Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

OK, I've been using this product for about two weeks, grilling hamburgers, toasting buns, and even grilling shrimp. Here's my take on the product. Heat: Perfect! This works just like a charcoal grill, except that there are no flare-ups. Smoke: Less! As the description implies, it puts out less smoke. The drip tray still gets hot enough for the drippings to simmer, but nothing seems to really burn down there. Beef fat still makes little "dripsicles" that hang from the grill just like you'd see on a charcoal or gas grill, and these tend to get crispy and smokey. I managed to set off the smoke detector with it once, and I'm not sure if it was from a well-toasted bun (not burnt, just well-toasted, ha!) or from smokey fumes coming from the hot surfaces. Mess: Yep, burgers still cause a little spattering around the grill, but that's just the nature of the beast. There's nothing to shield the contents of your countertop around this grill. Plan accordingly. Cleanup: Speaking of spattering... the chrome around the top gets a little dirty, as do the exterior sides, at least from burgers. The nonstick grilling surface is super-easy to wash by hand, and it fits in the dishwasher just fine too. I really wish the drip pan had a nonstick finish so the rendered beef fat and drippings would slide right off after it cools down. Still, it comes clean pretty easily after using a paper towel to push the heavy stuff into the trash. You definitely don't want to dump that down the drain unless you really miss seeing your plumber between visits. Cleaning the interior is a little more difficult, requiring the same tools you'd use to clean a ceramic cooktop. The manufacturer's website recommends using a scraper on the chromed sides, which will scratch the finish. Liquid ceramic cooktop cleaner will dissolve any build-up on both the glass panes and the chrome side panels. Storage: It's big. Much bigger than the Griddler or a Foreman Grill. The dimensions listed in the Product Description are accurate. There's no making it any smaller, except maybe if you stored the removable grilling surface elsewhere, and that's only going to shave about 1.5 inches (4 cm) off the height. It's too big to easily store in a cabinet, so it lives on top of my toaster oven when the oven's not in use. If you have a relatively high ceiling, maybe you can store yours on top of your cabinets.