By A
I have hoped by now that I would see a review on the DeLonghi Retro Panini Grill CGH800 and have been looking since October 2003. I have read other reviews on competitor’s models, but to date no one has written in on this terrifi unit so I feel I should.
I had a bad experience with another Panini Grill, also comparable in price but with handle breakage problems. In the reviews for the one I had purchased prior there was another with the same problem. I was hesitant when it comes to getting another, but I loved the conception and was more than willing to try another brand with high quality standards. In November I purchased this product.
The unit is very heavy and well made, and the handle is strong. I have made a heap of Panini sandwiches and every one is excellent. The grilling of the sandwich takes with regards to 4-5 minutes and gives rise to fantasti grill marks and the contents inside are very hot. I have used homemade bread, French bread, rye bread, pitas (which I feel are too thin) hoagie rolls and even store purchased rolls all proving wonderful.
The compoundings of sandwich fillings for Panini’s are endless. I serve a big Panini with a bowl of soup for an easy weeknight dinner and a change of pace from the galore recipes I make on other nights. We genuinely look forward to each and each one and I am not disappointed in this product.
I want to comment on the non-stick – it is utterly wonderful! Cheese or anything that may ooze out just comes up with a piece of toweling, not one thing ever sticks. I have not grilled meats on it as I have three sizes of another well-known grill, but have grilled zucchini along side the sandwich. With the splendid coating I would not hesitate to cook meats and I like the fact that it has a trough for the grease to drip into the cup that is provided.
I also have not used anything but the most eminent temperature on the control as I only use this grill for Panini sandwiches, but I am sure that it would be perfective with something that necessitated a lower temperature. Also an further and added plus, –it surely would be idealisti if my husband was not finished with something I served basi and the thought that I could keep sandwiches warm and not burn the bread by turning the temperature to a low (keep warm) setting for sure is a wondrous addition to this product.
The product is pricey, but if you want quality and long life –this product is worth the investment. I am very happy with my purchase.
621 of 658 humans found the following review helpful.
Who Needs Grill Marks?
By Born in Kansas
I used to be a restaurant proprietor and chef, serving outstanding toasted sandwiches from various mercantile sandwich presses with flat plates and I genuinely missed them after I left the business. After much considerateness and reading reviews, I hesitatingly purchased this unit due to for the most part 5 star reviews. The Delonghi has a nice feature in the temperature control and overall build quality, nonetheless after making one sandwich I realized it is severe shortcomings which I suspect is mutual to all grooved griddles.
I do not perceive the buyer fascination or hype for grill marks on sandwiches just so that you may get that Italian “Panini” look. Grill marks may look cute but they are a functional waste for a toasted sandwich. The problem is that the deep impression made in the bread causes an uneven heating of the bread surface and ingredients underneath. I made a classic Rueben with rye, big eye swiss, corned beef, kraut and thousand island dressing. The ridges pushed deeply sufficient into the bread to cause the cheese to melt through the bread where the untoasted surface was amidst the grooves. So the grooves were toasting but not the amidst where the cheese soaked through. ALso consider that rye is more dense than typical sandwich bread and it still did not withstand this process. The sandwich ended up a soggy mess within regarding 3-4 minutes and would not come out of the press very effortlessly due to the deep grooves where the softer bread “gave up” and plainly started falling isolated from being soaked. So I returned the unit, unsatisfied with the results.
I then promptly substituted Delonghi with my second choice for which I will have to have trusted my original instincts. I got the Breville unit because it is in regards to the only one on the market that has flat griddle plates top and bottom for a veritably even toasting over the entire surface of the sandwich. The heat level is perfective and the surface area is more spectacular than the Delonghi and it will actually accommodate 4 sandwiches at one time. The bottom plate features a raised lip around the perimeter to comprise ingredients that may run out or for cooking meat. You may leave the sandwich in longer than the Delonghi to concede a more crusty surface if desired or more heat to the interior ingredients without burning anything. It is very forgiving on cook time so it would be hard to destruct anything cooked in it. I have also found it fantasti for cooking hamburger patties. And it does it very quickly. A third to half pound pattie will cook in 3-5 minutes, cooking both sides at one time. Not to mention that my Rueben now comes out perfect. I have likewise cooked Tyson marinated chicken breasts in it, with outstanding results. And will next try sirloin steak cuts, which I am sure will yield magnificent results.
The Breville likewise has a stair step slider lid aid on the side handle to concede you to set variable thicknesses for ingredients to keep out of the way of smashing your panini or toasted sandwiches to cardboard thin slices of bread. Also allows for great pizza reheating to crisp the crust on the bottom plate and setting the lid to the open “radiant heat” melt position, hovering to warm the topside ingredients while the crust does it is thing. All in all, a much superior choice unless you like “tire rut” sandwiches. I am very impressed with this unit which performs as well as the $600 mercantile units we applied in my restaurant.
Every home needs a panini grill
Worth each penny
