The Cuisinart Griddler Versus the George Foreman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill
It seems that every time I see a commercial or add in the Sunday paper it is for these new indoor electric grills. Best of all the new version of these electric indoor grills like the Cuisinart Griddler and the George Foreman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill open up to lay flat and double your cooking space. I can understand this obsession with indoor grills though, having had quite a few different indoor grills in my time. A good indoor grill like the Cuisinart Griddler and the George Foreman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill is a great way to cook a variety of meals quickly that is also healthy for you. Some versions are also great because they can double as a griddle, which is perfect for making pancakes on Sunday or cooking up a large amount of eggs for a big group. The Cuisinart Griddler and the George Forman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill both serve a variety of functions, not just a grill and not just a griddle. My own mother travels with her indoor grill/ griddle to our family vacation every year. There is no way a little frying pan could handle all of the pancakes our family can put away!!
One of the most important features of the modern multipurpose indoor electric grill would be how many functions does it serve? How many interchangeable plates does it have? Unfortunately for the Cuisinart Griddler I have to say the George Forman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill wins this one hands down. It has five interchangeable plates (hence the name G5) that serve to make many of your other small kitchen appliances obsolete space wasters. These five plates are the contact grill, the sandwich/ panini grill, the jumbo waffle, a baking pan, and griddle. That is just about impossible to top honestly. The Cuisinart Griddler does come in at a competitive four cooking options including the griddle, contact grill, panini press, and flat grill. Basically, the Cuisinart Griddler is missing the waffle option.
Ease of operating is also an important feature in a small kitchen appliance like the Cuisinart Griddler and the George Foreman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill that is meant to save you time and money with interchangeable plates. It has to be a tie between the Cuisinart Griddler and the George Foreman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill in this category because both have removable pates that are dishwasher safe. You can simply pull them out and pop them in the washer. This is a great new feature considering the millions of times I spent scrubbing my last original George Foreman Indoor Grill in the sink.
Finally, I have to say how well the indoor grill cooks is the last main feature that will separate the big dogs from the little dogs in this round. Both the Cuisinart Griddler and the George Foreman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill offer a variety of features that are meant to help prepare you for the cooking process and help you during the actual cooking/ grilling/ waffle making. The George Foreman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill offers users a convenient light that lets you know when your electric grill has reached the specified temperature. The Cuisinart Griddler has a light that lets you know it is on and two indicator lights on the two temperature control knobs let you know when your desired temperature has been reached. The Cuisinart does offer users two knobs for controlling the temperature on two different parts of the grill, while the George Foreman heats the entire surface to one temperature. So, I guess in this part of the contest the Cuisinart Griddler wins.
The undeniable winner of the indoor electric grill is definitely, well, you will have to decide. If you want a waffle make chose the George Foreman G5 Interchangeable Plate Grill. If you want two different cooking temperatures at the same time choose the Cuisinart Griddler!
