If you live in a colder climate, you can’t do your grilling outside all year long, which is why many people are choosing an indoor grill for their homes. Though you may like Cuisinart’s products, they aren’t all as fantastic as their manufacturer claims. That’s why we’ve done the hard part for you, researching the best Cuisinart griddle models on the market for you to choose from.
When picking the 5 units for our reviews, we focused on a few key details. They needed to be reliable and time-tested griddles, as well as top sellers to prove that they are meeting their user’s expectations. We also included a variety of functions, from the larger 6-in-1 function models for a wide variety of meal options to the simple 3-in-1 units for your everyday tasks. If you’re in the market for the best Cuisinart griddle, check out our detailed reviews and handy buying guide below.
More features: adjustable temperature from 175 to 450 degrees; digital controls
If you’re interested in the best Cuisinart griddle 5-in-1 model on the market, this one may be the right one for you. It has multiple cooking options, is made of durable materials, and is easy to clean when the cooking is done.
The top cover, handle bar, and control panel are all made of durable stainless steel, which can handle a bit of rough use and cleans up well, even when cooking some greasy burgers.
What we liked: The cooking plates are reversible, with a flat griddle on one side and a waved grill side. This allows you to choose the right ones to match the meals you’re cooking, even if you need one of each at the same time. The plates are also dishwasher safe for added convenience.
Another handy feature is the floating cover, which can be adjusted to sit perfectly on top of your paninis, burgers, chicken, or whatever else you’re cooking, no matter how thick those meals are.
It is easy to adjust the temperature on the Cuisinart Griddler Five using the simple knob and the LCD screen. This screen also tells you which function has been selected and displays the timer, so you can keep track of everything in one place.
What could be better: Though the flat plates help to cook evenly, they do make drainage an issue, especially on those greasy foods, like burgers or bacon. Placing a small item beneath the legs can help correct this if needed.
More features: preset temperature; dishwasher safe plates; Power On/Ready to Cook indicator lights
Not everyone can afford an expensive griddle model. Luckily, the Cuisinart GR-11 comes with a decent price, plus it is well-made, so you don’t need to worry about it falling apart after a few uses.
This Cuisinart griddle has a brushed stainless steel housing that resists scratches and wear. You can lift the top plate up and out of the way to use the bottom plate, or you can lay it flat, giving you twice the cooking area for larger meals. The floating top plate also presses firmly on paninis, chicken, steaks, or anything else you’re cooking without crushing your meals.
What we liked: Adjustable feet on the bottom of the unit make it easy to control the drainage when cooking burgers or other greasy foods. The drip tray is integrated into the unit, so you don’t need to worry about perfect placement or a messy counter.
Another handy feature is the grill plates, which are removable and dishwasher-safe for easy cleanup when your meals are over. These plates are also non-stick, so you don’t need to scrub them, even if you’re dealing with melted cheese.
What could be better: There are no dials or temperature adjustments. Instead, you only need to plug in the unit and let it heat to the preset temperature. The red light tells you when it’s heating, and the green one lights up when it’s ready to cook on. There is no on/off switch, so you do need to make sure you unplug it when you’re done cooking.
More features: recipes and scraping tool included; floating cover
The Cuisinart GR-4NP1 5-in-1 griddle grill combo allows you to create a variety of meals using one handy unit. It includes 4 plates, 2 flat ones and 2 waved ones, so you can use whichever ones you like, depending on what you plan to cook.
As well as using just the flat or waved plates, you can also use one of each, cooking burgers, chicken, or meat on the waved one and some veggies and other sides on the flat one.
When flat, you have two separate grilling surfaces for more food at once, or you can cook on one side, flipping the other side up and over when making sandwiches or adding the grill marks on both sides of your meat without worrying about flipping anything over.
What we liked: As well as the multiple grilling options, this model has simple controls that consist of 3 knobs. The middle one lets you choose whether you’re using the griddle or the grill/panini plates. The side knobs ones correspond with your middle knob choice, with temperature settings on the grill side and low, medium, high, warm, and sear options on the grill/panini side.
This Cuisinart griddle grill combo is durable, with a brushed stainless-steel housing, a sturdy handle, a floating cover, and dishwasher-safe cooking plates.
