Customer Reviews

Char-Broil Patio Caddie Electric Grill

5 star:		(98)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(16)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

I've had the electric patio caddie for a little over a year now, and it is an exceptional convenience. Living in an apartment complex where gas grills aren't allowed, the electric grill was my only viable alternative, but I didn't realize I was going to prefer it. Build quality is great, it heats up quickly enough (10 mins or so) and can maintain grilling temperatures of 400-500 degrees. Though compact, it is large enough to feed 2-4 potential culinary critics, from steaks to seafood to the exotic, you name it. The only slight problem I've found is that if you keep the porcelain lid off too long, the temperature can drop quickly, but for a compact grill, that's to be expected. Cleanup is not kidergarten easy, but it's not difficult either. Learn to use it (i.e. harness the "force"), and the Patio Caddie is extremely easy to control, master, and enjoy for years to come. A gas version is also available. From this review you'd think I work for Charbroil, but I don't! Great grill - 5 stars...

I live in an apartment, and was forced to buy an electric because no gas or charcoal grills are allowed. I picked this one, and I will say that I am very, very pleased with this grill. You still put charcoal briquets (included) into it, and it cooks VERY well, with no added tastes that you sometimes get from charcoal or gas grills. Top notch product, for a good price!

I've had this grille a number of years. You need to replace or clean the upper and lower aluminum liners. They can get greasy if you grille meat that isn't lean. If you try to do a high heat cleaning you can have a fire (I did). I found that if you cut slits in them where they go around the attachment areas, you can slide them out and clean them by hand. A big savings.
Having a cover that you need to completely remove, rather than tilt back, can be inconvenient. When hands are full that cover can be a pain. Other than that, it cooks a good steak, shrimp, veggies...just about anything. You need to make sure that the thermostat probe under the lid is clean or you won't get the proper reading outside.

We bought this grill after we burned up our gas grill. Maintainence is super easy -- just wash the griddle & clean out the drip cup. Every few years you may want change the lava rocks. Best of all, no getting into lp gas lines looking for spider nests! No lugging lp tanks! :) And this grill stores anywhere! Electric is definitely the way to go!

After reading some of the other reviews, I thought I'd ad my 2 cents from my own experience.

Follow the instructions step-by-step. It will lessen the chance that you'll use the wrong screws. Remember that the smallest screws are for the legs (a point made by another reviewer and turned out to be helpful). Also in the instructions, it says to tighten the nuts on the legs where they attach to the grill to finger-tight only -ignore it. Otherwise, the legs will be wobbly -another complaint of reviewers.

The most important thing I can recommend is to go on Char-Broil's web site and locate support for the electric patio grill. Then drill down to the model number and choose any model EXCEPT the bottom one. The reason is that the current model does not include the grate and ceramic brickets (2.99 and 7.99 respectively). Once you've selected either of the other two models (it doesn't matter which one), you'll be presented with a list of parts, where you can select the grate and ceramic brickets. It makes a big difference because with the brickets the grill will get hotter and the grill temperature won't drop dramatically after you lift the lid. Check out the manual for the model you select and note the maximum number of brickets and pattern used to place them on the grill (I use 8).

I have cooked chicken, strip and flank steaks, fish, etc., and have no complaints whatsoever of this grill's performance. I do wish that they had used a steel insert instead of that heavy aluminum foil thing, but that's just my opinion.

Also, don't buy the cover sold for this grill -get the Char-Broil 4714 Heavy Duty Water Smoker Cover (thanks to yet another reviewer). It's sturdier and has an elastic bottom so it won't blow away.

-Hope this helps.

I have to say that this is *probably* my fault. I absolutely love the grill (even though you really have to grill with the lid on) as I cannot have gas/charcoal on my deck in my apartment. The grill definitely gets hot enough to sear a steak and, with some practice, you can cook almost as good as with gas/charcoal (I said almost).

