Breville BGR820XL Smart Grill
by Breville
List Price:
Our Price: $289.68
You Save: $110.31 (28%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $260.00 (click here)
Category: Kitchen
See more product details
Product Summary
Manufacturer: BrevilleBrand: Breville
Release Date: 2010-08-16
Model: BGR820XL
Product features:
- Removable, dishwasher safe plates with Element IQ
- Opens flat to 'BBQ Mode'
- 1800 watt embedded heating design. 310- 450F variable temperature control with Low, Panini, and Sear Modes
- 6 adjustable height settings
- Integrated, removable drip tray. Removable, dishwasher-safe plates.
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville BGR820XL Smart Grill
Customer Review: You get what you pay for -- buy the best
Summary: 5 Stars
Before buying the Breville, I exhaustively researched the alternatives, and looked at the Breville, the Cuisinart Griddler and some of the Foreman models at stores. I actually purchased the Cuisinart Griddler but returned it, after seeing the Breville. Apologies for the length, but if you are trying to decide among all the models, the following might help you.
(1) Many cooking sites and independent reviewers complain that these type of grills are often too small and too underpowered to really cook food effectively. That is where the Breville is superb, at 1800 watts, and isn't that what a grill is for -- fast, hot, and effective cooking? But high and even heat is an integral part of the Breville design. The biggest difference between the Breville Smart Grill and the Cuisinart Griddler is that the heating elements in the Breville are embedded *inside* the Breville plate itself. The underside of the Breville plates shows the embedded element, and the electrical connection is on the underside, that plugs into the Breville itself. This means the Breville plates heat directly; heat faster; heat more uniformly; and include their smart technology to detect cold meat and immediately turn up the heat. With the Griddler, the heating element is exposed and open and is not part of the plate, and lacks any of this technology. The Breville definitely heats up faster and I measured more consistent heating across the plates as compared with the Griddler. I believe that the Foreman works the same way as the Griddler with regards to those Foreman grills with removable plates, but I can't definitely verify that. (Why would anyone buy those models of Foreman with plates that can't be removed for cleaning?)
(2) This means that the Breville must have two separate sets of plates, one with ridges for grill and a flat one for griddle. So that means you must buy two more plates to get the same advantage as the Griddler since the Griddler plates are reversible. But the Griddler plates lack the built in and embedded heating elements. So you get what you pay for.
(3) The hot heating element of the Griddler is also directly cooking the non-stick surface of whatever side is "reversed" and on the inside of the Griddler. A store that sold both suggested that this might explain why some have had problems with the non-stick surface of the Griddler. (But I suspect that most problems are caused by the caustic soap of dishwashers. I hand wash my Breville plates with the Foreman sponges (see below) and they wash off in a snap -- less than one or two minutes of washing.)
(4) Both the Breville and the Griddler have a lid that can be set flat, for doubling the griddle surface. Do any Foreman grills do that? I don't think so. This is a really useful feature that doubles the usefulness of these appliances.
(5) The Griddler has no tilt for the grease and juice to roll off. So with the Griddler the juice and grease just sits there during cooking. The Breville tilts down like the Foreman grills, and it really works when cooking three or four hamburgers. But the Breville can also be set to be flat when used as a griddle for pancakes or eggs, so the pancake batter doesn't also roll off! I believe that *only* Breville included this feature -- to be set at either an angle, for grease, or perfectly flat, for pancakes.
(6) The Griddler includes a small grease tray that pulls awkwardly out from the side. Breville has a really large tray that pulls straight in and out from the front, and that is far more convenient if you have limited counter space -- especially on the side that the tray pulls out on the Griddler. Foreman grills are bigger losers in this regard, with a grease tray that just sits on the front, waiting to be tipped over.
(7) Both the Calphalon and the Breville have a feature whereby the floating lid can be set to ride higher than the bottom plate, so the lid doesn't mash down the food. The Cuisinart lacks this, and just mashes down the food. But look at both in a store. This feature on the Calphalon is not very sturdy and looks like it would break. The Breville is rock solid when set to hang over the food, and can therefore be set way above the food, for open-faced sandwiches. (8) I'm not an expert on non-stick surfaces, but the Breville surface appeared thicker and more durable than the Griddler.
(9) Finally, the Breville is larger than the Griddler, and big enough to cook for more than one or two people, but is not that much larger than the Griddler. The Griddler, in my opinion, is too small. The Breville is just the right size for more than one person.
(10) Buy the Foreman sponges when you order the Breville. The grooves in the Breville grill plate match those on the Foreman sponges perfectly.