What could be better: The only issue is that the top of the unit that flips up and over tends to run a bit cooler than the bottom side, so there is some unevenness in the heating.
More features: can sear at 500˚F for up to 2 minutes at a time; 60-minute countdown timer
Though it may be more expensive than some other models, the Cuisinart griddler Elite has a ton of great features that may make it worth the higher cost. This griddle is a heavy-duty model, with large cooking areas for those big family meals.
What we liked: There are 6 cooking options to choose from, including a full griddle or grill, a half griddle or grill, a panini press, a contact grill, or the full melt option. There are dual-zone temperature controls, so you can use each side of the unit at different temperatures to cook more than one food item at a time.
The adjustable top cover has 6 preset heights to choose from, with a lid latch to hold it in place when cooking or for storage.
On the front of the unit is an electronic LCD display, the control knobs and buttons, and a 60-minute timer. All your settings are displayed on the screen for easy reference.
Other great features include the brushed stainless steel housing, the integrated drip tray, and the sear function that reaches 500˚F for up to 2 minutes. The non-stick plates are reversible, with grill and griddle sides, plus they can be removed for easy cleaning. A cleaning and scraping tool is also included.
What could be better: The high price is something you definitely need to consider. Also, the lid latch is a bit hard to engage at times, especially when dealing with a hot grill, so be extra careful to avoid burns.
More features: dual-zone temperature control; sear function; cleaning/scraping tool included
The Cuisinart GR-150P1 Deluxe may be priced a bit higher than some other models, but it also comes with a few extra features that may make it worth checking out. One of these is the large cooking area of 240 square inches when using both plates at once.
This model includes 6 cooking options so you can close it fully or partially, depending on what you’re cooking, and open it up to grill, griddle, or both at the same time.
What we liked: The grill plates are reversible, with a flat side and a waved side, plus they are non-stick. This also means that they are removable and dishwasher safe. The dual temperature knobs and sear buttons allow you to adjust the temperature of each plate individually or sear on one or both sides as needed.
An adjustable top cover lets you position it to 1 of 6 heights, so you can lower it to cook meats and sandwiches on both sides at once or leave it raised to melt cheese on sandwiches, pizza, or burgers.
There is brushed stainless steel for the housing on the base and cover, which adds style and durability at the same time. An integrated drip tray on the back catches all the drippings from both trays, even when the top is raised.
What could be better: The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe takes at least 10 minutes to warm up but maintains the heat when cooking and even offers a 500˚F sear function for all your meats.
There are several different griddle brands on the market. Cuisinart is one of the top ones out there, with a variety of models that range from small, simple units to large ones with an abundance of features. This may make it a bit difficult to choose the right one, especially if you aren’t sure what the differences are. To help you make this decision, we’ve created the following buying guide, covering all the features these models have to offer.
When choosing a new Cuisinart griddle, there are several features to consider. This will ensure you’re getting the right model for the meals you plan to use it for and the space you have available.
When it comes to the functions of a griddle, there are more options than you may realize. The simple machines, like the Cuisinart GR-11, may only have 3 functions. This will likely include the contact grill and panini press, which both allow you to close the grill over the foods for faster cooking without worrying about flipping things over, and a full grill that lets you lay the top cover flat to cook on both sides at the same time, doubling your cooking area.
There are also Cuisinart 5-in-1 griddle models that add some flat griddle plates to increase your cooking options. As well as the contact grill, Panini press, and full grill, there are full griddle options and half and half, which lets you use one grill side and one griddle side to cook more than one food at a time.
If the model includes an adjustable top cover height, like the one on the Cuisinart GR-150P1 Deluxe, there could also be the addition of a top melt option for cooking. This lets you set the top cover over the food without touching it, so you can melt cheese on sandwiches or burgers with less of a mess when you`re finished cooking.
When choosing the Cuisinart griddle for your home, consider which of these functions you`ll actually use and buy the machine that offers those particular cooking options.
The cooking area tells you how much space on the grill you have to do the actual cooking on. This is usually displayed in square inches in two sizes. For instance, the Cuisinart GR-4NP1 lists the cooking area as 99/198 square inches. The smaller number tells you how much space there is to cook when the unit is closed, and the larger is for an open grill with both sides being used to cook on at the same time.
