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Archive for the ‘Grills & Griddles’ Category

Grilling is a form of cooking food by directly applying dry heat to the food. It consists of grill, pan which is much similar to frying pan and griddle which is heated from the lower part. If it is used for cooking the food then the heat transfer is due to thermal radiation while the heat transfer involves direct conduction if griddle or pan is used.

In direct grilling, the food is exposed to the temperature more than 250 degree Celsius. When the meat or chicken is grilled at such a temperature for some time it acquires a great enigmatic aroma. This process is known as the Maillard reaction that offers great taste too.

Electric grills are one of the most efficient and it offers a great selection of barbeque grills along with electric smokers and much more. These work and provide heat with the help of heating elements which are placed below the cooking surface or within the surface area.

They are available in variety of types which can be used indoor and outdoor while few of them are meant to use outdoors. These are the most popular types as people want to have great treat at their home itself. They are also considered as one of the healthier means of preparing food as they run off the fat by making the meat healthier and leaner.

There are a range of advantages associated with outdoor grills over charcoal and gas type. First and the foremost advantage is that it takes very less time as compare to traditional cooking devices to heat up. When traditional grillers are used it leads to produce bi-products that include ash along with large amount of smoke making your grilling process a bit hazy and unpleasant. The grilling operation of Electric grills is very clean and does not include any above mentioned disadvantages.

The disadvantage associated with them is that they do not offer the same traditional smoky taste.

Charcoal type offers a great outdoor genuine flavor. These are the most popular and favored grilling equipment of all time which would never be out of fashion. The most remarkable thing that boosts the sell of charcoal grills is that the cost which is considerably low as compare to electric and gas grills.

They are available in several sizes such as small, portable and big. It was assumed that cleaning them is messy but due to introduction of sweeping levers scavenging of ash is no more an issue. One thing which one should be taken care while lighting them is that the ash should be completely removed along with the lid and the grate.

Gas Grill is another type of grilling device which either use natural gas or propane gas for heating them. A lot of ease in the process is associated with them hence most of the people prefer gas grills over most of the traditional charcoal options. The propane grills exhibits a propane tank which fits underneath the grill offering fuel required for creating flame.

The home owners can add extra value by installing built in grills. However, the investment is to be worthy. The difficulties of movement in between indoor kitchen and outdoor kitchen can be mitigated, if an outdoor kitchen is installed. Besides, the number of accessories can also be acquired to make your cooking easy and enjoyable. There are different forms of cooking, and grilling is one of them. The surface of food is preserved the dry heat, and the heat can emit from upper or lower portion of the outdoor kitchens. The direct, beaming heat makes the cooking process first. Generally, the grilling process heats slices or pieces of meat.

The grill indicates an open wire grid with a heat source either from upper portion or from the lower portion, and food is to be cooked or grilled on this grill. The grill pan is similar to frying pan. However, the grill pan contains raised edges imitating the wires of an open grill. Perhaps it is called as griddle, a flat plate heated from the lower portion. The food possesses heat while the outdoor kitchens are using through the thermal radiation initially. Heat transfer can take place when griddle or a grill pan uses with the assistance of direct conduction. When heat emits from above in grilling, it is termed as broiling in USA and Canada. The pan which keeps food is known as broiler pan. The thermal reduction transforms the heat.

The energy sources of the built in grills can be charcoal, electricity or gas fueled. There are the questions of availability of the energy and grill flavor, and in this connection, charcoal comes into the purview. The other important consideration for the built in grills type can be the budget, and the required space outdoor. The range of the grill can be from 25″ to 55″. It is better to by pass the large size outdoor kitchen. Despite of the larger grills, comparison of square inches of the space for the cooking area and the grill is necessary; it helps assess the size of the outdoor kitchens. It is easier to be cleaned and used when outdoor kitchens are made of stainless steel. Matching the grill surface, ice makers, trash containers, drawers in the outdoor kitchen and refrigerator are preferable.

The merits and demerits of charcoal grills

The charcoal barbecues are simple in type and less costly than gas grills. The well served charcoal grill costs around $100. However, barrel-style charcoal grills require more spacious areas than the gas based grills. This phenomenon of charcoal grill makes these sorts perfect for larger family gatherings and parties. Charcoal built in grills are comparatively handy; however, the grillers can take coal-load for one time use. On the contrary, the smaller portable gas grills possess heavier tanks.

