De’Longhi CGH800 Retro Contact Grill and Panini Press 14.8 Inch Import To Shop ×Product customization General Description

Very Satisfied! (helpful review if you want a comparison to a Foreman grill)After spending hours reading online reviews on indoor grills, I decided on this one. I’ve had it over a week now, have used it several times, and am happy with my choice. Can’t speak to its durability or longevity yet, but DeLonghi seems to be reputable.I had a very large fixed-hinge Foreman grill that had sat around for years, then just when I began to appreciate it, it stopped working. I would say it only had moderate use for a year or two, so I was obviously disappointed with its lack of longevity.My priorities in purchasing a new grill were affordability, size, and quality/reputation. When comparing this grill with others, both online and in stores locally, I was surprised at the lower price, especially after receiving it. It looks really nice on the counter (it folds and stands on its edge), and is heavy and well-built. The cooking area is larger than many more expensive models. And it just looks classy!I have grilled pork chops and chicken breasts, panini sandwiches (both with deli meat and breakfast type sandwiches with eggs, bacon and cheese) and everything came out delicious! The grilled meats are definitely juicier and more tender than they were on the Foreman. I think they cook more evenly and the floating hinge allows cooking on both sides without squeezing so hard that all the juices run out during cooking. The cooking area is large and it cooks quickly, so I cooked meat for five+ in 10-15 minutes. I’ve made sandwiches with different types of bread, and that’s the key. So far the Ciabatta was my favorite. Nice and dense and crusty. Today I cooked a pound of bacon and I love the way it turned out. I cooked about 5-6 slices at a time, for 3-4 minutes, so it took about 10-15 minutes to cook a pound, and no grease popping on my hands, face, clothing, etc. It will be more work to clean than a skillet, but for me it’s worth it. I have always hated cooking bacon on the stove!Since this grill is open on the back and sides, I cover the counter top with a paper sack to keep it from getting messy. Depending on what you’re cooking, it does splatter a bit, and it can be a pretty messy clean-up job when grilling meat, especially if it’s very fat or you’re using a sauce. But the plates are non-stick and the food will come right off if you do it right. Although the book that came with the machine doesn’t say to spray with non-stick spray (except when cooking fish), I would recommend it. It really helps when grilling meat. (don’t need it for bacon or sandwiches, since you’ll coat them with oil or butter) What I found to work best is to scrape the grill while it’s hot (used my plastic scraper from the Foreman grill). This gets the worst of the mess off and keeps it from sticking. After it’s cool, I used the Foreman grill sponge (3-pack at Kohl’s for $7) and hot water (don’t think you’re supposed to use soap). Since the top of the grill is movable, it’s easier to clean if you lay it down against the counter by tipping the grill – but put a towel or something soft under it or you’ll scratch the nice, shiny stainless like I did the first time.Removable plates would be nicer for cleaning, but I’ve read that sometimes they’re not ideal. They can come loose while cooking, and some say the cooking isn’t as even with them. So it’s a trade-off. I can’t say first-hand because I haven’t owned a grill with removable plates. Just couldn’t find one that was large AND affordable (for me, defined as under $70).In summary, cleaning is comparable to the Foreman I had (actually a bit harder to clean because of the open back and movable top). Quality of food is better, because of the floating hinge/panini press design. It isn’t quite as large as my old Foreman, but it’s larger than most others. It looks a lot nicer and is easier to store than the “monster” Foreman I had. And of course I’m hoping for a longer life, too!Happy cooking!

Only for flat thin sandwiches, sliced foodsI love the look of this machine, the weight of the top, the temperature control. What I don’t like at all is that the back hinge does not allow for any kind of adjustment for height so if for example you are using little ciabatta rolls, I scooped out baguette, bagels, anything that is taller than about half an inch, maybe 1 inch high, you have to constantly keep pushing the items towards the back because the tall items like sandwiches that are not made on sliced bread are just too tall for this machine. There is no way to adjust the height so I will be returning it because it is such a pain in the neck to keep pushing the sandwiches back toward the back hinge rather than the front where they keep wanting to slide forward. Also, that means that the back part of the sandwiches are able to be pressed into Panini but the front part is still high and soft. Very limited use. Returning and paying more for a hinged adjustable model.

