The Sharper Image 8147SI Stainless-Steel Super Grill with Interchangeable Nonstick Plates
by The Sharper Image
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Our Price: $65.00
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Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: The Sharper ImageBrand: Sharper Image
Model: 8147SI
Product features:
- Indoor countertop grill with interchangeable griddle and waffle plates
- Floating hinge allows for thicker items like panini sandwiches
- Nonstick cooking surface; adjustable temperature from 200 to 400 degrees F
- Stay-cool handle; scraper and 2 drip trays included
- Measures approximately 15-4/5 by 14-2/5 by 9-4/5 inches
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of The Sharper Image 8147SI Stainless-Steel Super Grill with Interchangeable Nonstick Plates
Customer Review: A couple of small improvements would make this great!
Summary: 4 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Don't let my title fool you, I really like this grill press.
I've cooked several meals in it since we got it and used all of the grill plates except for the waffle plates which we plan to use this week.
First of all it's nice looking. I really like stainless steel appliances so this fits.
It's very simple, while I read the manual before I did anything, my wife figured it out on her own and with the exception of one minor hang up she was able to make her Panini without any hassle.
The 3 knobs on the front are for heating the grill press while it's opened and closed, the knob in the middle determines which way you'll be using the press (again, opened or closed) and the 2 on the sides are the heat controls, one for opened and one for closed. That's it.
Getting the plates on and off is pretty easy, they do seem to get caught at the edge when trying to take them off so a little wiggle is required, I'm sure with time I'll figure it out though, I wouldn't dismiss user error on this one.
Getting it to lean back flat is controlled by a little lever on the handle, very easy to use.
But here's the little annoyance, when you're cooking something that is too thick to let the press close in the normal position the top plate needs to swivel, which it can do but not with out pushing it forward a bit to disengage it from the handle. There is no button or lever for this just a small amount of effort to push it forward a bit at the top.
The problem is that by the time you realize you need to do that the grill is probably already hot. And while the handle stays perfectly cool, the plate (inside and out) does not! In fact the outside top of the grill gets pretty darn hot.
So the solution is to disengage it before you start heating or to use a spoon or something to push it forward, I guess a hot pad would work too.
Again it's a minor annoyance but it seemed like with such a well thought out little grill press this would be a no brainer.
The plates are non stick, so they clean up easy but can't be soaked or put in the dishwasher. They do come with a little plastic scraper that works ok but doesn't really seem to fit in the grooves correctly (my second annoyance). I just let it cool down and hit it with a wet sponge and then paper towel.
So far nothing has gotten stuck despite the fact that I've had cheese burn to the surface. Once it was cooled the cheese came right off.
As I mentioned I've cooked several meals on it and definitely come to some conclusions.
In a kitchen it is pointless to use the griddle part of this grill press. If you have a large skillet this press is no substitute. It's small and the edges are annoying when trying to use a spatula.
I cooked up eggs and ham on it for breakfast one morning and while it did an excellent job I really prefer my big skillet so I probably wont be using it for pancakes or eggs anymore. If you were somewhere that you didn't have a stove or a proper skillet and had thought to bring this along it would be a great travel tool. Thought it only comes with one griddle plate. The grill plate side worked great for cooking up ham and the grooves would also be perfect for bacon and getting rid of the grease.
The "drip trays" if that's what you wanna call them are basically plastic measuring cups, not a big deal since they work but make sure the grill is turned so they're facing away from you while you cook. They look like they'd be really easy to knock over.
Where this press shines is grilling meat and my favorite, Panini's!
I've probably made about 10 panini's in this thing since I got it, they come out perfect. Bread is crispy and browned and the insides are gooey and hot... man... so good. They also cook up fast since you're hitting em from both sides so you'll want to be careful, I set it to 2 for mine and start checking as soon as I hear the butter sizzle. You get nice grill marks too.
I imagine the waffles are going to come out pretty good as well but I'll update this review as soon as we test it.
The only other thing I feel I should mention is the size.
It's not a monstrosity or anything but if you live in a small apartment or have limited counter space you may think twice about this model. It's big enough to monopolize some counter space or a good chunk of your cabinet space when you're not using it. It's about 14" wide and a little over a foot deep, which means when it's open it's over 2 feet long. Also the handle can't be folded down for storage so it's gunna stick up about 8".
Again, it's not huge, but it's not compact either.
I also worry about storing the plates so I kept the cardboard sleeves they came in to try and keep them from getting scratched. Woulda been nice if the sleeves were designed to stay closed so you could use them for storing vertically. The backs are unfinished steel so if you laid them against the non-stick surface on the fronts of the other plates... well your plates would get ruined pretty quick.
I guess it goes without saying that you should only use wood or nylon utensils with non-stick appliances but.. well.. there, I've said it.
So to recap
PRO'S
Looks nice
Easy to use
Easy to clean
Non stick surfaces work really well
Cooks evenly and well.
Handle stays perfectly cool
Works as a waffle iron, grill, grill press and a griddle
CONS
Disengaging the top plate needs to be done ahead of time and by hand
Grill scraper doesn't really work
Drip trays "cups" are kinda cheap and could easily be knocked over if you aren't careful
Griddle option seems kinda pointless in a kitchien
Big, takes up a lot of counter/cabinet space
Stacking the stored plates will scratch them so you'll need to keep the cardboard sleeves or find some of your own.
All in all the pro's heavily outweigh the cons for me, I really like this press and the rest of my nit picks seem like things that Sharper Image can probably iron out with little effort in their next model. But for now this one is great and we are happy to have it in our home.
[UPDATE]
I promised an update so here it is;
Since we got the press I've made hamburgers and waffles on it and it worked out great. The waffles are awesome and the non-stick was nice. They popped right out and on the couple of occasions where they stuck we just nudged them with a spatula and they came loose without an issue. I recommend setting it a bit hot, like 2.5 or maybe even 3 so you get the crispy outsides before the insides start to dry out too much. It took a few tries but we got them fluffy in the middle with a nice golden crisp on the outside. Excellent waffles!
I guess one thing I'll note is that while making burgers the grease didn't run out as easily or quickly as I'd hoped. This could totally be my counter top, it may lean back a bit, but the grease pooled up closer to the back of the plate when it should have run out the front and into the drip cup. I ended up having to lift the unit a bit and guide the grease to the front with my spatula. Kind of a pain but again, I don't know that I can blame the press here. Still, it's something to keep an eye on if you get one.
Regardless making burgers in a press was pretty sweet! Cooked just right, nice and flat, good grill marks. Everyone involved was happy.
Even after burgers cleaning was simple, hot water and a sponge, done.
More The Sharper Image 8147SI Stainless-Steel Super Grill with Interchangeable Nonstick Plates reviews:
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Description of The Sharper Image 8147SI Stainless-Steel Super Grill with Interchangeable Nonstick Plates
The Sharper Image Stainless Steel Super Grill is a versatile kitchen appliance that serves as a contact and open grill, panini and waffle maker as well as the griddle for your breakfast favorites. The adjustable hinged cover opens a full 360 degrees allowing for a perfect position to any thickness of food and can be used open for maximum cooking area. 6 adjustable temperature controls from 200-400 degrees cook everything from delicate pancakes to juicy steaks. Also includes 2 drip cups for excess grease and a scraper to help with clean-up.Contact Grills
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