Cooking with indoor grills in a Motor Home:

I needed a universal cooking appliance for my motorhome because I don't like to cook on propane stoves. I bought the two indoor grills listed below and made the determination that the Cuisinart is much better suited to RV life for 2 people. I wanted to share my thoughts with you incase you desire to have such an appliance in your motorhome.

Wolfgang Puck’s Indoor “Reversible” Grill/Griddle versus the Cuisinart “Griddler”:

Indoor “Reversible” Electric Grill/Griddle by Wolfgang Puck .

Puck’s grill is large and heavy. Its exterior dimensions are 22 ½” by 14” by 4”. The nonstick cooking surface dimensions are 18" by 11 ¼” by ½”.

I was shocked by the weight: 12 ½ pounds. Price range is $79.00 to $135.00

My impressions of Wolfgang Puck’s Indoor “Reversible” Grill/Griddle:

1. It is too large for convenient usage in my motor home because of the limited size of the kitchen cooking area and storage between uses.

2. Cooking space in a motor home, trailer or Fifth wheel is at a premium. I made a mistake when I bought the Wolfgang Puck Indoor Grill/Griddle to use as a primary cooking utensil while living in our RV. The fact that it takes up the entire length of the only counter top available in our RV is a huge problem for me.

3. Storage of the grill is difficult. I finally stored it flat under our queen size bed. It was too big for any of the overhead cupboards or cabinets.

4. Cleaning the grill/griddle is a chore. Its size and weight make it hard to fit inside any normal sink let alone the smaller sinks in a motor home.

5. The manual contains some nice recipes with temperature ranges necessary for cooking on the grill or griddle. I recommend extending the cooking times as they are approximate anyway.

6. The size and heft of the “reversible” electric grill/griddle hampers ease of use.

7. Underneath the grill is a large aluminum drip tray the same size as the interior cooking surface. A smaller drip tray would be easier to clean after use.

8. The grill has a series of drain holes at the end opposite of the temperature controller for grease to drip beneath to the drip tray. However the grease drains through these holes only if you push the grease toward the drip holes. Why? The grill is level.

The large grill surface can hold up to 4 generous steaks quite easily. Because the heat dissipates quickly it takes a long time to get steaks where I like them to be which is medium well. If you like steaks bloody or really pink then you won’t need to do anything extra while the steaks are cooking.

TIP: To get them to medium well I used a sheet of aluminum foil laid loosely the entire length of the cooking surface to reflect the heat back to the meat. This little trick worked very well 

“Cuisinart Griddler.”

“The Griddler Does it All… is the ultimate kitchen appliance, offering you five separate cooking options. Simply flip the reversible cooking plates and adjust the hinge to use as a contact grill, Panini press, full grill, full griddle, or half grill/half griddle.” (Page 3 of the manual.)

It weighs 10 ½ pounds and the exterior measures 10” by 11” by 5”. Each plate’s interior cooking surface measures 9” by 11” which is enough room for 4 good size hamburgers or several steaks. Price range: from $79.00 to $135.00.

Once I used this machine, I fell in love with its versatility:

1. Storage in the motor home is no problem. It fits in the upper cabinet by the kitchen counter.

2. The nonstick plates are reversible with a flat griddle on one side and a grill on the other which eliminates the use of other cooking pans. The grill side is perfect for Panini sandwiches, steaks, burgers, chicken and vegetables while the griddle side is used for pancakes, eggs, bacon and fish.

3. What makes this so efficient is the fact there are 3 control knobs based on what you are cooking:

a. Selector knob is for choosing whether you are going to use the Panini/Grill or Griddle function.

b. Grill/Panini knob has a heat range from Warm to Sear.

c. Griddle Knob heat range is from 200 degrees F to 425 degrees F.

1. The base and cover are solid stainless steel construction. The cover is adjustable depending on the thickness of the item being cooked. Hamburgers do not shrink up. The lid presses down on the meat and cooks from top and bottom which allow the drippings to be released uniformly. Very clean cooking feature; No smoke which is a big plus in a RV.

2. The two nonstick plates are easy to wash by hand in the small RV kitchen sink. This is a really nice feature that I enjoy.

3. The black plastic drip tray slides out easily from underneath the machine at an angle for cleaning. It is designed to catch a lot of drippings because each plate has a rear opening large enough to funnel the drippings into the tray.

4. The plates are released by pressing the release button on both top and bottom.

5. The plates are easy to insert after cleaned as they just snap in place with the drip opening at the back end.

6. Meats such as hamburgers, steaks and fish do cook according to the cooking guide in the manual. I found no errors in the timing so far. The only factor that requires some thought is uniformity of the foods being cooked. Chicken should be boneless and approximately the same weight and size.

7. The Griddler is the right size for an RV and can take the place of having to cook on propane stove. I have used both sides out for flat cooking, using one side for eggs and the other for pancakes for breakfast.