Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe vs Elite (2021): Which Model Should You Buy?

Cuisinart is one of the go-to brands when it comes to kitchen gadgets, cookware and appliances. They offer a wide variety of products that make cooking easy and convenient. Today, we’ll be looking into their electric griddles, specifically, the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe and the Cuisinart Griddler Elite. We’ll compare the two to see how they differ and find out which one offers the better value. Here’s a comparison chart between the two to start things off.

Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe vs Elite Comparison Chart

Design

The Cuisinart Griddler Elite comes with a backlit LCD display

When you look at these two, you’ll notice that they have different control panels. Aside from that, they are very similar. Size-wise, they are not that far off from each other, with the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe measuring at 18.18 x 9.84 x 16.30 inches, and the Cuisinart Griddler Elite at 19.25 x 10.87 x 17.13 inches. The Cuisinart Griddler Elite is slightly heavier, weighing 17.68 lbs. In contrast, the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe weighs 16 lbs.

Both are sturdy machines and they both come with a brushed stainless steel finish. The top covers are attached to the handles, and they are both adjustable—-useful when browning or melting, as well as locking, for storage. At the back, they both have removable drip trays for easy cleaning. When fully opened, both have a cooking surface of 240 square inches. When it comes to design, there is not much difference between the two, save for their control panels.

Control Panel

The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe is an analog electric grill.

On the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe, you’ll find two knobs for controlling the temperature for each plate, and two buttons that control upper and lower plate searing. Not pictured above are the red and green LED indicator lights that will tell you which functions are active.

On the Cuisinart Griddler Elite, you’ll notice is that it has a backlit LCD display, along with several buttons and knobs. The three knobs are for choosing which plates to use and separate temperature controls for the lower and upper plates. At the left side of the display, the three buttons are for start/stop, upper sear and lower sear. The two buttons at the right side of the display is for adjusting the timer.

Both the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe and Elite come with the same set of accessories—reversible lower and upper plates, a drip tray and a scraper. Since they are both from Cuisinart, they come with the same 3-year limited warranty.

Cooking Functions

They have the same cooking functions, but the Cuisinart Griddler Elite has an additional timer function.

Both the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe and Elite have the same cooking functions. They are both 6-in-1 griddles that have the following functions: contact grill, panini press, half grill, full grill, half griddle and full griddle.

As far as power goes, they can both output up to 1800 watts and they can both reach a maximum temperature of 450˚F. When searing, both griddles can reach a max temperature of 500˚F for up to two minutes. Both models will produce smoke while grilling.

These griddles come with dual-zone temperature controls, which means that you can control the temperatures on the the upper and lower plate separately. With this feature, you essentially have two electric grills in one machine, which allows you to save precious time while cooking.

One feature that you can only find on the Cuisinart Griddler Elite is the timer function. You can set the timer to up to 60 minutes. Needless to say, this is a very convenient function that allows you to cook food properly and safely. Also, it allows you to focus on something else while your food is cooking since it will automatically shut off once the timer is up.

Cleaning and Maintenance

Both are easy to clean.

Since both contact grills come with a brushed stainless steel exterior, both are very easy to clean. Just wait for the temperature to go down, then you can clean both with a damp cloth. As for the non-stick plates, they are removable, so cleaning them is easy. You can manually wash them or put them in a dishwasher since they are dishwasher safe.

The drip tray at the back is removable and dishwasher safe as well. If there are stuck food on the plates, you can use the included scraper to scrape them off. The included scraper will not damage the non-stick coating so they are safe to use. Just don’t scrub too hard.

Verdict

The Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe offers better value.

Choosing between the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe and Cuisinart Griddler Elite can be tough. However, we think that the Cuisinart Griddler Deluxe offers the better value. It is cheaper and it has the same cooking functions as the Cuisinart Griddler Elite. You can save some money if you opt for the simpler model. If you need or want a timer function though, then the Cuisinart Griddler Elite is the obvious choice.

FAQs