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Cuisinart Griddler Review (Updated 2019)

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by Ed

cuisinart griddler

This is the review that Robin and I had to do Rock, Paper, Scissors in order to win the right to write.  (Not really, but we like our Griddler a lot, use it almost daily and firmly believe it should join the toaster and microwave as an essential small kitchen appliance.)

Hyperbole?  Never in a million, billion years have we ever, ever exaggerated, but read on if you want a quantitative and qualitative analysis of this fine product.  Guess where our final Frugal Verdict will land?

We aren’t sponsored by Cuisinart or anything – we spent our own cash to get our Griddler and we’ve been using the same one for YEARS!

The Cuisinart Griddler Review

The Griddler is Better than a Grill Press

We had owned a Grill press prior to getting The Griddler. It was a typical clamshell style thing with a standard grill plate and we used it so infrequently, we donated it. If you have one and love it, you will love the Griddler even more.

The Griddler has 2 grill plates, 2 flat griddle plates and the optional waffle plates. It can operate in the clamshell press mode or unlock and open totally flat for griddle mode. All of a sudden a formerly one-dimensional product finds so many more uses that it lives on our counter (literally next to our toaster – it is used that often).

The Griddler ping-pongs around a bit in price. We paid full retail for ours in 2007. At that point it was selling at less than $100 to “launch”.

Last year we added the Griddler Waffle Plates (a Christmas gift from Robin’s dad). This waffle accessory may seem expensive, but they do more waffles, faster than a conventional Waffle iron and they store with the cookie sheets so the old Waffle Iron space can go to something that gets regular use.

Cuisinart Griddler Review Pros:

  • Solid, stainless steel construction.  Easy on the eyes so you can leave it out.  You’ll want to, because you’ll use it so much.
  • Interchangeable, dishwasher safe(!) grill, griddle and optional waffle plates.  They are non-stick and we typically just wipe ours clean with a damp cloth when they are still hot.  (Wait until they cool a bit – I have a couple scars to remind me of this.  So long, hand-model-career.)
  • Works closed as Grill press or opened flat as a Griddle.  Some options this creates:
    • Closed: Sandwich press for Paninis/grilled cheese, grilling burgers, chicken breasts, whatever you would BBQ.  Quesadillas also rock it in.
    • Open: Pancakes (you can do a dozen or so at a time), eggs, bacon.  Also, use the grill plates for things like Roasted Peppers, cuts of meat that you want to keep more tender in the middle, we’ve even done pineapple. 
  • Sturdy and long-lived.  Like I said, ours is years old (Update in 2019 – it’s still working perfectly!); it has outlived two microwaves and the grill plates are still in very good shape (no Teflon peeling, like you see on some cheaper non-stick pans).  
  • Great for big meals with lots of guests.  Again, a dozen pancakes or 4 grilled sandwiches at a time allow you to run an industrial kitchen when you have a house full.   You could even mix and match the grill/griddle plates and make different things on each side.

griddler waffle plates
Makin’ Chocolate Chunk Waffles; you see why the dishwasher safe Grill plates are the bomb.

Cuisinart Griddler Cons:

  • A bit pricey when you compare it to pure giddles/grill presses or waffle irons.  If you only really cared about one of those functions, the Griddler might not be the best bet for you. (But as of 2019 ours has lasted, and works as well as day one, for 12+ years!)
  • Takes a bit of time to heat up – not a lot, but I have used a dedicated griddle that heated up faster.
  • Once it is hot, the plates stay hot – great for cleanup, but you will need to leave it out and open to cool off for a while.  Curious kids may need extra watching.
  • If you don’t want to leave it out, it will need some serious appliance garage space.  It wouldn’t stack or sit upright terribly well and the grill plates need a home too (we store one set in the Griddler and the others upright with our cookie sheets and cooling racks).
  • The grease catching cups seem a little finicky and perhaps a bit “last minute engineering dept. add-on fix”, especially when the rest of the product feels so industrial, well-made and thought out.

the griddler
The Griddler makes a French Toast meal quick and easy.

The Frugal Verdict:

While cheaper, pure griddle or pure grill options definitely exist, you won’t find a total package like the Griddler.  The combination of flexible cooking options, longevity and easy cleanup make it an essential cog in the daily workings of our household meal planning.

If you shop around, the normally high price comes down to much more reasonable sale prices.  There are several spinoff options now too, so the smaller, cheaper Griddler Express might suit some lifestyles and budgets better, although we haven’t tried it, so we can’t vouch.

Probably the best thing we can say about this product is that if someone we know has kids, likes cooking and doesn’t own one, it is one of the first things we consider for giving as a gift.  (We gave one to our kids’ babysitter for Christmas one year.)  It is not a gracious-smile-say-thanks-put-it-away-to-gather-dust gift; most everyone finds they use it more than they expected.



We love to use our Griddler to make some of our family’s favourite simple recipes:

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45 Comments

  2. I love all your recipes and family food ideas. Do you ever make smoothies? Or milkshakes? I could always use some new drink ideas.

    Michelle G.
    lovinhugs36 at hotmail dot com

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Rita! We can make no promises that all kids will like our foods – but we can try. I haven't shared much from my professional practice as a Registered Dietitian, but maybe that's something I could do hear. I sort of made the decision to write in other directions here, just to compartmentalize life a bit (for balance!), but really, food is so central to so many parts of life, maybe there's room here for some writing with my RD hat on. 🙂

      Reply

  8. Would love to learn how you juggle work life, parenthood, and marriage all at once and still find time to be a couple and do what you enjoy. You know, the age old questions, how do you do it all??

    Love, Mimi Lecat

    Reply

    1. I`m not sure anyone can do it all, Mimi! We could try, but I can`t imagine being happy about it. Here on our blog, we can talk about what we do, and what we DON`T do (the list is long!) to keep our sanity.

      That elusive balance – we could talk about how we`ve approached it?

      Reply

  14. How about your favorite ideas for a frugal -or even free!- Saturday family fun activity? One of my favorites is hiking, picnic-ing and even brining along some ipod speakers to have a family dance party outdoors!

    Reply

  15. I am interested in simple organizing ideas for different areas in the house eg office, bathroom, electronics in the tv room, Loved your idea for 15 minutes to organize/tidy one area.

    Reply

  16. Would love to read about frugal design/decorating ideas – "Design on a Dime" type.

    Reply

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