I use it almost everyday to grill sandwiches for my kids! easy to use, easy to clean and small enough to leave it outside of my pantry. The only thing I would like is for the cable to be a little bit longer. Durability I've had it for a few months now, used it almost 5 times a week and it's still working as new.

elodia69

USA

I received the Cuisinart GR-1 Panini & Sandwich Press as a Christmas gift. When I first opened it, I was a little well let down, it wasn't really something that I had thought I wanted. It was from my aunt though and I didn't want to upset her so I told her how much I liked it. I didn't try it out for a few weeks but then one night I just said what the heck. We had bought a bunch of sandwich fixings and some fresh bread. So we made up our sandwiches and put them in the press. I was delighted at how wonderful they tasted. They made an ordinary boring sandwich seem like a special treat. From that day on I was hooked. At first I mostly did sandwiches, then I started making wraps and heating up fajitas in it. Anything I put in it was fabulous. So I decided to try it out for grilling. My first experiment was ribs, and I closed the press on them so they would cook on both sides. I love how this cooks meat! The grease all runs out and you get wonderful grilled meat without all the work of doing it outside. This is a great little invention that will liven up everyday food, everyone should have one of these!

jmoorehouse

USA

This is a great machine and we use it all of the time. This item is great and easy to use. We use it for hot sandwiches at least once a week for dinner and all of the time for lunch. My kids love to have different sandwiches and this makes it so easy. The clean up can be a pain, but I found that spraying the machine with PAM has really helped the clean up process. Cuisinart has great products along with great customer service. We have not had any problems with this machine, but if we did, I am confident that Cuisinart would stand behind the product and replace it. I would highly recommend this product, or any Cuisinart products. Performance Works great, and heats up very fast. Durability We have not had any problems with this item breaking and has been very durable. Ease of Cleaning Can be kind of a pain to clean, but we have gotten used to it. Ease of Use Very easy to use, and quick to prepare sandwiches. It heats up very quickly.

karra1031

USA

My family got this Cuisinart press when we needed to replace our dead waffle maker and this has several removable surfaces for making waffles, pancakes, and sandwiches! We also use it to make hamburgers, chicken burgers, and even steaks because it cooks both sides evenly and we never have to flip them! Cooks everything perfectly and cleans up like nothing, and stores on a shelf out of the way until we use it again. Performance The press never overheats, but gets just hot enough to gently brown pancakes and waffles or make different levels of done for burgers and steak. The surfaces are sleek and smooth and never stick after being sprayed just once before each use. Durability Everything is built right in to the press so that all you have to do is open it, click in the surface on which you want to cook a specific food, and it hasn't had any problems at all! Ease of Cleaning Just wait for it to cool, pop out the surface sheets, and wash them under the faucet with a soapy rag that you also use to wipe off the stainless steel outside. Any grease slides right off, nothing gets stuck on at all! Ease of Use Just plug it in, set the dial for the right temperature, and spray the cooking surfaces just once to cook multiple servings. It always stays the same temperature, never gets too hot or too cold, and you can cook different foods on the same device as if it's several different appliances.

JEMofthe80s

USA

This press allows you to to make very delicious paninis very easily. It's convenient to use but if you have something like cheese in your sandwich that will melt on it can be a little annoying to clean. It is nice to have for making good food quickly but you could probably just make sandwiches in a grill pan instead to save money.

matmars

USA

My roommate purchased this in college. I had never before experienced a panini & sandwich press outside of a cafe. I was a bit skeptical to use it. However, when my roommate showed me how to use it, I was hooked. Cuisinart's Panini & Sandwich Press is so easy to use. You simply preassemble your sandwich and place it inside the press and press the great handle down. It'll let you know when it's done. It's that simple. While I did not make many sandwiches at the time, I did cook chicken in it. And it always came out beautifully--as if it had been grilled. I also used it to make quesadillas. So quick and easy and really scrumptious. Durability It seemed quite durable. I loved the thick handle -- made it easy to use. The only downside was that it takes up a bit of space on the counter top. Ease of Cleaning While my review is mainly in support of this product, because of how easy it is to use and how tasty it makes the food, it was a pain to clean. Food sticks to the top and bottom grills and grease usually covers it. But I learned that if I put a wet paper towel in it after I cooked it made the clean up much easier and quicker.

socalsunbeams

USA

Boy this thing sure is handy! Can be used anytime and anywhere. Great for sandwiches! I like the color because it goes well wit my kitchen. It is very durable and seems as though it will last a long time. For the price, it was a great investment. I like to make paninis, and it has been most useful for that. It can be a little bit hard to clean, so I would highly recommend having paper towels in or around the house when it comes to be that time after the meal. You actually have to hand wash it too, like you can't even out it in the dishwasher. Its kind of stupid in that way, but that's just me being very lazy, which I am a lot of the time. But you will not regret getting this product if you do end up buying it. My favorite thing to make on it is grilled cheese. I eat that for lunch on most days. Then on occasion I'll be really fancy and make a panini or five. When I am really hungry, I like to eat a lot of food, so I must make more than at east four. Sometimes it gets hard to clean when you cook sandwich after sandwich on the machine, but it is still very nice and works well with my all red kitchen. My favorite color is red.

megbrock09

USA

This piece of kitchen equipment is great for fans of paninis and grilled sandwiches. Although you can make a grilled sandwich with a frying pan, this press will significantly ease the process. It is also very difficult to make a proper panini without this tool. The sandwiches always come out perfect. The settings are adjustable so that you can make your sandwich as dark or light as you want it. The biggest issue is the price, but if you can afford it, it is well worth it. Performance This sandwich press works very well. Sandwiches almost always come out perfectly. Durability This is a very durable piece of equipment. I have had no problems with it so far after one year. Ease of Cleaning This is not usually difficult to clean. There are some issues though if you make a very greasy sandwich. Ease of Use This is very easy to use. The settings are easily adjustable and turning it on and off is simple as pushing a button.

queeni

USA

very good machine. grills chicken beef or pork from frozen very well. Makes great paninis that are much better than grilling them in a fry pan. Clean up is the one thing that can be a pain as the grills tend to get caked especially if you let it cool. Very good value overall.

jeffl77

USA

I got this Cuisinart Panini press as a gift and it sure beats my old way of pressing sandwiches, which was using 2 frying pans and cans from the pantry to weigh it down and press it all together. Besides that way being a major hazard on a gas burner... the end result was nowhere near the same as what I get now! I love that with just this simple kitchen tool I can add so many new varieties and twists on your everyday boring sandwich. My favorite is breaded chicken with basil mozzarella and jersey tomatoes with olive oil.. That takes a bit longer but in a hurry I will grab a chicken roaster from the deli at the grocery and then add spinach and bacon or anything that looks good that day. I look forward to Panini night and always think of new ways to use this! I even toasted garlic bread on this a couple of times so I didn't have to heat the oven up. Performance I have not tried another model to compare but this performs well and suits my needs. I don't get the light system on the front. It turns red and green but I don't really understand though I am sure If I read the directions it would help. I know that you have to wait for the press to heat up and then it turns green but then throughout cooking it will turn red again. Also maybe a temperature selection knob would be good, like a toaster would have. Durability I have owned this for at least a couple of years and have had no chipping of the metal, no damage to the springs, cord is perfect. Ease of Cleaning It is OKKKKKKaaaayyyy...in the cleaning department but since you can't submerge it in water I would prefer a place in the side to allow you to brush the crumbs out of the press. As it is now you have to try to get them up with a wet rag or paper towel and I never feel like it is 100% clean. I also get nervous with the wet rag b/c since you cant wet the unit then I don t want to use soap in fear that I wont be able to get it all off. Ease of Use Super easy, plug in, wait for light on top to turn green, insert sandwhich, ensure it is level and not going to slide and make a crooked sandwhich, press a bit, wait a minute or 2, press some more, wait another 2-3 minutes, then pop it out and enjoy! Unplug, let cool, attempt to clean...

nkandjojos

USA