DeLonghi CGH800-U Retro Panini Grill by DeLonghi Sales Rank: 525 List Price: $140.00 $59.95 At Amazon on 11-10-2008.

Retro-look grill makes pressed Italian-style sandwiches quickly Also cooks meat, fish, and vegetables Hinged top adjusts to any thickness of food Nonstick plates slant to allow grease to drain off for healthier eating Mirror-finish with large cool-touch handle Product Review Stuff two slices of of rustic Italian bread with mozzarella, prosciutto, fresh basil, roasted red peppers, and whatever else takes your fancy, brush with olive oil, then press between the hot plates of this grill for the best panini outside Italy. The nonstick plates are hinged to adjust to any thickness of sandwich, meat, fish, or vegetables, and the bottom plate slants slightly to allow grease and juices to drain off into the included plastic cup. Brunch guests will ooh and aah over the retro-look mirror-and-glitter finish of the grill with its wide sweep of a handle. A round polished knob lets you set and see just the right temperature in a small glass window. Measuring 14 by 12-1/2 by 5 inches, the grill includes a cord wrap and locks for upright storage. A comprehensive gift-quality recipe book featuring more than 60 recipes for panini, bruschetta, and spreads comes with the grill, which is covered by a limited 1-year warranty. --Ann Bieri Product Description DeLonghi CGH800 -- Italian pressed sandwiches are all the rage among the culinary cognescenti this year, and once you taste one you'll know why! This appealing, "retro" designed grill is dedicated for making Panini quickly, perfectly and neatly! Embedded heating element distributes heat evenly for consistent grilling results Power on indicator and ready light for ease of use High wattage for fast cooking Stands upright with safety locking system Cord wrap Includes recipe book Join the crowd -- soon you'll be a Panini afficianado, too! Product Reviews I used to be a restaurant owner and chef, serving great toasted sandwiches from several commercial sandwich presses with flat plates and I really missed them after I left the business. After much consideration and reading reviews, I hesitatingly bought this unit due to mostly 5 star reviews. The Delonghi has a nice feature in the temperature control and overall build quality, however after making one sandwich I realized its serious shortcomings which I suspect is common to all grooved griddles. I do not understand the consumer fascination or hype for grill marks on sandwiches just so that you can 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 enough into the bread to cause the cheese to melt through the bread where the untoasted surface was between the grooves. So the grooves were toasting but not the between 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 about 3-4 minutes and would not come out of the press very easily due to the deep grooves where the softer bread "gave up" and simply started falling apart from being soaked. So I returned the unit, unsatisfied with the results. I then promptly replaced Delonghi with my second choice for which I should have trusted my initial instincts. I got the Breville unit because it is about the only one on the market that has flat griddle plates top and bottom for a truly even toasting over the entire surface of the sandwich. The heat level is perfect and the surface area is larger than the Delonghi and it will actually accommodate 4 sandwiches at one time. The bottom plate features a raised lip around the perimeter to contain ingredients that may run out or for cooking meat. You can leave the sandwich in longer than the Delonghi to allow 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 ruin anything cooked in it. I have also found it wonderful 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 also cooked Tyson marinated chicken breasts in it, with great results. And will next try sirloin steak cuts, which I am sure will yield excellent results. The Breville also has a stair step slider lid support on the side handle to allow you to set variable thicknesses for ingredients to avoid 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 its 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 commercial units we used in my restaurant. Back To Top DeLonghi CGH800-U Retro Panini Grill Available from Amazon Price: $59.95 Updated on 11-10-2008.

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