Contact Grill Reviews

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 wonderful 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 about getting another, but I loved the concept and was 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 many Panini sandwiches and everyone is excellent. The grilling of the sandwich takes about 4-5 minutes and produces wonderful 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 bought rolls all proving wonderful.

The combinations of sandwich fillings for Panini's are endless. I serve a large Panini with a bowl of soup for an easy weeknight dinner and a change of pace from the many recipes I make on other nights. We really look forward to each and every one and I am not disappointed in this product.

I want to comment on the non-stick - it is absolutely wonderful! Cheese or anything that may ooze out just comes up with a piece of toweling, nothing 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 excellent 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 highest temperature on the control as I only use this grill for Panini sandwiches, but I am sure that it would be perfect with something that needed a lower temperature. Also an additional plus, --it certainly would be ideal if my husband was not finished with something I served first 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 wonderful 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.

This grill is fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have used it for both panini sanwiches and grilling meat and have had great results.

No on/off switch though, kind of a hassle, but compared to old wolfie's grill, this is top of the line.

clean-up is easy, temp control is a plus and very fast cooking time. 1" chops in 8 min WOW!!!

Was looking for an indoor grill and glad to have found this one. It works really well. Cooks evenly, no smoke, looks good on counter, much better quality than those competitive products you hear about from famous chefs. Just a bit hard to clean inbetween the grooves, but that's to be expected of any grill like this. Good quality product-I'm happy.

I did my homework and I thought I was buying a great table top indoor grill to cook chicken and steaks to replace a different brand that had just died on me. Well, I was very disappointed when I used it the first time and "tried" to grill pork chops. It took forever (much longer than the manual stated) and I had the temp setting at the highest. They finally did get done but were not very tasty and dried out because I had to cook them so long. My opinion is that because the grill is open on the bottom to the drip pan and the eating element is underneath....much of the heat goes down and not up to the food on top.
It was, however, easy to clean which was good because I packed it up and shipped it back the next day.
Sorry Delonghi, back to the drawing board.

I have used a number of Foreman and Hamilton Beach contact grills. I bought this because I thought with the heat control I could sear then cook.

WRONG>

This is the absolute worst grill on the market. It simply does not get nearly hot enough to sear or even cook on the highest setting...say 20 minutes for a rib eye. Ludicrous.

Look elsewhere...I am throwing this monstrosity away!

Do not buy this grill. I tried to give it zero or negative stars, but the system would not allow that. The grill does not perform as described. It does not get hot enought to sear or brown the meat. I grilled a couple of pork steaks on the grill for over 30 minutes and they never got browned. Instead, there were light brown streaks where they contacted the grill and the rest of the meat just turned an unappetizing dirty gray color. Also, despite the length of time the steaks were on the grill, parts that were not in contact with the grill were not completely done. The manufacturer will undoubtedly say that a person should put the cover on the grill, but then the meat is being steamed rather than grilled and will not brown. And, I am not at all sure I will be able to return it, because I have used it and it was not shipped by Amazon, but by one of the marketplace merchants.

This lightweight pan lacks a stable base and tips easily off the burner while cooking.(I have standard GE coil burners.) Care must be taken not to spill the contents of the drip tray into the burner when the pan tilts, and it definitely should not be used on a front burner if there are children in the house. My daughter has the "as seen on TV" version, and it is a much better pan.