De'Longhi CGH800 Contact Grill and Panini Press
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of De'Longhi CGH800 Contact Grill and Panini Press
Customer Review: Who Needs Grill Marks?
Summary: 2 Stars
I used to be a restaurant owner and chef, serving great toasted sandwiches from several commercial sandwich presses with flat plates and I really missed them after I left the business. After much consideration and reading reviews, I hesitatingly bought this unit due to mostly 5 star reviews. The Delonghi has a nice feature in the temperature control and overall build quality, however after making one sandwich I realized its serious shortcomings which I suspect is common to all grooved griddles.
I do not understand the consumer fascination or hype for grill marks on sandwiches just so that you can get that Italian "Panini" look. Grill marks may look cute but they are a functional waste for a toasted sandwich. The problem is that the deep impression made in the bread causes an uneven heating of the bread surface and ingredients underneath. I made a classic Rueben with rye, big eye swiss, corned beef, kraut and thousand island dressing. The ridges pushed deeply enough into the bread to cause the cheese to melt through the bread where the untoasted surface was between the grooves. So the grooves were toasting but not the between where the cheese soaked through. ALso consider that rye is more dense than typical sandwich bread and it still did not withstand this process. The sandwich ended up a soggy mess within about 3-4 minutes and would not come out of the press very easily due to the deep grooves where the softer bread "gave up" and simply started falling apart from being soaked. So I returned the unit, unsatisfied with the results.
I then promptly replaced Delonghi with my second choice for which I should have trusted my initial instincts. I got the Breville unit because it is about the only one on the market that has flat griddle plates top and bottom for a truly even toasting over the entire surface of the sandwich. The heat level is perfect and the surface area is larger than the Delonghi and it will actually accommodate 4 sandwiches at one time. The bottom plate features a raised lip around the perimeter to contain ingredients that may run out or for cooking meat. You can leave the sandwich in longer than the Delonghi to allow a more crusty surface if desired or more heat to the interior ingredients without burning anything. It is very forgiving on cook time so it would be hard to ruin anything cooked in it. I have also found it wonderful for cooking hamburger patties. And it does it very quickly. A third to half pound pattie will cook in 3-5 minutes, cooking both sides at one time. Not to mention that my Rueben now comes out perfect. I have also cooked Tyson marinated chicken breasts in it, with great results. And will next try sirloin steak cuts, which I am sure will yield excellent results.
The Breville also has a stair step slider lid support on the side handle to allow you to set variable thicknesses for ingredients to avoid smashing your panini or toasted sandwiches to cardboard thin slices of bread. Also allows for great pizza reheating to crisp the crust on the bottom plate and setting the lid to the open "radiant heat" melt position, hovering to warm the topside ingredients while the crust does its thing. All in all, a much superior choice unless you like "tire rut" sandwiches. I am very impressed with this unit which performs as well as the $600 commercial units we used in my restaurant.
Customer Review: Worth every penny
Summary: 5 Stars
I have hoped by now that I would see a review on the DeLonghi Retro Panini Grill CGH800 and have been looking since October 2003. I have read other reviews on competitor's models, but to date no one has written in on this wonderful unit so I feel I should.I had a bad experience with another Panini Grill, also comparable in price but with handle breakage problems. In the reviews for the one I had purchased prior there was another with the same problem. I was hesitant about getting another, but I loved the concept and was willing to try another brand with high quality standards. In November I purchased this product.
The unit is very heavy and well made, and the handle is strong. I have made many Panini sandwiches and everyone is excellent. The grilling of the sandwich takes about 4-5 minutes and produces wonderful grill marks and the contents inside are very hot. I have used homemade bread, French bread, rye bread, pitas (which I feel are too thin) hoagie rolls and even store bought rolls all proving wonderful.
The combinations of sandwich fillings for Panini's are endless. I serve a large Panini with a bowl of soup for an easy weeknight dinner and a change of pace from the many recipes I make on other nights. We really look forward to each and every one and I am not disappointed in this product.
I want to comment on the non-stick - it is absolutely wonderful! Cheese or anything that may ooze out just comes up with a piece of toweling, nothing ever sticks. I have not grilled meats on it as I have three sizes of another well-known grill, but have grilled zucchini along side the sandwich. With the excellent coating I would not hesitate to cook meats and I like the fact that it has a trough for the grease to drip into the cup that is provided.
I also have not used anything but the highest temperature on the control as I only use this grill for Panini sandwiches, but I am sure that it would be perfect with something that needed a lower temperature. Also an additional plus, --it certainly would be ideal if my husband was not finished with something I served first and the thought that I could keep sandwiches warm and not burn the bread by turning the temperature to a low (keep warm) setting for sure is a wonderful addition to this product.