However...beware of fire! My grill went up in flames the other day and now I'm looking for a replacement (anyone from CharBroil listening?) :) I had just changed the briquettes out not more than 3 or 4 months ago. But, apparently, the buildup of grease from meat, etc. was so high that the other night, when I sprayed the grill with Pam prior to dropping steaks down, the grease pit that was my grill caught on fire!! It started in a small side but VERY quickly spread to the entire grill. I put the flames out with a fire extinguisher and am now too afraid to try the grill again.

I will be buying a new one but will most definitely be changing the briquettes on a monthly basis.

I own three bbq grills .A propane grillcharcol grill and the electric patio caddie.The patio caddie which I use on my deck has forced the other two grills into storage.The electric grill heats up to about 700 degrees in 15 to 20 minutes and cooks burgers in 10 minutes franks in 8 minutes and chicken in about 18 minutes.It is easy to assemble and use.It is by far the best piece of hardware that I have ever bbq'ed on.ps. I intend to use this grill throughout the winter for tailgate parties at home.

I have had this grill for about a month now... I did a lot of research since I had to get an electric grill (by to my complex rules). This is a good grill. I cooks like a gas grill except you must keep it covered to cook. The food comes out great, the size is good... I recommend it to anyone with strict complex requirements, I may actually buy one for my father as well.

This is how confident I am about this amazing product. I have own this grill since latter part 1998 when they first came out, and purchased it at my now deceased Service Merchandise store. Every time I use it, it never cease to amaze me how great of a product it is. It's with out a doubt the best product I have ever purchased that keeps on giving and making me happy. After just grilling some burgers and hot dogs at my apartment balcony tonight, I told my wife I got to write to the people at Char-Broil and thank them for such a great product, then I thought about looking it up at the Amazon site, and here I am. It's 2:30am instead of being in bed, I decided to stay up share my great experience about this product that deserves for me to stay up and tell you about it. For starters, It does not use propane, which means no lugging around dangerous fuels in your car. Second, you don't ever have to worry about running out of propane in the middle of grilling. And third, preheating is quick and within minutes your grilling. This grill is powerful and they are not kidding when they say "The first electric grill that cooks like a gas grill" So with that in mind it's equally as dangerous as a gas grill because of the high power (which is what you need to sear a good steak) but keep in mind it's important to keep it clean as flare-ups do occur. The flavorize ceramic briguets give the food just the right flavor without oversmoking your food and stoaway and clean up is fast and easy. I don't really clean my grill that often or as I should either. I did buy an extension cord (large appliance heavy duty type) because the one it came with was too short. It's important that you use the recommended extention cord gauge. I have also found out that it's equally important that you connect the grill to a heavy duty outlet for best results, otherwise if you just hook it to just a regular indoor outlet the power on the heating element will not be as hot. I have cooked from filet meignon to Ribeye's to chicken to Fajitas to Brisket's, and my food always comes out perfect! better than any restaurant. I mostly go out to restaurants now just to be out and be seen! I highly recommend this grill and watch your neighbors green in envy as you prepare your food fast and easy. email me if you have further questions or concerns. And last, I have never ever had any problems whatsoever with it.

The complex we lived in did not allow open flame on the balcony, which ruled out both gas and charcoal grills. I opted for this Char-Broil electric grill, based on the reviews I read here on Amazon.

Positives: This grill really did a nice job cooking, in general. You really should read the directions; you need to leave the lid on and regulate the thermostat as directed in the manual. That being said, I grilled veggies, fish, burgers, steaks and chicken with great success on this grill. Because of the steady electric heating, I can cook my steaks and burgers to a *perfect* medium (pink (not red) and warm throughout, but with a brown, crispy crust) with little effort.

Negatives: You *must* keep the grill clean and ceramic briquettes changed (especially if you use it frequently!) to avoid grease fires (see other reviews). The briquettes are easily available through your local Sears.
When you lift the lid, temperature drops quickly. You should have a heavy-duty GFI outdoor outlet to plug this into, which all apartments don't have. Assembly is a bit confusing until you decipher the Ikea-inspired assembly instructions.

Bottom Line: This is a really good grill if you are in a situation where you can't use open flame. With a little patience and attention to the instructions, you can get results that are on par with a regular gas grill.