Customer Reviews

Calphalon 1759546 Electric Panini Grill

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

 

 

Yes, this grill works. After reading some very mixed reviews, I am pleased to say that Calphalon delivers on everything it promises. I have owned this grill for 5 months now and am very pleased.

To address some common complaints:

- It's true that it doesn't create a smoked bbq flavor, which has been a common complaint, but why would anyone expect that anyhow?

- It's powerful and hot enough for everything I've thrown on the grill. It cooks chicken and steak all the way through, assuming that the meat isn't thicker than 3/4 inch or so. But if you want a full-sized Barbecue like grill, this may be too small.

- It seems best suited for grilling paninis, veggies, fish, hamburgers, and chicken breasts. Again, it's just a small electric grill, so it's not as hot as charcoal. A two inch thick T-bone steak may be a bit much, but mine's worked so well that I wouldn't be surprised if it could handle that too!

- The top and bottom plates do an excellent job of heating evenly on both sides. Complaints about long pre-heating and grilling times have not occurred with my grill.

- Some have complained about the meat looking microwaved. Hmmm, I suppose so. . . I've found that my meat looks very much like it was cooked between two hot metal plates, absent flame, smoke or ash.

- The little plastic height spacer is flimsy, so don't hit it wish a hammer too often.

- The only valid complaint really is that the grease drip pan slips free from the grill when you pick it up to move it. It's location, however is perfect, situated in the back where it can collect the grease best when the grill is opened regularly during cooking. An Excellent design feature.

All in all, I have been completely satisfied. The timer is a Great asset. The stainless steel looks phenomenal and cleans up easily. Speaking of which, I've never cleaned a non-stick grilling surface with more ease.

Rest assured, this is a Great Grill!

I haven't met panini that I didn't like, yet! This is a GREAT sandwich maker! I haven't used it for grilling meat, because I like to keep the mess on the outdoor gas grill. The sandwiches come out evenly cooked to perfection-no flipping sandwiches and having all the fillings fall out!. It fits 2 large panini. You can adjust the height to fit the thickness of your sandwich. It's easy to clean-just wipe with a damp cloth while warm. Locks shut and easy to store. A nice little investment for your kitchen. ~ I also purchased through Amazon the cookbook, 'Panini' by Jennifer Joyce. Majority of the recipes have 5 fillings or less. Includes breakfast and dessert panini.

I have done an extensive research before deciding on Calphalon. I had ordered on Amazon, their price was the best! It arrived quickly and once I opened the box I was really happy. It looks amazing, great quality, just what I had expected. But more important then that, it works great and it's super easy to clean, nothing sticks to it! I make tuna melts, chicken, fish, no problem! My friend has Cuisinart and spends hours soaking his grills :)) Great buy!

This is a very good product. The only thing it lacks is the detachable parts so that it can be cleaned in a dishwasher. It heats quickly and grills well. The quality of the material that it was built is very high.

Didnt know I needed one. I was using a bowl to put on top of my sandwiches, to weigh them down, when I grilled them in a pan, and the husband recommended we get a panini maker. Now my grilled sandwiches come out perfect using this panini grill. The bread is nicely toasted on the outside and the stuff inside is nice & hot. And you don't need to put anything, like oil or butter, on the outside of the bread, which is the way I like it, I like it crunchy on the outside. I could never get my sandwiches that crunchy, when I grilled them in a pan, and they also took longer to cook in a pan. It cleans up easily and can be stored standing vertically. We bought our's at Macy's for the same price, on sale.

It's a great panini maker. Toasts very evenly, controls are very responsive, even has a slick design.

There's one thing that really killed it for me, though, and brace yourself... it's the dumbest thing ever. The unit comes out of the box with a big sticker across the top panel, and when you remove it, it leaves behind adhesive which is really, really difficult to remove. I bought some Goo-Gone and did TWO overnight treatments, but there's still a sticky residue and the thing looks terrible.

Every time we touch the thing, it's sticky.

Calphalon clearly pinched pennies on their packaging and used a terrible supplier for the adhesive of this sticker -- imagine that, of all the reasons for a product FAILURE! Completely unacceptable, and such a shame given that it's an otherwise good product.

Bottom line - if you're spending $100+ on a panini maker, chances are you take the aesthetics of your kitchen seriously, and Calphalon clearly blew it.

After reading about several types of panini grills, I had decided that the specs on this one seemed most like what I was wanting for my new small business. Wrong. It is fine for home use (would never haved paid $100 just for home use), but not large nor sturdy enough for even light commercial use. Incidently, I saw it this week at TJ Maxx for $69.99.