Waring Pro CIG100 Professional 1800-Watt Cast-Iron Grill

This is the best indoor grill on the market. I consider myself an expert on these things having used an indoor grill consistently for over 6 years. I had an old t-fal which came to and end after it simply wore out. This 2-3 years ago. Ever since then I have been keeping an eye on the market for a replacement. The critical requirement for the replacement to be the same method as the old t-fal, and that is, open slats/slots on the grill and water drip tray. This is the key to an indoor grill. The majority you see on the market are closed tops and are nothing more than "griddles". No way shape or form is it a grill when you're essentially frying the food in its own oil despite any method they devise to simulate a grill. It must have a proper bbq grill with slots /slots for the height to come up and the juice to drip down.This product has it all. Super high / hot element 1800 watts. All others are toy like at 1000 to 1200. Cast iron grill which combined with the high element heats up to real bbq'ing temps. Drip tray that holds sufficient water that regardless of how long it is on, it does not evaporate the water before cooking is done.I've done steaks (2 inch thick), chicken breasts (bone in, skin on), high fat content sausages, chops, pretty much ran it through everything I cook regularly and in quantity. Cannot express my satisfaction more with the way it cooked the food and operated as an indoor grill. The biggest shocker to me, was no matter what, there was zero smoke. I have a grill fry pan that the same things would cook in and what have to battle the smoke while cooking. This thing sits on the stove top under the vent, and so far I have yet to experience any smoke whatsoever even while cooking on high for half an hour. Unbelievable to me. This is of course due to the grill having slats / slots so fat and juice can drip off and down, and the large sufficiently sized drip tray containing the water. The water catches it all as well as keeps it cool(er) underneath. All works to perfection.This is as close to an outdoor grill as you can get. Cast iron grill cooks hot and clean just like outdoors. So much so, a tip is to oil down the grill once it is hot otherwise some foods stick to it. Same deal as on an outdoor cast iron grill. Cleaning wise, I got a small wire bbq brush, and under 5 minutes under hot water have the grill cleaned for the next round. Another tip which had me quite worried the day I got it (2 weeks ago) after reading here, was after prepping it for the first time, completed that, then gave it a cleaning then set about to use it for the first time. Did not work!!! Panicking I read here that the on/off switch breaks immediate or something. However thankfully before buying I took the time to read the online manual and recalled that there is a safety mechanism built it. Phew. You have to push the drip tray all the way in, there is a switch there that cuts all power off, even if the drip tray is a 1/4 out, that switch will not allow it to switch on. Push the water tray all the way in.Pros- super hot element 1800 watts- real heavy duty cast iron grill- grill has slats / slots so fat can drip off and food can get real heat from underneath as well as through the grill- good size and very easy to clean drip try - doesn't even need wiping down, just pour out and rinse under hot water- good simple effective design, large size, works as advertisedCons- super short power cord. after reading the manual it is stated by design to avoid people tripping or knocking it over. I had to buy an extension cord even though it sits on my stove with 2 banks out outlets, which were just out of reach.Highly recommend this product.

I wish they would make a grill like this that would get hotter. They just don't char the meat as well when you turn them over as there is moister trapped between the meat and grill. Thick meat won't cook well on the sides but it is manageable. This is better than the George Forman grills that we have used and boast more heat than others on the market. I like the cast iron and can be a little more difficult to clean but it also doesn't flake off pieces of teflon or other non stick surfaces.It is well made. We have been using this for about a year and I have no complaints about the material falling apart or not working.

Bought this as a gift and was only used once, now it will not turn on or heat up. Great idea for the cast iron grill and it worked great the one and only time.Also had I known the seller would not refund since it was over the 30 days I would not have purchased it through them. It was a gift and I did purchase it ahead of time, but really only 30 days. What happened to the 90 or 60 day policies. I have learned.

Update 2016-01-27:We've been using this grill on and off for a little over a year, and I've decided to lower my rating from three stars to two. It really is nearly impossible to clear if you plan to store it indoors in a place like Florida where insects are always a concern. And while it's the best product if you absolutely need an electric grill indoors and can't install a 40 amp circuit for a commercial countertop grill, it's not very close to a true grilling experience.We just did a skirt steak last night, and it was ok, but just barely worth the effort (in fact, maybe it wasn't quite worth the cleanup effort). I wouldn't buy this again, and can't recommend it. We get approximately as good results with our oven's broiler (which is, admittedly, a pretty good one), and I regret the space that it takes up on a shelf in our tiny kitchen.The control is still working, though, which I guess is better than what others have reported.-------------------------------I bought this grill in spite of the warnings about the control failing after a short period. For what it's worth, ours is still working, but it's been less than a month, so far, with only a couple of uses. I need to use it more so that if it's going to fail, it fails while I can still return it.Anyway, that's not the reason for my three-star review. This grill has two main weaknesses:* It doesn't get nearly as hot as an outdoor gas or charcoal grill.* It's extremely difficult to clean.I have to guess that the four- and five-star reviews are all from men - or at least not the person who has to clean this thing. On the plus side, it's sort of a "real grill" - it's got a cast iron grate that holds heat well and allows grease to drip away. And, while not as hot as an outdoor grill (or a commercial charbroiler rated at 5KW or more), it will do an acceptable job on food that doesn't absolutely require real high heat. We did a skirt steak (pounded thin) a couple of days ago, and it wasn't bad - not as good as on a charcoal grill, but nobody could expect that. Hot dogs, sausage and chicken thighs come out fine. Shrimp on skewers need high heat, though - the result was only fair. My wife won't even let me attempt anything like a real steak or a piece of swordfish.But the bad thing about a cast iron grilling surface is that it can't easily be cleaned "indoor clean". They always retain some grease and cooking residue unless you scour them vigorously, after which you have to wash thoroughly, dry immediately, and re-season with a light coat of oil and high heat. And all of the other surfaces get grease and whatnot spattered on them and must be cleaned well, too. You certainly wouldn't store your outdoor grill in a closet inside your house, but, since you're probably going to keep this grill somewhere inside, it has to be clean enough to not smell or attract insects or worse.Short story: cleanup is horrible. I can't imagine anyone who tries to keep their kitchen clean enough to prevent roaches and other things from moving in putting up with much of this.We live in a tiny condo on the eleventh floor and grilling isn't allowed on the balcony, so we have no choice - it's this grill or nothing. But if you have any possibility to use an outdoor grill, nearly anything is better than this. If you don't, then this is probably as good as it's going to get short of installing a 40A circuit for a charbroiler. But let's understand one thing clearly: the "professional" in the name of this grill is just words - not much about this product is professional. Even its stainless steel parts are not commercial restaurant-grade stainless - a magnet won't stick to restaurant stainless equipment. For true professional stuff, you need to spend over $1000 for a commercial charbroiler rated at 5KW or more.