Customer Reviews

Breville TG870XL Gourmet Health Grill

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We bought the Breville TG870XL after returning a George Foreman GRP90WGR Next Grilleration grill. The Breville product is far superior.
1. The Foreman grill heated unevenly--hot in the center and much cooler toward the edges. The Breville is far more uniform in heat distribution.
2. The Breville grill is heavy-duty; the Foreman is light and "tinny."
3. The Breville has a floating top plate that can accommodate thick steaks and sandwiches. The Foreman grill is hinged at the back and has a 1-inch maximum thickness capacity. It tends to mash sandwiches too thin. Not so with the Breville.
4. The Breville grill locks closed and can be stored on edge.
5. The Breville unit (contrary to other reviewers) does indeed reach a max temperature of 420 F. I checked ours with a candy thermometer.

This little machine rocks! Sure it makes great Panini, but it also grills steaks (with perfect crosshatch marks), grills fish, grills chicken, grills vegetables! I use it for everything, and it all comes out grease-free, and moist and tender....bravo!

I was so pleased with the workmanship of this product when I opened it up. It had everything I was looking for, and I was astonished it didn't sell for twice as much - definitely a professional quality build on the outside.

HOWEVER, Breville must have poor quality control. After 20 minutes on the grill, chicken filets were still white, not a bit of browning anywhere. I had it on sear (420 degrees). So, I took my candy thermometer and placed it between the two grill plates, closed the lid, and let is sit for 20 minutes. The temperature was 220 degrees rather than the 420 degrees it says it cooks at. Needless to say, unless you want to grill or boil water, nothing is going to cook.

This was my first Breville product and will be my last. Obviously quality control is not a concern otherwise they would have caught that this machine has thermostat problems. It's a shame such a finely built, heavy machine (cosmetically) can't heat any hotter than an aquarium heater. I was very disappointed. I am returning it this weekend.