OT: Info on contact grill /sandwich makers wanted

if this is what I think it is, it is like the old time hot dog cookers we all made - two rusty nails, a piece of zip cord and a hot dog - put nains into each end of hot dog, connect nails to zip cord, plug other end into

110VAC and in 5 minutes you have a nicely cooked hot dog - maybe less time. never tried it with 220, so for our friends over seas, put two of them puppies in series first please just in case.

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"As advertised on TV" for such a low-cost item is a warning all by itself. It means that most of their budget went into advertising.

Basically, this is an electric griddle, probably very cheaply made.

We were given a George Foreman grill, which is similar but larger, used it maybe twice, but it was too much trouble to clean, so it found its way into a dark corner, and eventually vanished in a spring cleanup.

If you have a stove, a cast iron frypan with a glass cover will do the same thing, more reliably and cheaper.

The only advantage of such electric griddles is that they cook from both sides at once. However, cleanup is harder because there are two cooking surfaces to clean, one cannot immerse the griddle, or get it all that hot, or thermally shock it.

One cleans cast iron frypans by heating them up till the grease smokes, pouring in a little warm water, scraping with a steel spatula, pouring in more water, pouring it all into the sink, and wiping with a paper towel.

I have been doing this to my iron frypans since the 1960s, without difficulty. Do not do this to aluminum frypans - I wrecked one this way, bulging the bottom out so the pan would not rest flat on the burner. I don't know how a copper pan would fare, but I'd be reluctant to do anything that severe to anything but iron. And iron is cheap.

One does not wash cast iron frypans. One can wash the glass cover when it gets hard to see through.

I learned all this when I was a student and cooking for one. I learned the water trick from the short-order cook at MacDonalds where I worked one Summer.

The "broiler" in the student-slum apartment stove was far too weak to actually broil meat, so I learned how to pan-fry a steak. It works very well, actually, and the mess is contained to the pan and cover.

If you really want a sandwich maker that works, look into panini grills. DeLonghi is a good name for grills suitable for home use (versus restaurants).

Joe Gwinn

Agreed. Way too much of a PITA to clean.

I can't seem to get that idea through to my wife. I'm trying to season the damn thing and I keep finding it scrubbed clean.

[snip]

What worked with my wife was to point out that when I raised the pan to grease-smoking temperature, which has to be 500+ F, it kills all the dangerous bugs. Thermal sterilizers run at 450 F.

And the water leaves the surface quite clean to the touch.

And no soap taste.

Joe Gwinn

To actually answer the question. I had a similar one that was square and locked closed. You made a sandwich with butter top and bottom and it grilled it into two pocket sandwiches. Worked ok. I don't like the round idea of the one your looking at won't work for sandwich bread without wasting quite a bit. Also the rectangular ones are between $20-30 at Walmart last I checked. Thoroughly cleaning them's not easy as others have said but I just wiped it down with a wet paper towel while hot, worked fine, they're teflon. I have the George Forman grill that has removable plates that you can immerse them to wash them. I've had the old nonremovable plate one and would never buy that type again. Good for pork chops, hotdogs, boneless chicken parts, fish, grilled vegies and kabobs. Not good for steak (steams it). Sandwiches tend to stick even though buttered. I would look for the old fashioned reversable grill, 2 sandwiches wide, removable plates flat on one side and waffles on the reverse. It would do anything the Foreman grill will do and can be opened flat for pancakes and such. The only advantage to the Foreman grill would be fats and juices drain off. They are faster than stovetop. Hope this helps. Karl

If you have a waffle iron with removable reversible grids it is the same thing.