Looks like GR4 is no longer available. Based on the online discussion, I'm not interested in the other option. Let me know if any more GR4s get refurbished.
Too hot to grill-
summerinillinois

stephenopolus wrote:Was in the process of ordering a GR-4. Went into the other room to get my wallet to complete the order but before I could finish my order the thing sold out! I cursed at the screen but that didn't help :-)

Seriously, is the polished one that much of an injury trap? I can see myself forgetting and placing my hand on top of it and winning a trip to the emergency room. If this is possible, why haven't they been recalled?

I would like to get one but I wanted the GR-4 Although, I cant imagine it being that much cooler to touch since it's top is also metal.

Is there anyone who has used both and can help me out with my safety concern?

I wouldn't worry too much. You do't really need to get your hands on the top of the unit or need to reach over it when it is cooking. Additionally the handle still stays cool, and is far enough away from the main unit that accidentally touching the top of the unit is all but impossible.

CRAP. I bought one of these from newegg.com when it was on deals.woot, for $70.

Anyways, we love it. Love it, love it, love it! We have the shiny stainless one and haven't had any trouble with burning ourselves on the top of it.

Looks the same, though the article doesn't specify model number... Hammacher Schlemmer calls it the "Best Panini Maker."

The Best Panini Maker

Get the GR-4 back in stock!

Woot! finally something to buy.

orchidee400 wrote:I cannot wait to recieve this beautiful equipment. I will make cuban sandwiches and tomato, mozzerella and basil sanwiches and grilled cheese with bacon and tomato and pupusas and quesedillas and use it to grill in the winter or on rainy days and make fried cheese and pancakes and potato pancakes and corn fritters and fried green tomatoes.

please tell me you dont make the "cubans" with freakin lettuce and tomoato and salami *shutters* cubans have ham and pork and swiss or queso blanco ONLY with a little mustard maybe a little mayo, but thats it!

this has been a psa brought to you by me. thank you and enjoy your "panini panini banana panini" maker and have a great day. =P

After reading a lot of reviews on both at amazon, I've decided that the GRID-8 has had many more defect problems than the GR-4, such as not working at all after a couple uses or having the temperature permanently stuck on High. If Woot! still had the GR-4 in stock, I'd be in for one, but I'll just have to hope that they get more in for a Woot-Off at some point.

Refurbed Food Products? No. Thank. You.

SO, a few folks here have mentioned (or at least alluded to) grease spatter on the countertops, which is gonna happen cooking any sort of meat on any sort of countertop griddle.

What I do when using the griddle is attach plastic wrap to the countertop area where the griddle will be used. When cooking is over, simply pull up the plastic an toss it. Not the most environmentally friendly solution, but effective.

I suppose someone could, instead, use a few layers of newspaper.

Just a suggestion.

mirylad985 wrote:After reading a lot of reviews on both at amazon, I've decided that the GRID-8 has had many more defect problems than the GR-4, such as not working at all after a couple uses or having the temperature permanently stuck on High. If Woot! still had the GR-4 in stock, I'd be in for one, but I'll just have to hope that they get more in for a Woot-Off at some point.

It seems as if a lot of Wooters are concerned about the GRID-8. The differences in the reviews at Wootdaddy - er, I mean Amazon - MIGHT just be statistical drift. But one poster here mentioned having both.

However, they look identical to me (in the Woot pictures), except for the finish and the knob/handle colors.

Can someone at Woot tell us if there are any functional differences between the 2 models?

There's a chance the refurbs are actually customer returns from AMZ. After all, AMZ sells appliances and will take returns for pretty much any reason.

HaeSuse wrote:Refurbed Food Products? No. Thank. You.

Caution: do not attempt to consume stainless steel appliances! The long-term effects of such ingestion have not yet been fully researched.

SuperTully wrote:Nothing beats a good monte cristo sandwich grilled on a fine panini maker, nothing!

Except for one breaded and deep fried like they should be. Like Bennigan's made them. Oh, how I miss Bennigan's.

workinpoor wrote:SO, a few folks here have mentioned (or at least alluded to) grease spatter on the countertops, which is gonna happen cooking any sort of meat on any sort of countertop griddle.

What I do when using the griddle is attach plastic wrap to the countertop area where the griddle will be used. When cooking is over, simply pull up the plastic an toss it. Not the most environmentally friendly solution, but effective.

I suppose someone could, instead, use a few layers of newspaper.

Just a suggestion.

Hmmm ... I just wipe my counter with a sponge ... works just fine.

The pans are interchangeable from grill to griddle. You just pop them off and stick them in the dishwasher. Easy. I love mine.

I have this, and paid over $100 for it, and it was worth every penny. I can't recommend it enough - we use it for pancakes, sandwiches, veggies, and it will actuall sear meats (not just steam them like most tabletop grills). It heats up very quickly, and cleans very easily. If you're on the fence, I will say GET ONE - you won't regret it

tanama wrote:I have this, and paid over $100 for it, and it was worth every penny. I can't recommend it enough - we use it for pancakes, sandwiches, veggies, and it will actuall sear meats (not just steam them like most tabletop grills). It heats up very quickly, and cleans very easily. If you're on the fence, I will say GET ONE - you won't regret it

I have a tiny George Foreman that can pretty much do 1 piece of chicken at a time, and keep thinking I need to get a bigger one. I really wanted stainless/brushed surface, but for this price, I'm off the fence! I took the plunge!

adamrgolf wrote:How does this compare to a foreman?

