The art of the griddler

Today’s griddler deal is part of a decades long ebb and flow in the popularity of little machines like this. Some of us will remember the days of George Foreman Grills, the fumes from which were at one point present in the atmosphere at a slightly higher concentration than carbon dioxide. After making George a billion dollars or so, they mostly faded away. But then panini makers were so-hot-right-now, basically the same thing all over again, but without the boxing endorsement.

Well there’s a reason humanity keeps coming back to the concept of cooking things like they are waffles even when they are not waffles. It’s because whether you’re talking about a burger patty or a whole-ass sandwich or an actual waffle, cooking things between two hot surfaces squished together is just…good.

The downside of this occasionally trendy approach is that you’ll inevitably run across crappy knockoffs from companies trying to make a quick buck off of your desire to toast a grilled cheese on both sides at once. Those things might be tempting, assuming you don’t mind risking getting one that has non-stick coating made out of asbestos and a power supply that’s just waiting for an opportunity to burn your house down.

Without a former heavyweight champion to guide you, what’s a simple consumer to do? We recommend going with a real brand name that you’ve actually heard of. We weren’t really sure what a “griddler” was supposed to be, but when we saw the name Cuisinart, we were firmly on board.

You should be, too!

And if Cuisinart happens to be your thing, but the griddler is not, definitely check out today’s bonus deal for a Cast Iron 3 Quart Enamel Round Casserole Dish with Cover for just $49. We’re like 99 percent sure that you’ll get a lot of use out of one or the other.