Weber grill is easy to use. The Weber built in outdoor kitchens run by propane gas are equipped with thermometer. This thermometer is placed in the system. In this type of grills there is no requirement of temperature estimation. This process helps the users increase or decrease the temperature.

With so many contact grills on the market, how do you choose one that will suit your needs? This article covers the pros and cons of the Cuisinart 4 in 1 Griddler, a very popular grill that receives good reviews.

By the way, I do use this grill myself.

Features of the Cuisinart 4 in 1 Griddler

The Cuisinart Griddler can function as a closed or open grill, using the ribbed grill plates or the flat griddle plates.

The Griddler is designed for:

grilling meat, poultry or fish (recommended only for boneless cuts of meat). grilling plain or panini sandwiches and wraps (either the flat tortilla or the filled wrap). when opened out flat – cooking sausages, pancakes, French toast or open-face sandwiches, eggs, bacon, etc. roast fresh vegetables on the open grill plates. anything else you can invent!

The Griddler is equipped with:

grill plates and griddle plates, with not-stick coating, dishwasher safe. two plastic cups for catching fat that drains during cooking. toothed scraper to clean debris from the grill plates. floating hinge that adjusts automatically for everything from thin burgers to thick panini sandwiches. three control knobs, one for on-off, two for heat settings by degrees or by low-high. sturdy stainless steel construction. three year warranty.

Why Choose the Cuisinart 4 in 1 Griddler?

After a lot of research I settled on the Griddler because:

it was more versatile and suitable for our needs than the other grills I looked at. user ratings were consistently high. we have been happy with Cuisinart appliances (they had a replacement bowl for our 30-year-old food processor and gave it to us free). the price was very reasonable and the value good.

Working with the Cuisinart 4 in 1 Griddler

Overall, we have been happy with the Griddler. We use it mostly for cooking meats and grilling sandwiches & wraps, where it does a very good job. Meats do cook quickly and are more tender than when done in a pan or oven.

The Griddler is by far the best way to grill sandwiches and wraps. Wraps stay closed and they get warmed all the way through. Sandwiches brown evenly, get nice and crispy, but the fillings don’t get overdone.

The space where our Griddler sits is too small for opening it flat, so we haven’t done that. I would say something like French toast would work very well on the flat; maybe pancakes, too. You could do sausages or bacon, but it will be messy with all that fat.

The Griddler and Cleanup

When I’m done with the Griddle I let the plates cool and then put them to soak, because we don’t use a dishwasher. By the time we’ve finished eating they are easy to wash up.

The Griddler housing should be wiped after each use so you don’t end up with a residue of oil building up over time.

The non-stick coating on the Griddler plates is not very effective in my experience. But I’ve never come across any such coatings that are effective. So I just use a light brushing of oil on meats, or directly on the hot griddle plates (using a silicone pastry brush), to solve that problem. I find it makes a better job of meat anyway, when it’s seared in a bit of oil. This method adds very little oil to the food.

Cuisinart 4 in 1 Griddler – What’s Good, What’s So-So

Snapping the Griddle plates off for cleaning is a breeze, and opening the Griddle to use it flat requires the push of one button.

We find our Griddler to be very well-built. After several years of use everything is still tight and the controls still work fine.

The one nuisance with the Griddler is the drip cups that don’t stay put very well, so you can get fat dripping on the counter. For us it’s a minor problem because we don’t cook much that has any amount of fat to drain.

If you’re cooking something with a lot of fat (like full-fat sausages, or chicken with the skin and fat on) it does get a bit messy. You can’t avoid some spitting because of the heat, and fat has a way of spreading itself. There will be a bit more cleanup needed.

We found Cuisinart service excellent. There was a problem with one set of plates, so I called and they replaced them immediately. I did have to send the defective plates back, but that’s to be expected.

The three year warranty coverage is a real advantage. We have had many small appliances (not Cuisinart) fail after the first year, so I now look for two or more years coverage on everything we buy.