Grill Reviews

I purchased the 5 Star grill as a Christmas present for my husband. He had admired the "other" grills, but once I discovered this one at Amazon, I knew I had to try it. We have used it on numerous occasions since Christmas and have been more than satisfied. We thought at his first attempt at chicken he was preparing too much. It was so delicious we didn't even have leftovers! Only one problem. Wish more recipes came with it. That would give a better indication as to time to allow to cook something.

I used to grill outside on a portable gas grill and a large gas grill. Both were just too hot to grill fatty chicken like leg quarters, unless the heat was put on very low. That is OK unless there is any kind of breeze to blow out the fire. This grill solved that problem. I can now grill fatty meats without the burn off bonfire I used to get after grilling pork and chicken. I also don't have to worry about the fire getting blown out. I also get to leave this grill under the covered porch. The gas grills would smoke up the covered porch very badly.

My family has enjoyed all kinds of meat grilled on this grill. I have never even used the recipes that came with it. The variable temp makes it so I can grill ANYTHING; I just have to proceed with caution and figure out the temp that works best with the type of meat I am cooking.

Clean up is a pain, but it is worth it to have such great grilling. I used to have to boil any chicken with the skin on it, but now I just use this grill and let the fat drain off. It is worth the price. I would recommend it for someone who has some grilling/cooking experience, though, as few recipes leave a lot of experimentation in order. I've not burned anything yet; on the contrary, my family has enjoyed everything I have cooked on this appliance.

Having enjoyed the classic "lean mean grilling machines" to prepare burgers and chops for a few years,I was curious to see if the new 5 Star grill would help in my new (and very small) kitchen environment. The verdict? It's fabulous! Having very good temp control (to 450 degrees), 4 distinct direct grilling surfaces, steaming, woking, and roasting capability, this gem will get lots of use in an active kitchen. Cook burgers and steak for 6 without touching the grease pan. Clean up is quick and easy. It is not for a couch bound chef, as you do have to turn your burgers, steaks, etc., as with any true grill, and the results are great. It really is one of the few products that will work with your imagination. The only minor negative is that the manual is short and to the point. It tells how and why, offers a few good suggestions, and you are on your own. Lastly, I think that the person who wrote that the grill had a hard time cooking a steak misunderstood, and tried to grill the steak on the steaming rack included in the package. My first steak was well striped, and grilled to perfection.

The grill pan is wonderful except it needs a lid to keep in the flavor and to speed up the cooking process. My husband accidentally put the grill pan in the dishwasher and when I removed it; it had rust all over it. I had to throw it out. Never make this mistake!

This would probably be it. although I would really lament not having my french press, too.

I love, love, love my grill pan. it really does a great job at searing in moisture, making everything I've cooked on it so good.

it's a little rough to clean, yet. you can't exactly throw it in the dishwasher. I am finding, as it seasons more and more, it gets easier to clean.

I do find that as I use this, my efforts at searing cloud the whole kitchen with smoke, but I suspect this is entirely a reflection on my cooking abilities, and not, in fact, the spendid grill pan.

if you have a family, you're going to want/need two or more of these. it's big, but not big enough to manage more than a couple of breasts/steaks, etc.

and try "grilling" corn on this baby sometime. yeah. it's pretty tasty.

It's cast iron, so you can run this pan as hot as you dare to sear the flavor in. Makes excellent burgers, with nice grill marks but no burned spots, even done all the way through. Try that with a George Foreman and your burger will be black outside and dryer than the Mojave Desert inside.

The square pan provides plenty of room to fry up a few burgers and the hot juices in the bottom are made-to-order for sauteeing a few mushrooms, onions, or peppers to go on top. The handle is fatter than older Lodge designs and quite ergonomic as long as you're wearing an oven mitt. Cleans nicely by boiling a little water in the pan and giving it a quick scrub with a stiff round natural-bristle vegetable brush.

ONE MINOR DETAIL - I own the pre-seasoned Lodge Logic version of this pan, which is not currently offered by Amazon. You'll have to season this pan yourself, and I can't vouch for whether it will work as well as the pre-seasoned version.

It doesn't matter how I prepare this pan for cooking, - spray, oil or whatever, food sticks. I don' t find it easy to clean. I have to soak it for a time to be able to clean it up. I prepare the pan with Pam or olive oil and food still sticks. I am very disappointed. I don't use it as much as I would like too.

Yet again I have purchase another faberware product. This out beats the other brands. It is a very solid grilling pan. it also cooks quickly and browns quickly. It is very easy to clean.

We weren't expecting much (got it free with a purchase of a set of pots), yet this has become the most used pan in our kitchen. Very heavy base, heats quickly, browns beautifully and is just a joy to cook with. We are very happy to have this pan- you will not be disappointed.

Yesterday (Christmas) instead of having cold turkey sandwiches we cooked an entirely new fresh bird for the evening meal. I have to say that in 50 minutes we had the best tasting turkey I have ever had. The crisp skin melted in your mouth. The frying of the turkey was easy and uneventful by following the enclosed instructions. We looked like tailgaters out on the front sidewalk frying the turkey with the freshly fallen snow around us. By the way, the leftovers made great tasting sandwiches today. Excellent product when used correctly.

I was hesitant to make fried turkey this year because of all the dangers involved in frying one, however, after a lot of research, I decided to give it a try. Assembling it was easy and about people complaining about how unsturdy it is, I have to disagree. I thought it was pretty sturdy, it's not like someones going to walk by and kick the fryer. About the oil over flowing, I got tips from other sites on placing your bird in a trash bag and placing the bag in the empty pot, filling it with just the right amount of water, then take out the bag and then either mark the pot or just remember where the water mark was located. Empty the pot and make sure you dry it out well, add your oil (peanut oil is best due to it's high heating temp) and you should be fine. Another tip was adding a whole onion in the oil so the oil wouldn't scorch. I don't know if it actually worked or not, but I did it anyway and it didn't seem to change the flavor of the bird. When adding the turkey into the oil, lower it very slowly. We made cooked a 20lb turkey in less than 1 1/2 hrs! Make sure this is all done in an open area of course and not indoors. If you're careful, you'll have a wonderfully moist and great tasting turkey!

Though I can't speak to this particular product, I've also seen the UL video footage, and even that comes with the disclaimer that they were not following directions.

I just had some delicious fried turkey yesterday, so please don't let the potential dangers scare you off. A charcoal grill could be equally as dangerous, if used improperly.

Just a few tips:
1. READ THE DIRECTIONS! Don't let your manliness get in the way of this one. You're working with boiling oil and an open flame connected to a propane tank. You don't want to learn the hard way here.
2. Use only as much oil that will cover the turkey. You don't want to over fill the pot...this is what the UL testers did to force the oil to overflow.
3. NEVER use a frozen turkey. Make sure that it's fully thawed, and patted dry with a paper towel. You probably know how oil reacts when you put frozen french fries into a skillet. Imagine that same reaction with 8 gallons, and a 10 lb ice block of a bird.

If you stay safe, and use your head, these cookers can be a great tool, and produce an incredible meal. Bon appetit & happy thanksgiving!

Bottom line: unless you use a pot holder, be ready to burn your hands on the lid or side handles!! This, to me, is a FATAL flaw.

I have heard all the buzz about Calphalon, and purchased his pan as it seemd to be a good price. But it is really nothing special. If the non-stick proves to be more durable, that will be nice. It does have a unique and useful shape. Past that, I have other pans whose handles protect my hands and that have proven to be durable, provide even heting, and are available at similar or cheaper prices.

This is my first ever Calphalon purchase. After dealing with cheap pots that lose their nonstick coating and then rust and burn over time I was ready to try something on the more expensive side. I generally use the same one pot for all of my cooking, whether for making soups, stews, pasta sauces, ethnic (Indian and Middle Eastern) meat dishes, etc., so I decided it would be worth it for me to spend this much on one pot, especially one this big. It is a great, large pot, an unusual size to find in an open-stock offering, and at a great price. My local Dillards wanted to charge me $... for a Calphalon 6-qt saucier from this line. HA! :)

The handles and lid do get hot but I just solve that problem by keeping a small pot holder on the lid at all times. They are bolted on so well, I won't have the problem I used to have with cheap pots where the handles became loose over time.

It is very wide and allows me to sautee a lot of meat at once and make layered dishes that can still heat through quickly. One minor is the fact that it is a very wide pot and it is wider than my standard-sized burners, so I often have to shift anything I'm sauteeing around between the center and the middle because the food in the center cooks quickly but the food on the perimiter doesn't.

It is very easy to clean. For the first few weeks I had it it had a strange smell whenever I washed it but that has gone away.

I bought this pot on major sale, and probably wouldn't have bought it otherwise, but I love it! It can be used so many ways, as a stockpot or a dutch oven (which I don't own, so this is really handy). Cleans up so easily, you won't worry that it can't go in the dishwasher. Very sturdy, heats evenly. Great investment for your kitchen.

I have seen this at work and was impressed. I cannot see how it can be a fire hazard, if used properly. I intend to buy one to use for when we are in the Nascar Infield, I am not too keen on deep fried foods but I think it would be excellent for steaming Lobster and clams.

This is a great set to use when you want to start out to deep fry turkeys. It really gives you just about everything you need, with the noted exception of the turkey. We have used this set at a crawfish boil and it worked out very well.
Honestly we purchased this set becuase of its flexibility. This can deep fry turkey's, fry fish, and much more. We bought ours because we like to brew beer. Finally a way to brew beer outdoors! Stainless steel pots can be very expensive, one pot alone can set you back further than this whole set.
This set comes with some good accessories, and should be very versitile. Think about using this at your local chili cook off, or perhaps at a church function, picnic, and so much more.

Easy to use, convenient and wonderful food! We started out with chickens and will graduate to the big bird turkey. Lemon Peper marinate injected (with a little hot sauce to spice it up) and we were in business. Also cooked french fries and breaded chicken strips. A car load of my son's friends showed up and we wound up having a party! NOTHING was left! Between the deep fryer and the grill, we won't ever have to use the stove again!

I'm giving this 2 stars because it works great for small and quick meals. However, after my third use, the lever to the warming lid broke off. Now it is secured with duct tape. Yucky. After the sixth use, the back of the unit, the white coated metal is now a burnt brown color. Makes me nervous that it gets hot enough to color the body so quickly! As with any appliance, do not leave unattended!

There are too many great things to say about this little device: It's affordable to anybody, even if you are a student stuck living at school. It's compact, you can store it anywhere--a closet, your car, your office, the kitchen cabinet. It's powerful--I have plugged it in and in just minutes began working on an entire three course meal for six people with only this unit to work with. It's easy to clean--this is one of the few products out there that is every bit as easy to clean as the commercials show it to be on TV. It's is economical, using very little electricity to do a just that would waste electricity in a conventional oven or even an older model microwave oven. It's versatile--I have cooked everything from thin pieces of tempeh strips to thick steaks and it cooks both to perfection. You never would have been able to convince me to buy anything on TV before (and most certainly not from a former boxing champion...) but since a friend both this grill for me I have thanked them time and again (and in turn bought the same gift for many a friend of my own).

We've had it for a couple of weeks and it has cut our meal preparation time in half (at least). We had the best chicken ever tonight, juicy but well cooked. Despite what other reviewers claim, this unit is easy to clean, requiring no more than a few minutes with a damp sponge and a paper towel. Watch your fingers on the metal edges, thought, it gets hot!

I was given this item as a gift years ago and it has been used regurlarly since. I'm glad to find it's still available! All my friends and family have asked where I got it. Now I've found it! On the down side, the Teflon has worn somewhat but other than that, not a problem one. I'm a single guy and I love it!

I love this unit. It's inexpensive and it grills to perfection in no time.

I am not a cook. I ate out every night of the week until I had kids. This makes grilling SO EASY and it takes less than a minute for cleanup. I would TOTALLY recommend this grill to non-cooks and cooks alike! Especially for those who do not have outdoor grills-- a great substitute for grilling steak & burgers.

Ok....I spent a lot of time researching which grill was right for me. I finally went with the Weber Summit primarily because it had a dedicated smoker/burner and also a commercial grade side burner. It came down to a Vermont Casting VCS 4000 and the Weber. In the end, I got a great deal on the Weber through a different company at 9% over cost. I called the Weber customer service line before the purchase, just to check out the response time. I spoke with a person on the second ring. Very helpful people. They even have a BBQ line through the summer months to help people with any BBQ questions. Now that's customer service!!

Anyway, after it was delivered to my house, I put it together in about 1 ½ hours total. Add an additional 15 minutes checking for gas leaks. It goes together very easily, but there are just a lot of parts and it takes awhile just to get them out of the boxes. There is no way one person puts this grill together under an hour.
Now it was time to BBQ. I know the grill will do burgers and steaks, so that wasn't what I wanted to test. My first meal cooked on it was beer can chicken. I used the smoker with hickory chunks (not chips), that were soaked in water for about 5 hours. Halfway through the cooking process I noticed that I needed to compensate for the dedicated smoker burner on the left side. I turned down the main burner on the left, lower than the right, using an indirect cooking method, so I would have a balanced temperature. I did this only after looking at the chicken half way though the cooking process and noticed the chicken was cooking faster on the left side because of the smoker burner. The chicken took about 75 minutes total, at about 350 degrees. The commercial thermometer that is built in seems very accurate. I also had a digital thermometer stuck into the thigh so I would know when the chicken reached 180 degrees. Anyway, the chicken had a beautiful brown skin to it when I took it off the grill. I let it sit for about 10 minutes before I carved it up. My wife and I sat down to eat. We loved it!!! It was cooked very evenly and had a great taste. The smoke had really flavored the chicken and even turned some of the meat pink. The beer had also made the chicken nice and moist. I've smoked meat in a "true smoker" and I like that too, but this also works well and without the charcoal mess. A person doesn't want the smoke flavor to over power the meat....at least that's my opinion.
I will be trying every recipe I can in my books. I would recommend #1. HOW TO GRILL and #2. WEBER's BIG BOOK of GRILLING to start. I will be adding ART of the GRILL soon to my grill book collection. I will update my review as I grill. I hope this helps, as I had problems finding reviews for the product that were detailed and accurate. I'm leaving the review at 4 stars as I have not tried every feature yet.

