The extraordinary feature with this Cuisinart grill is that it is designed with the double cooking surface. It also features an adjustable front feet which stores the grease separately. Just set the temperature, plug it on and it is ready to go. Unlike many cheaper models, the Elite tosses its heating elements directly within each reversible plate, giving you consistent heating on both sides. Whether you’re making a quick grilled cheese or searing a juicy steak, the Cuisinart Elite Griddler could change the way you cook everything.
On a similar note, though we like the uncomplicated design, a lid or splatter guard would have been useful, especially for grilling meat. The lack of this feature is why we prefer the Secura GR-1503XL for barbecuing. The latter, like this Oster, has a cooking plate that can be reversed to become a griddle, though this is coated with Teflon rather than ceramic.
You must press up on the hot plate to secure it in place. It would be ideal if there was a separate handle on the top plate that could be used as leverage to secure the hinge back in place. Another great feature is that the plates are very well angled to allow grease to flow to the grease tray. This was great before I decided to fry eggs on the griddle side of the pan. You’ll see the egg sliding across the griddle into the grease tray about two seconds after you crack it. I have yet to go back through the manual to see if there is a way to stop this.
The Cuisinart Griddler comes with interchangeable plates that allow you to use it as a grill, a griddle and a panini press. With reversible plates, the superior SearBlast feature locking flavor into steaks at 500-deg-F, and a top cover that is fully adjustable, cooking is perfectly customized and precise every time. First of all, both Cuisinart griddles have dual-zone temperature control, which allows separate heating on both sides.
There is, at least, a fair amount of vertical space underneath, so you can close it when making baked potatoes or corn on the cob. Another thing to mention is that though the lower half has a drip tray, the lip around the cooking surfaces isn’t very tall and there’s no way of leveling out the machine. This makes a spill more likely and limits its usefulness when cooking for a large number of people. cuisinart griddler elite The heating element set right into the cooking plate allows for higher, more evenly spread heat. While the Griddler isn’t huge, we were able to cook a full pound of sliced mushrooms on one side while we cooked zucchini on the other, and we could easily cook two sandwiches at once. The bottom side tended to cook at a higher temperature than the top, but it was easy enough to flip foods over.