350 US; If breville includes an extra flat plate so that you can cook ie. 6-8 pancakes at once and makes the entry to the grease trap deeper, I would give a 5 star rating!
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