The product is pricey, but if you want quality and long life --this product is worth the investment. I am very happy with my purchase.
Customer Review: Great Panini's, some problems- but definitely worth it!
Summary: 4 Stars
A little history:
For years I've made Panini's the old fashion way- with one pan sandwhiched above another, manually squishing the bread as small as possible. Other times I've used a heated metal block to get those nice grill stripes. For our wedding, however, we received a Panini Grill and I thought "Am I out of a job now?"
This is a very good grill. The temperature control is excellent (Don't turn it more than 3/4 to max- you'll start burning teflon and you can smell that!) and the surface is covered in a very thick coating of teflon that slides everything off the way it should.
Two problems come to mind with this grill- the biggest being 'leverage'. In commercial presses the grill is typically either anchored or of sufficient weight that the operator can press down on the handle- but with THIS grill, the handle extends far enough over the front that the back end rises up. You do NOT want a hot grill sliding around on your countertop- especially if you have an instinct to reach out and stop it from tipping over- it WILL burn you (heals after a few days, trust me.) This could be fixed by simply using a hotpad to assist the pressure in the center of the top of the pan- makes for better and evenly grilled Paninis that way.
The second problem I see is that this grill can not process more than one panini at a time. If you place two large paninis across the surface such that the drain channels from one run into the other, the second panini (closest to the drip pan) will not drain properly and will be too moist- to the point the bread will crumble and fall apart. This simply slows the operation down while making Paninis for the family- an annoyance that can be dealt with only by orienting the paninis perpendicular to their standard 'stripe' pattern- yet this simply makes the side closest the drip pan soggy and the side furthest overly crisp.
Don't mis-understand me- this is an EXCELLENT panini maker. If I had the choice, I'd have one of the commercial jobs in the home, but let's face it- who's got room. It cleans up well, easily, and for the price is probably the best one on the market.
Customer Review: Looks good, works, good.
Summary: 4 Stars
This is my first Panini Grill and I wish I had bought it sooner. I looked through many of the Panini Grills that Amazon has to offer and, in my opinion, this was the best. I have now had it for about 2 months, and am probably using it 3-4 times a week.
WHY I LIKE IT:
Using French loafs or Hoagie bread, my sandwiches take about three minutes to make. I turn on the grill while I am preparing the sandwich, and there is an indicator (near the middle of the handle) that lights up when the press has reached your desired temperature (which is controlled by a dial near the handle). Cheese very frequently oozes out, but that's a never a problem with the nonstick surface. A quick wipe afterwards with a damp towel and it is clean.
The ridges on the press are just the right size. Deep enough to make those beautiful grill marks, but not too deep to make cleaning a hassle. The distance between them was just about right too.
The whole press feels very sturdy. I have had no problems with the handle as some other people have. The top part is heavy enough and presses the sandwich firmly. A lot of the other grills (like the famed Foreman) are too light and I worry about their ability to firmly press my food. I haven't used them though so I may be wrong.
It has a "drain" on one corner and comes with a separate cup for catching runoff. I assume this is for grilling meats and catching the oil runoff, but I have not used it for meats. I don't think it is a good idea to use the same surface for raw meat and sandwiches. If you also use it for meat/chicken, make sure you wash it afterwards rather than just wipe it.
It looks great and matches the rest of my stainless steal equipment.
WHAT I WISH IT HAD:
An on-off switch would be so convenient. You have to use the plug. This is the only reason I cannot say this is a perfect machine. I wish I could give 4.5 stars, but four will do.
A smaller price tag
Customer Review: Very Enjoyable Kitchen Grill
Summary: 5 Stars
My husband received this as a Christmas gift and was truly excited to give it a try. The first night he grilled mushrooms, bell peppers and tomatoes (very messy!) and we all took turns making our own sandwiches. My two girls are old enough to cook for themselves so they got a lesson on how to use it as well. Very few nights have gone by that something has not been cooked on this grill. We have cooked everything from bacon (put a small cutting board under the non-lip side and the grease will flow into the little grease cup better) to chicken wings. The chicken wings were the best I have had (my elder daughter said they were really good but tasted a bit "wet"... it took me a while to get her to understand that this little things she called "wet" was actually "moistness"... LOL!). He also cooked all of the chicken parts from the legs on up to the half-breast with the bone-in. We have made polish sausages, stuffed burritos, pork chops, prime rib and I am looking forward to doing country-style bone-in pork ribs. Yes, a smaller grill area does mean a little more waiting time but as I don't have a really big kitchen it works great for me. I am going to purchase another one in the near future as was actually reviewing several different brands when I came across this review link.
Oh, yes, the grease does splatter a bit so make sure the area around the grill is clear or you will be wiping up grease from all the different surfaces. Clean up of the griddle surface is easy. I just use a paper towel with hot water on it when it is warm.