When we picked the location to live, it has a big open field behind it and all I could think about were all the cookouts we would have. Then, the forest fires in the Great Smoky Mountains caused our HOA to put in a no open flame grilling rule. I wouldn't say I could live off grilled food but in a way, I could. Having said that, my wife loves steak from a grill but little else. The kids love hamburgers and hot dogs from a grill but little else. My big one is salmon. I'm the only one in our family that eats it so it was kind of frustrating to fire up a large gas grill just to make myself two pieces of salmon 3-4 times a week. I've tried many, we have a Griddler by Cuisinart, two George Foreman "champs" and I recently tried one of the Power Smokeless Grills (review here on Amazon in my review history). The Griddler is nice. It makes really great hot sandwiches (works like a Panini Press). But none of those pressing grills do well with my salmon. I knew I needed one that's more flat and gets hot fast. I finally took the chance on this Zojirushi and here's a brief explanation of my thoughts after a week of having it.
This is the best indoor grill I've ever used. There's little to no smoke and I'm pretty sure the design, maybe something some might see as a downside, is why it works so well. Unlike the press type indoor grills, you can't put this one's cooking surface in the dishwasher. That's because the burner is built into the cooking surface. You don't have plates being removed, washed, put back in, snapping into place, trying to make good contact with the burner. It does take away that "ease" of being able to pop the trays out and putting them in the dishwasher but I've used it 4 times now and thanks to other reviews, it's not only the best indoor grill I've used, it's the easiest to clean. This is what you receive with this grill. A cooking surface that makes very good grill marks that has holes in it. The food sits flat on the surface and the grease just drips through. Underneath the cooking surface/burner, there's a metal tray that's the same size as the cooking surface. The excess grease drips down into it. Below the metal tray, a plastic base that if nothing else, helps stabilize everything. You put a sheet of foil in the drip tray, when you finish cooking, you can ball the foil up and throw it away. The only thing to clean is the cooking surface. One end has the receptacle that the thermostat plugs into. You keep that end angled up out of your warm water in a sink, take a brush or cloth and wipe it clean. I'm not kidding, it's that easy. How does it work?
I made 2 six ounce salmon pieces (1/2 inch thick) 3 times on it. I turned the dial on the thermostat to high, waited 3 minutes, it was ready. I cooked the salmon on high for 7 minutes, flipped each piece for another 7 minutes, it's done. Grill marks, flakiness, everything exactly like an outdoor grill. I will say you're not going to come from a charcoal or gas grill and say, "This tastes just like food from my gas/charcoal grill". It can't since it's not gas or charcoal but it tastes very good and the food is hot. My original plan was just to use it for my salmon. But the kids, for whatever reason, up and decided they wanted grilled hamburgers. I cooked 6 at a time, 12 total and it took less than 25 minutes to cook all 12. Grill marks, well done in the middle and the kids (possibly the pickiest eaters in the world) loved them. I ate 4.
I really can't believe how many times I've seen this grill on Amazon and skipped over it. Even better, it's forty dollars cheaper than I remember it being. I like it so much that I've figured out what I'm buying my brother-in-law for Christmas and might even buy a couple more as presents. I'm the friend/relative that buys you things that aren't exactly exciting but you'll be thanking me for the next year. I gave it 5 stars across the ratings. Easy to assemble is as easy as it can be. Easy to clean was already covered. And durability will take a year or more of use to determine but I see no reason for anything to go wrong. I could see the no-dishwasher part bothering some but when you see how easy it is to clean (excellent non-stick surface), you'll realize it's not that big of a trade off. Very happy with this though the salmon aren't.
| Manufacturer | Zojirushi |
|---|---|
| Part Number | EB-CC15TA |
| Item Weight | 7 pounds |
| Product Dimensions | 2 x 9 x 1 inches |
| Country of Origin | China |
| Item model number | EB-CC15 |
| Is Discontinued By Manufacturer | No |
| Color | Black |
| Finish | Non-stick |
| Material | Plastic, Aluminum |
| Power Source | electric |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Included Components | Grill, Power Cord, Drip Tray, Base |
| Batteries Included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
| Warranty Description | 1 Year Limited Waranty |
