Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

What a disappointment! What a ripoff! What a joke! Amazon says I should tell what I would have wanted to know before I bought this thing. Well, I woiuld have wanted to know not to waste my money on it. This thing is a cheaply made piece of junk. But, like so many others, I got taken in by sweet little old Kathy and that toady who, apparently, will eat anything and pronounce it fabulous. So I bought one. I was looking for something small, that would fit a chicken breast or salmon steak. So far I've only tried chicken. Unfortunately, the chicken breasts I got apparently were too fat; this appliance burned the tops to a crisp and, yet, the interior still was pink. (I used cooking spray on both the bottom and the lid.) Since then I've had to slice the chicken breasts sideways to keep them from getting incinerated on top. I have to watch the thing like a hawk; when the timer reaches "0" the timer stops, but no bell or signal goes off and the heat STAYS ON !!! Found that out the hard way. Cleanup is awful. The plates are fixed, so you have to wash the whole thing in the sink. It's very awkward to clean and you have to hold it in peculiar ways to keep it from slamming shut on your fingers. In spite of continued scrubbing with a plastic scour pad there still is residue on both "nonstick" surfaces from the first time I used it. I always feel antsy about washing this electrical appliance in the sink and won't plug it in again until the next day to make sure it is perfectly dry. I haven't tried anythiong but chicken, because I don't want to waste expensive steak or salmon in this crematorium. Most of the things Kathy whips up in the infomercial I wouldn't eat on a bet, so the "recipes" and pan inserts that come with it are useless to me. I could have used a round insert that fits snugly in the bottom so, at least, all I'd have to put in the sink would be the insert. Thay have one, too -- the only way to get one, though, is to join their "pan of the month club" thingy @ $19.99 + exorbitant shipping every two months for 2 pans, and they send you the basic round pan with your first order that includes two other useless (to me) pans. But the website doesn't tell you if you can cancel your "membership" in this exclusive club, so you may be sending them $20+ every other month for the rest of your life. Of course, you'll accumulate a vast assortment of ridiculously useless pans (do I really want to cook a heart-shaped omelet?). I haven't had it long enough for the nonstick coating to peel, but I'll look out for that. Meantime, I'm ordering the Cuisinart Griddler Jr GR-3 and when it comes, Miss Kathy's cute little red paperweight goes into the trash.