(11) The Breville doesn't include a grooved spatula to push through the grease, as does Foreman and Cuisinart. I ordered some of the Foreman spatulas, and they work on the Breville. Breville should include those plastic spatulas, as does Foreman and Cuisinart.
(12) Yes, Breville should include two more plates as the other reviews have indicated. The Breville and two additional plates (for a set of two grill and two griddle plates) is $399, and that is a lot to pay for an appliance like this. That is four times more than the Griddler. Breville should include the plates to be more competitive in the marketplace. It should be noted, though, that the Breville as packaged for $299 with one grill and one griddle plate would give you the grill marks on the top side of your meat, and the hamburger or steak would cook on the bottom side on the griddle just fine.
CONCLUSION -- But you get what you pay for in this case. If you want the best, it is the Breville. But it does cost three times more, as compared with the Griddler, with one grill and one griddler plate. Breville needs to include two more plates, for two griddle and two grill, and do so for $299. But like others who reviewed the Breville, I purchased the unit with the extra plates for $399 and highly recommend it.
Description of Breville BGR820XL Smart Grill
The Breville Smart Grill's Element IQ technology bridges the gap between indoor and outdoor at an unrivaled new level. Heat sensors embedded in the grill plates compensate for the temperature drop when cold food is placed onto the pre-heated surface. The sensors then detect this heat drop and compensate by injecting heat for rapid recover back to the desired cooking temperatures. The 1800-watt embedded heating design ensures maximum heat into the plates for faster cooking and reduced pre-heating time. This creates a BBQ-quality sear and sizzle. The flat bottom plate is suitable for eggs and pancakes while the top plate is ribbed to sear meats. Plate positions are interchangeable and can be extended into an opened, flat 'BBQ Mode.'
Contact Grills
Kitchen and Housewares
Bestsellers in Contact Grills
El Paso 70190 Fajita Grill, RedMBlock & Sons, Inc.; El Paso; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Cuisinart GP-40SA Griddler Express Contact GrillCuisinart; Cuisinart; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Total Chef TCG08G-CA 4IN1 Sandwich, Waffle, Grill & GriddleKoolatron; Koolatron; Release date: 2006-07-05; Kitchen
Best price: $39.95
Price in other shops:
Swissmar KF-77043 8-Person Classic Raclette Party Grill, Red EnamelSwissmar; Swissmar; Kitchen
Best price: $87.99
Price in other shops:
Foreman Super Champ Grill Brushed W/ Ss W/ timerGeorge Foreman; George Foreman; Kitchen
Paro Fondue Set Stainless Steel 30PCS Matt Finished by Blomus 65474Blomus; Blomus; Kitchen
George Foreman GP200RED GrillGeorge Foreman; George Foreman; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
George Foreman GR18BWY SuperChamp Grill, YellowGeorge Foreman; George Foreman; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
George Foreman GR10ABWR Champ Grill with Bun Warmer, RubyGeorge Foreman; George Foreman; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
George Foreman GR70WHT Infusion GrillGeorge Foreman; George Foreman; Kitchen
Price in other shops:
Similar Kitchen and Housewares Products
The Breville BFP800XL Sous Chef Food ProcessorHWI/Breville USA; Breville; Kitchen
Best price: $399.95
Price in other shops:
Breville 13-Inch Pizza CrisperBreville; Breville; Kitchen
Best price: $19.95
Price in other shops:
OXO Good Grips Electric Grill and Panini Press BrushOXO Good Grips; OXO; OXO Good Grips; Misc.; Home
Best price: $8.99
Breville BOV800CB Bamboo Cutting Board for Use with Smart OvenHWI/Breville USA; Breville; Kitchen
Best price: $39.99
Price in other shops:
125 Best Indoor Grill Recipesby Ilana Simon
Robert Rose; Published: 2004-09-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.99
Price in other shops:
200 Best Panini Recipesby Tiffany Collins
Tiffany Collins; Robert Rose; Published: 2008-09-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $10.24
Price in other shops:
Breville Smart Grill Flat Plate BGR820FPBreville; Breville; Kitchen
Best price: $49.99
Price in other shops:
Breville Smart Grill Ribbed Plate BGR820RPBreville; Breville; Kitchen
Best price: $49.99
Price in other shops:
George Foreman GFSP1 Sponges, 3-PackApplica Incorporated/DBA Black and Decker; George Foreman; Kitchen
Best price: $6.40
Price in other shops:
Breville BOV800XL The Smart Oven 1800-Watt Convection Toaster Oven with Element IQBreville; Breville; Kitchen
Best price: $229.99
Price in other shops: