Before buying the Breville, I exhaustively researched the alternatives, and looked at the Breville, the Cuisinart Griddler and some of the Foreman models at stores. I actually purchased the Cuisinart Griddler but returned it, after seeing the Breville.Apologies for the length, but if you are trying to decide among all the models, the following might help you.
(1) Many cooking sites and independent reviewers complain that these type of grills are often too small and too underpowered to really cook food effectively.That is where the Breville is superb, at 1800 watts, and isn't that what a grill is for -fast, hot, and effective cooking?But high and even heat is an integral part of the Breville design.The biggest difference between the Breville Smart Grill and the Cuisinart Griddler is that the heating elements in the Breville are embedded *inside* the Breville plate itself.The underside of the Breville plates shows the embedded element, and the electrical connection is on the underside, that plugs into the Breville itself.This means the Breville plates heat directly; heat faster; heat more uniformly; and include their smart technology to detect cold meat and immediately turn up the heat.With the Griddler, the heating element is exposed and open and is not part of the plate, and lacks any of this technology.The Breville definitely heats up faster and I measured more consistent heating across the plates as compared with the Griddler.I believe that the Foreman works the same way as the Griddler with regards to those Foreman grills with removable plates, but I can't definitely verify that.Why would anyone buy those models of Foreman with plates that can't be removed for cleaning?
(2) This means that the Breville must have two separate sets of plates, one with ridges for grill and a flat one for griddle. So that means you must buy two more plates to get the same advantage as the Griddler since the Griddler plates are reversible.But the Griddler plates lack the built in and embedded heating elements.So you get what you pay for.
(3) The hot heating element of the Griddler is also directly cooking the non-stick surface of whatever side is "reversed" and on the inside of the Griddler.A store that sold both suggested that this might explain why some have had problems with the non-stick surface of the Griddler. (But I suspect that most problems are caused by the caustic soap of dishwashers.I hand wash my Breville plates with the Foreman sponges (see below) and they wash off in a snap -less than one or two minutes of washing.)
(4) Both the Breville and the Griddler have a lid that can be set flat, for doubling the griddle surface.Do any Foreman grills do that?I don't think so.This is a really useful feature that doubles the usefulness of these appliances.
(5) The Griddler has no tilt for the grease and juice to roll off.So with the Griddler the juice and grease just sits there during cooking.The Breville tilts down like the Foreman grills, and it really works when cooking three or four hamburgers.But the Breville can also be set to be flat when used as a griddle for pancakes or eggs, so the pancake batter doesn't also roll off!I believe that *only* Breville included this feature -to be set at either an angle, for grease, or perfectly flat, for pancakes.
(6) The Griddler includes a small grease tray that pulls awkwardly out from the side.Breville has a really large tray that pulls straight in and out from the front, and that is far more convenient if you have limited counter space -especially on the side that the tray pulls out on the Griddler.Foreman grillsare bigger losers in this regard, with a grease tray that just sits on the front, waiting to be tipped over.
(7) Both the Calphalon and the Breville have a feature whereby the floating lid can be set to ride higher than the bottom plate, so the lid doesn't mash down the food. The Cuisinart lacks this, and just mashes down the food.But look at both in a store.This feature on the Calphalon is not very sturdy and looks like it would break.The Breville is rock solid when set to hang over the food, and can therefore be set way above the food, for open-faced sandwiches.8) I'm not an expert on non-stick surfaces, but the Breville surface appeared thicker and more durable than the Griddler.
(9Finally, the Breville is larger than the Griddler, and big enough to cook for more than one or two people, but is not that much larger than the Griddler.The Griddler, in my opinion, is too small.The Breville is just the right size for more than one person.
(10) Buy the Foreman sponges when you order the Breville.The grooves in the Breville grill plate match those on the Foreman sponges perfectly.
(11) The Breville doesn't include a grooved spatula to push through the grease, as does Foreman and Cuisinart.I ordered some of the Foreman spatulas, and they work on the Breville. Breville should include those plastic spatulas, as does Foreman and Cuisinart.
(12Yes, Breville should include two more plates as the other reviews have indicated.The Breville and two additional plates (for a set of two grill and two griddle plates) is $399, and that is a lot to pay for an appliance like this.That is four times more than the Griddler.Breville should include the plates to be more competitive in the marketplace.It should be noted, though, that the Breville as packaged for $299 with one grill and one griddle plate would give you the grill marks on the top side of your meat, and the hamburger or steak would cook on the bottom side on the griddle just fine.
CONCLUSION -But you get what you pay for in this case.If you want the best, it is the Breville.But it does cost three times more, as compared with the Griddler, with one grill and one griddler plate.Breville needs to include two more plates, for two griddle and two grill, and do so for $299. But like others who reviewed the Breville, I purchased the unit with the extra plates for $399 and highly recommend it.
ADDITION OCTOBER 24 2011 -Additional plates can be purchased from Breville or William Sonoma.Additional grease drip trays can be purchased from, using a standard web address: (I hope Amazon leaves this up, since you don't sell the part)
eReplacementParts
Part number:
BGR820XL/107 Drip Tray Assembly.
I then have extra sets of plates and trays, and just wash two sets of both in the dishwasher once a week or so.I'm single and it takes me that long to fill a dishwasher even part way.However, all of these parts hand wash very easily, especially with the George Foreman sponges that fit the grill plate grooves perfectly.But I'm lazy and prefer to use the dishwasher.
