This is my second cusinart griddler. Both of them heat unevenly. Much hotter on outside than inside. In “smokeless “ position, food slides toward the center because of the tilt causing food to block drains and overflow on counter. Drip pan also has smaller capacity because of tilt. In the units defense, I use primarily to cook bacon for my large family which produces a lot of fat. Electronic panel on new unit is more complex than the simple switches on the old one. Newer isn’t always better.
Have grilled steak, burgers, and fish, and they all came out perfectly. Bought this to replace a competitors (famous boxer) and this is definitely a step up in performance and quality. My only issue is the digital controls are confusing to set.
Unit is smokeless while cooking; however, after foods are taken off the grill the hot plates smoke and smell up the house as the grease burns off. . There's no way to clean it while the plates are hot. . We decided to use our standard cooking practices and use the unit as a countertop decoration.