Have had the Silver C for a week now. Comes in a big box that takes up an entire pallet. Assembly was very simple, amazing how little hardware was needed. All tools necessary come with the grill.

Construction is awesome, no sharp edges, everything fit together very well.

First time I ignited a burner, I could barely tell it was lit. The burners are pretty much hidden from sight. Grill gets to 500+ degrees pretty darn quick. I cooked a couple of 1"-1.5" thick steaks last night in about 8 minutes. They may have even been over cooked for my taste, they came out about medium. Nice grill marks on the steak with no char.

Smoker option may have been a waste? Cooked some chicken thighs for about 1.5 hours using Oak chips, didn't really get any smoke flavor? I'll try again.

Overall, a really nice grill. Expensive, but I really think the overall quality makes up for the price.

I think this is a great grill, well worth the money. The smoker worked very well and with hickory chips it adds great flavor to anything you grill.It goes together easy and is well made.

Zero stars so far.

We bought the grill expecting it to be effortlessly shipped to our door. No luck. A full week after paying for the grill (and of course being charged) we got a call from "Global Logistics" whatever that is - some type of middleman delivery service I assume.

Regardless one of us has to work from home to take delivery of the grill that we ordered. A whole day home to get the grill, as if it were the cable installation people or something. I will never order another big-ticket item from Amazon again - and recommend highly against buying this particular item if you live in the greater Boston area. We should have just gone to a store and grabbed the grill. Very unsatisfied with this experience on Amazon.com/Global Logistics.

This is a well built grill that performs well. I looked hard at the models A, B, and C, read the reviews and concluded this is the one most people should get if they are willing to spend this much money on a grill. The A model is too wimpy, you really need three burners vs two on the A. The C model has the extra side burner but that burner is meant to be a sauce warmer, not a water boiler. So don't get it unless you want a seperate sauce warmer on your grill.

so why are you wasting money shopping for another? Don't! If you are still looking for another sub-$200 grill, you are either cheap, or not a serious Ninja Grill Master. Save your money and upgrade to a Weber. This grill is fantastic, but not quite perfect. I purchased mine at a Home Depot, where I had a 10% off coupon, and the service people agreed to exchange the porcelein coated grates for the cast irons grates in a floor model for free. This grill is an outstanding value. I use mine a couple of times every week. I've owned it for six months and couldn't be happier. My only complaints are small:
My grill sits on a third floor balcony, and sometimes it can get very windy here. If the grill is facing the wind broadside, it can be moved by the wind, even with the small rollers in their locked position. Moving the grill fixed this problem.
The cast iron grates, although fantastic at searing and retaining heat, do rust a little if not maintained properly. Weber recommends not cleaning the grates after each use and then doing a "burnoff" prior to each use. I find that even doing a hot burnoff prior to use can cause some rust to appear if you aren't grilling a greasy/saucy meat (aka chicken burger). I've started just leaving all meat juices/sauces/residue on the grill and only cleaning a spot on the grill with a wire brush if I need to use it. Accumulated gunk is good for preventing rust.
Otherwise, this thing is a very well thought out appliance. Vegetables cook beautifully. But don't buy this grill if you are a vegetarian, because you won't want to stay one very long. Weber Genesis loves meat, and the 600 sq inch cooking space allows for lots of it. The removable thermometer works like a charm as a meat thermometer. And the vinyl grill cover Weber makes for it stays on, even in very windy conditions. I love shopping grills and still look at the competition at the stores, but my Weber is better than the competition, and is usually much less $. Smart Money magazine this month proves it. Weber Genesis was #2, but #1 grill was twice as much! Also, don't forget about Weber's great reputation for service after the sale.
I also purchased a spare propane tank from Home Depot. Even though the propane gauge is helpful, it only gives a rough appx. Who wants to refill a tank just because your bbq party is gonna last all day? Other upgrades are OXO Good Grips tongs, spatula, and prong/fork, grill basket and Weber Grill Cookbook. Life is short- quit wasting your time munching on uncooked vegetables, and become a Weber Ninja Grill Master.