Great panini press, only a couple small negatives about itSince purchasing this panini press a month ago, we have used it many many times. The press heats up very quickly and cooks a sandwich in minutes. This particular unit can be used to cook meat, but I haven’t tried to cook any raw meat with it yet. I have pre-cooked some thinly sliced chicken breasts and then used the press to reheat them and it worked wonderfully for that purpose. I do like the deep grooves that funnel away excess fat ect. and deposit it into the included cup. It’s a nice feature and makes for healthier eating and easy clean up.The only negatives I have about this product are that the adjustable top of the press needs to be manually adjusted, so this means needing a strong set of tongs because you may not know it needs to be adjusted until after the unit is hot. Also, there is no On/Off switch, the unit is on when it is plugged in and off when it is unplugged (not really a big deal, though). And the press is suppose to have a “lock” button that keeps the top and bottom together so that it can be carried by the handle, but the “locking” feature is a joke. It’s just one small plastic tab that when pushed is suppose to lock into the frame, but it does not stay put at all. That would be my biggest complaint about this product.All in all, we like this panini press very much and will continue to get much enjoyment from it!

I wanted to love itI bought this in 2016 and I use it on off from steaks to toast. I don’t recommend the former. It’s kinda just good for just paninis or CubansPro:Heats up fastHolds heat (even with frozen burger patties but I wouldn’t do it)Cooks evenlySturdyPretty easy to clean (if you ignore the grease issue. More on that below. Non stick coating helps with the bits and wet paper towel to finish)Con:The grease is an issue. I’m not usually a gambling man but every time I use this it’s a little gamble whether or not the grease spout dribbles out and back on to the base of the unit. It doesn’t have any kind of beak so the grease kinda just dribbles back under the lip and goes all over the counter top. Sometimes no issues and sometimes I think I should just throw it away.The top lid when lifted after cooking will drip grease and condensed steam from the hinge area onto your counter. When you open it 90 degrees the bottom closest to the pivot actually is a little further away from the back of the bottom plate so it misses the bottom plates catch area and just drips on your counter.This would be a 10/10 for me if that grease lip didn’t cause me any issues. It cuts out basically anything that isn’t a sandwich because any juice or fat would end up on my kitchen counter. If you’re just using this for sandwiches though it’s pretty great but you have to use a thicker heartier bread as the bottom grooves are deeper. If you make grilled cheese or whatever with a potato or white bread then the bottom piece will have like a groove indent at least 1/4 in deep while the top is nicely toasted with the “grill” marks. If you can’t deal with those issues then what I’m really telling you is get a cast iron skillet, grab a clean brick (sanitize it and wrap it in foil), and just make your sandwiches that way. You don’t really need this.

Amazing…WHILE IT LASTED 🙁I bought this Panini Press on July 15, 2006 its and incredible machine, EXCEPT for one thing. It has fallen apart. First after about 6 months of owning it something inside started rattling, but it still worked fine [better then fine this Panini press works so well everything cooks evenly and well with perfect grill lines]. I go to use it today [April 11, 2008]and the whole top comes off the machine [aside from the coil in the back] the connection to the bottom piece [through the handle] broke off on both sides. I am hoping it was just my machine because while it lasted it worked great, to think a respectable company such as DeLonghi was starting to make products that only lasted a bit longer then their warranty would be rather sad. So as far as the machines skills as a panini press I give it 5+++ stars but as far as its longevity I would say 2 stars maybe. I hope this review helps and I hope that other people have not had the same results. Oh and for those who want to know the press was left on the counter and moved around only to clean underneath it.