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The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe (GR-150NAS) is an 1800-watt countertop cooker that works as a contact grill, panini press, full grill, full griddle, half-and-half, and top melt. It suits families who want one appliance for breakfast, sandwiches, and weeknight chicken. It is not the one to buy if a smoky steak sear is your priority.
We cooked on it the way most households would: bacon and eggs, grilled cheese, burgers, chicken, and fish. It is one of the better-known models in our electric griddles and skillets coverage, and it earns most of that reputation.
The Deluxe is a fast, flexible, easy-to-clean griddler that handles sandwiches, eggs, bacon, chicken, and fish very well. Its limits show up in searing and plate life, and we cover both below.
Key takeaway. Our score: 4.0 out of 5. Buy it for family breakfasts, panini, and grilled cheese.
The Deluxe heats in about 7 minutes, cooks evenly across most of the plate, and makes very good grilled cheese. A family-size breakfast fits at once, and cleanup is easy because the plates lift out and the drip tray catches the grease.
The Deluxe combines a large cooking surface with six cooking modes and separate plate controls. The GR-150NAS offers 240 square inches of grilling surface and six cooking modes: contact grill, panini press, full grill, full griddle, half grill and half griddle, and top melt. Dual-zone temperature control gives the top and bottom plates their own dials, and red and green LED lights show when it is ready. The cover has six adjustable positions with a lock and handlebar.
| Power | 1800 watts |
|---|---|
| Cooking surface | 240 square inches |
| Modes | 6 |
| Temperature control | Dual-zone (top and bottom dials) |
| Sear | 500 degrees F for up to 2 minutes at a time |
| Plates | Removable, reversible ceramic nonstick (coating wording varies by production run) |
| Dimensions | 14.6 x 15.98 x 7.87 in (W x D x H) |
| Weight | About 18 lbs shipping weight, so the unit is a little lighter |
| Warranty | Limited 3-year |
You get two reversible plates, a scraping tool, an instruction manual, and a recipe booklet. The drip tray is built in.
We judged the Deluxe on how fast it heats, how evenly it cooks, how well it handles each of its modes, and how much work cleanup takes. We tested grilling, griddling, and pressing with a range of dishes.
The family breakfast told us the most. We opened the Deluxe flat, let it preheat for about 7 minutes, and loaded 10 slices of bacon, a tube of sausage, hashbrowns, and eggs at once. The bacon stayed flat, the grease ran to the drip tray instead of pooling around the eggs, and afterward the plates lifted out for the dishwasher. Only the baked-on grill ridges needed a soak.
Build quality decides how long those results last. The housing is brushed stainless, and the cover locks at six heights, so a thick sandwich sits under the top plate without crushing. The floating hinge keeps the top plate level, which is why sandwiches come out even instead of flattened on one side.
The part that wears first is the spring and ball bearing that let the top plate snap into position, and it tends to go around the one-year mark with twice-weekly use. Plates are the other concern. Newer plates feel thinner than older ones and can cook less evenly.
Cooking results varied by mode and food.
Searing is the soft spot. Steak gets grill marks but little smoky char, and the sear setting reaches 500 degrees F for only 2 minutes at a time. Chicken, fish, sandwiches, and eggs do better than beef here. If you want a crust on a ribeye, a hot cast iron pan beats this machine.
Where it shines is volume. Four large frozen burgers cook in about 5 minutes, and a tube of sausage, hashbrowns, eggs, and 10 slices of bacon fit at once.
Open flat, the Deluxe gives you a double-width griddle. Bacon cooks flat without curling, and the grease runs to the tray instead of pooling around the eggs. Fish cooks well too. Remember that the flat setup is a griddle, not a waffle maker, and no waffle plates exist for the Deluxe.
This is the mode we would buy it for. The independent top and bottom dials make panini and open-faced melts easy to control, and grilled cheese comes out golden with melted centers. The top plate height adjusts for thick sandwiches.
Tip. Preheat until the green light comes on before the first sandwich goes in. Cold plates are the main cause of pale, soggy bread.
Dual-zone control is the Deluxe's best feature, but the plates can heat unevenly. When the top plate runs cooler than the bottom, turning the top dial up compensates. It takes a minute of attention on the first batch and then you know your settings.
The Deluxe is easy to clean after cooking. Daily use is simple. Plates remove and replace easily, and the drip tray catches the grease, which keeps cleanup quick.
The plates lift out and go in the dishwasher. Baked-on grill ridges are the chore: a soak and the scraping tool handle most of it, but ridges hold onto cheese and sugary marinades.
Warning. Use wood or silicone tools and skip metal utensils. Scratching the plates speeds up wear.
The integrated drip tray catches bacon grease and slides out for emptying. At about 15.98 inches deep it takes real counter space, so plan on storing it in a cabinet if your counter is tight.
Here is the short version of what we liked and did not like across all that cooking.
The Deluxe sits between two rivals. The GreenPan Elite 6-in-1 adds cast reversible plates and independent controls for a higher price. The base Griddler FIVE is smaller and lighter, with LCD digital controls from 175 to 450 degrees F. Our Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler review covers the base model in depth.
| Product | Modes | Plates | Controls | Warranty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe | 6 | Reversible ceramic nonstick | Dual-zone dials | 3-year limited |
| GreenPan Elite 6-in-1 | 6 | Thermolon Volt ceramic, cast | Independent top and bottom | Not confirmed |
| Cuisinart Griddler FIVE | 5 | Reversible nonstick | LCD digital, 175 to 450F | 3-year limited |
The Elite typically costs noticeably more than the Deluxe. The Deluxe wins on value. The FIVE wins on simplicity and size.
Buy it if you cook breakfast for a family, make a lot of sandwiches, or want one appliance that replaces a griddle and a panini press. It is also a good fit if you value easy cleanup over a perfect steak.
Skip it if you want a smoky sear, if you plan to cook for a decade on the same plates, or if you need waffle plates. If you are comparing the whole range, see which Cuisinart Griddler to buy.
The GreenPan Elite 6-in-1 is the step-up pick if you want cast plates and are willing to pay more. The Griddler FIVE is the pick for small kitchens and tighter budgets, and our Griddler Panini and Sandwich Press review covers a simpler press-only option. New to the format? Read how to use a Cuisinart Griddler before you decide.
The Elite's ceramic plates cook eggs and pancakes with no oil, which the Deluxe does not promise. The tradeoff is that the Elite's nonstick can fade within a month or so on some units.
Not for waffles. Use the open griddle for pancakes and French toast, and buy a dedicated waffle maker if waffles matter to you.
The Griddler FIVE. It is lighter and smaller than the Deluxe, and its flat griddle side and included scraper handle melted cheese cleanup well.
One buying tip before you order: plan around the plates, not the housing. Because replacements cost close to a new unit, the Griddler FIVE is the cheaper way into the same format if your use is light.
Browse our tested buying guides and find the right gear for how you cook.