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/250012/comparing_two_indoor_grills_cuisinart.html?cat=22

I've had one for around a year and I love it. Great for pancakes and sausage, and makes fantastic grilled cheese. Having previously owned an original George Foreman, this is roughly a billion times better. Well made product that does what it does well.

Well, I snooze, I lose. I was mulling this over for hours now, and finally had committed to buying one, but the polished finish is gone, and that is really the only one I would have purchased.

Berlker wrote:Dear hysterical band-wagon followers, please stop complaining about random stupidity you hear on the news until about one month after you stop using or consuming anything that someone tells you might harm you. If any of you have not died of starvation, we'll be glad to bring you to a hospital where you can whine all you want while you convalesce, assuming you will allow yourselves to be treated.

I'd be in for one, except that I have a parrot and the vapor given off by regular, hot nonstick surfaces are known to kill birds.

If birds can quickly die from breathing the stuff, is it that unreasonable to think it may not be healthy for us to breathe?

jsale325 wrote:Well, I snooze, I lose. I was mulling this over for hours now, and finally had committed to buying one, but the polished finish is gone, and that is really the only one I would have purchased.

No - the polished one is what remains, and the button is bouncing!

NightGhost wrote:No - the polished one is what remains, and the button is bouncing!

Sorry, I am lacking in brain energy, flip that, reverse it! I meant the brushed one is the one I would have purchased, that is what would match our other appliances. The polished one would just stick out too much!

You are on top of it! Dang you NightGhost!

Poor Greshmahg. Has no clue about this product. We have it and love it. First, any, that is ANY grill like this has slots for the grease. Forman gives you a little tray. This one is the perfect height for a cup. Greshmahg, you're supposed to put a cup under the slot--not a paper towel!
Also, who lays their hand on the top of a grill?
The other thing he said was that the top part makes his bread slide. If he had read the directions, he would know that the top is adjustable for the thickness of the bread. You just swing it into position. Also, the DIRECTIONS SAY to hold the top down WITH THE HANDLE, Greshmahg, for 30 seconds when you start the panini.
If you follow the directions, this makes a wonderful griddle/grill. You can do anything on it. Great for veggies, too. Also, the plates pop right out for the dishwasher. This is very, very easy to clean.

I have this very griddle purchased at a local big box store and have been very, very pleased with it. I would never ever own a portable grill without removable/dishwashable trays again and this grill cleans up very easily. I find this grill heats very quickly and evenly and gives you control over the temperature, unlike many of the George Foreman types that are simply on or off. I am able to put four frozen burger patties on at once and if sprayed with cooking spray, experience no sticking. Very good product--highly recommended.

In for one - I've had others that I've hated (underpowered), here's hoping this one is a little better executed....

FYI: Most schools won't let you bring a panini maker into the dorms due to fire hazard rules.

mghenry wrote:I got a refurb one of these from a previous Woot. It works great but I did have to wash the grill plates before I used them - they came complete with disgusting old grease on them.

Ugh disgusting--That's a deal breaker.

jsale325 wrote:Sorry, I am lacking in brain energy, flip that, reverse it! I meant the brushed one is the one I would have purchased, that is what would match our other appliances. The polished one would just stick out too much!

You are on top of it! Dang you NightGhost!

Sorry...

matthewcoliver wrote:FYI: Most schools won't let you bring a panini maker into the dorms due to fire hazard rules.

That's okay ... let them use their popcorn popper like we used to do ... mmmmm, grilled balony on the popcorn popper ... life was good ...

gchew wrote:Looks like GR4 is no longer available. Based on the online discussion, I'm not interested in the other option. Let me know if any more GR4s get refurbished.
Too hot to grill-
summerinillinois

I would think the stainless steel polished surface would be easier to clean. Isn't the rest of the unit identical?

*Sigh*
I was going to buy this. Started looking at them about an hour ago, not sure if I wanted it or not. When I finally got on my break (I'm at work, ha) they're sold out.
CURSES!

matthewcoliver wrote:FYI: Most schools won't let you bring a panini maker into the dorms due to fire hazard rules.

That's why you don't tell them...We weren't supposed to have beer either, oops.

"I'd be in for one, except that I have a parrot and the vapor given off by regular, hot nonstick surfaces are known to kill birds."

This is true if overheated. Usually this is with fry pans. I assume that since this has it's own controls, there is less chance of this happening. But, yes, there are warnings on legit bird sites.

Since this unit is semi-contained, it probably is better, but bird owners are still taking chances.

kbohnr wrote:That's why you don't tell them...We weren't supposed to have beer either, oops.

Well, some things are harder to hide than others... try cleaning this in the rest room.

sucker4crap wrote:Well, some things are harder to hide than others... try cleaning this in the rest room.

Truthfully, with the removable grill plates being all that needs to be cleaned with each use, cleaning them in a restroom would be fairly simple. I feel like no one would really question it.

Is this recommended by Dr. Steve Brule?

http://video.adultswim.com/tim-and-eric-awesome-show-great-job/griddleman.html

nickolaus wrote:Is this recommended by Dr. Steve Brule?

http://video.adultswim.com/tim-and-eric-awesome-show-great-job/griddleman.html

What's a Panini?

amuelle3 wrote:What's a Panini?

Like a cowboy boot.