The size of the cooking area can vary from machine to machine, so it is a good idea to consider how much food you intend to cook on it at once. If you are only cooking for two people, you`ll likely only need room for a couple of pieces of chicken or a few burgers at once, so a smaller unit will do for those little meals.
For larger groups of 3 or 4, you will need more room to feed everyone, otherwise, you’ll have everyone eating in shifts. A larger unit, like the Cuisinart GR-150 Elite, offers 120 sq. in. of closed space and 240 sq. in. of open space, giving you the room you need for those larger meals.
Though the Cuisinart GR-11 has a preset temperature that it heats up to and maintains during the entire cooking process, all of the other models in our reviews have adjustable temperatures, so you can set them to whatever you need them at, depending on the foods you`re cooking.
Some of these models use low, medium, or high, while others have it listed in Fahrenheit, with a specific range you can choose from. Others use both, with the griddle using Fahrenheit and the grill and Panini knob using the low, medium, and high options.
There is another option to consider when choosing your new Cuisinart griddle. With some models, when you set the temperature, both plates heat to that specific setting, so it makes it a bit tricky to cook more than one food option at the same time. Models like the Cuisinart GR-150P1 Deluxe have dual temperature zones, which means that there is a knob for each plate, so you can set them both at the same temperature, or you can have them at different ones to cook a variety of items at once.
The dimensions of the Cuisinart griddles in our reviews may not seem like a huge issue until you try to fit it on your counter. The larger the griddle is, the more space it will take up, leaving you less for food prep. If you have a small kitchen with limited counter space, you may need to stick with a smaller model. You should also ensure it will be easy to store when you’re not using it, which will free that counter space up for other things when you`re not cooking a meal. Larger kitchens may not have such space issues, so any unit may work in the area you have available.
The weight is also something to look at, especially if you`re going to be moving it from your counter to a cupboard every day or so. The heavier it is, the harder it`s going to be to move it around, so if you don`t plan on leaving it out all the time, a lighter one may be a good option.
Though you hope you never need it, the warranty on any product is one of the most important features to look into. If the product you’re using isn’t working as it’s supposed or arrives damaged before you even take it out of the box, you shouldn’t have to pay for a new one. A good warranty will cover you for issues like these, with repairs on a damaged machine or a replacement model offered to ensure you have a product you can use.
For all of the griddles in our reviews, there are 3-year limited warranties included. This means that Cuisinart covers any issues with the parts or the manufacturing process. In most cases, you do need to return the faulty item. The shipping for the faulty one and the replacement product is not covered under the warranty, so you will likely have to pay these costs as well.
The features that we’ve listed above are the most important ones to look for when choosing a new Cuisinart griddle, but there are also a few extras you may want to look for. These extras make the griddles even more convenient to have in your kitchen.
Dishwasher safe parts make clean-up easier since you don’t have to worry about scrubbing the mess of the grill plates, drip trays, and anything else your food may have touched. An included scraping tool lets you scrape off any debris as your cooking and when you’re cleaning up after the meal is over. These are designed to be safe for the griddle you’re using as well. A recipe book helps you get started with the griddle, offering some tasty treats to try out.
Digital controls are another handy feature. Though they may still include knobs and buttons to choose the settings, the digital display ensures that you have the right cooking temperature and displays any timer that you have set.
Cuisinart griddles are handy little kitchen appliances that allow you to cook a variety of meals all year long. There are several models available, but a few are worth a second look.
Our favorite is the Cuisinart GR-5B Five, which is a 5-in-1 unit made of stainless steel, with an LCD screen and digital controls. This model also includes dishwasher-safe reversible plates, an adjustable floating cover, an adjustable temperature range of 175 – 400 degrees F, and it is easy to clean.
The Cuisinart GR-11 has a brushed stainless steel housing, a floating top cover, removable non-stick plates, adjustable feet, and an integrated drip tray. This model is compact, lightweight, with 3 functions, and a decent price.
The Cuisinart GR-4NP1 has 5 cooking options, simple controls, a floating cover, and 4 dishwasher-safe plates. It has a brushed stainless steel housing, a sturdy handle, and even includes a scraping tool and a recipe book to get you started.