I've been cooking on this grill for about 3 months and it is wonderful!The smart grill has two removable plates, one with ridges (the grill plate) and one that is smooth (a griddle plate). You can make delicious food right out of the box without buying anything else, but I plan to buy another set of plates so that we have two of each kind. The grill will open flat and both sides heat, so you can see the possibilities you would have with two plates of each kind. Functionally, the digital controls on the grill make it very easy to use. It has three basic settings: low, panini, and sear, which take you from 320 to 450 degrees. You can use the dial to set a precise temperature and a cooking time. Since both plates heat, the grill warms up quickly and is ready to cook much faster than a regular oven or outdoor grill. One reviewer mentioned problems with smashing her food. The top plate can be adjusted to not touch, just touch, or even press down on the food. To get the effect you want, read the instructions and play around with the sliding knob on the side of the top plate while the grill is cold, before you are ready to start cooking. I smashed some hamburgers the first time out, but the level of the top plate is not really hard to adjust -you just need to practice for about 5 minutes to see how it works.
Clean up is super easy. The grill has a knob that lets you tilt it a little to catch runoff of juices or grease. The plates' non-stick surface works great. I've burned a little food on them several times while learning to cook and it is no problem to get the mess off. After many uses, our grill still looks almost new. It is such a sturdy, classy looking appliance that we have given it permanent counter space.We have made all kinds of breakfast foods on this grill -bacon and link sausage come out especially well, much better than in a pan because you can cook both sides at the same time and drain the grease away while you are cooking. This means the meats will have nice, crispy brown crust and you will get a little less fat! The grill is also great for seafood. We have made some wonderful salmon fillets and shrimp. Quesadillas are also so easy -and a fun project for older children. And of course, you can make endless varieties of panini. Finally, because the grill can be locked in the closed position and stored upright, it is easy to transport if you like to tailgate. Can you smell the sizzle? Buy this with some silicone tipped tongs.
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I have to be honest here. This was my first Breville product. I have always been a Cuisart or Kitchenaid kinda guy, but not anymore. While this product is a little pricey, it is worth its weight in gold & built to last. There are so many uses for this Smart Grill! I have made steak, paninis, pancakes, shrimp skewers, burgers, hotdogs, chicken, french toast, crepes, you name it you can do it! What I love about this grill is that there is an extremely accurate temperature gauge & a timer as well! The temperature gauge even tells you what certain temperatures can do, for example, there are low settings,panini settings & searing settings. Whats great about this grill is that there are no cool spots. Everything cooks evenly. I live on the 3rd floor of an old colonial, so if I want to BBQ its a pain for me, to go up and down the stairs 10x while my burgers are cooking, this grill is perfect for counter top cooking. The smart grill allows you to interchange the cooking plates too ( In the original package, you get one flat top (griddle) & one grill pan (looks just like a real grill top) but you can go on& purchase additional plates. This is exactly what I did. I can now have a full grill or a full griddle if I choose at anytime! We always have friends visiting with us and this makes for easy breakfast and dinner! In the morning we can easily fit 10 pancakes on the full griddle at once! When we are grilling we can easily fit 12 hamburgers or 4-6 steaks depending on the size. All in all this grill is a quality product and I would recommend it to EVERYONE! If you buy this grill and don't like it, feel free to email me and I will gladly take it with a smile!!
Hope this Helped!
Jason
New Breville Fan for life!
Read Best Reviews of Breville BGR820XL Smart Grill Here
I bought the Breville Countertop oven (BOV800XL) a little over a year ago and I continue to love it, so I thought I'd take the plunge and get a Breville panini maker which was on sale. This was their cheap version which does not have many controls and has non-detachable griddle surfaces. I hated it and returned it promptly.I was surprised at the poor quality in light of it being made by Breville.
Despite this experience, something made me consider this "top of the line" Breville griddle which I'd been resisting (it cost more then their countertop oven and offering less utilityso I thought!)I purchased it on impulse, preparing myself to be disappointed.I'm NOT..I love it.
Today I grilled eggplant rings which I very lightly brushed with olive oil. After grilling them I topped them with sauce, mozz slices and a sprinkle of parm cheese.I raised the level of the top griddle to melt but not touch the cheese.My huband claimed it was more delicious then traditional eggplant parmasan.Definately less fattening.Every day I have a new discovery that makes this griddle so much fun.
The removeable, interchangable, replaceable griddle surfaces are fantastic.The griddle heats up quickly.It looks very impressive on the counter. Its surfaces are very easy to clean. I also like to keep my countertop appliances unplugged when not in use and Breville has designed a brilliant plug with a finger grip hole that makes this easy to do. It's beautifully designed.
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The only reason I am giving this product 4 stars is because it only comes with one flat plate and one ribbed plate.For the cost, it should come with 2 of each....By the time you purchase another set of plates to have two of each, you've got $400 wrapped up in this bad boy.
The grill works incredibly.Preheats fast, leaves great grill marks, is completely non-stick, and it just feels completely solid (Weighs 21 pounds).
Foreman Grills are ez-bake ovens compared to this bad boy.
Breville service is great too I had an issue with one of my plates and I e-mailed their support. Within a week I had a replacement plate on my doorstep.Nice to see that there is quality service to go along with this premium product.
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Quite simply, this mesh basket works great for grilling veggies. The metal handle can get hot after awhile -I've surprised myself a few times by grabbing the handle too close to the basket. Otherwise, this basket grills conveniently. The shape of the basket makes it ideal for flipping veggies for more event grilling.
