VillaWare NDVLPAPFS1-SHP Panini Grill

I had been researching many of the more popular panini makers, and all seemed to have a flaw of some sort. I about gave up with buying one, as I knew if it had a flaw it just wouldn't get used, and it would end up in the garbage pile. Well, I decided to give it one more try, and while this machine did not have many reviews, it did seem to have most of the features I was looking for. I decided to give it a go, and so far we couldn't be more pleased.PROS:EASY TO CLEAN! Truly - the plates pop right out, and wipe down so easily. They are dishwashable, but honestly it's so easy to clean them in the sink, they don't require the dishwasher.Drip tray - easy to pull out and wash.Variable temperature - can be adjusted to what you're cooking.Easy storage - I love the locking clip, which keeps the unit "together" when turned vertical for storage. Also, it's designed so that it will stand on its side without having to lean it against anything.CONS:All I can think of is that the power cord is a bit short, but this was not a huge issue for me.All in all, this is a really well designed machine. My kids love the paninis, and use the machine themselves for a fun and tasty meal. We were all surprised at how good the paninis were - as good or better than restaurant paninis.

I bought this for myself and I really like it. It is smaller than I would've liked but still works very well. I like how the plates can be removed for cleaning.

I bought this with the hope of using it for everything from sandwhiches to steaks. To my disappointment this unit does not get hot enough to properly cook a piece of meat. I will say it does great n sandwhiches though!Basically anything put into this grill needs to be dry,

Have an older VillaWare that we like except the grilling plates can't be removed. Thought the new with removable plates would be the same quality built, but not so. Not near the quality or size of our present one. We returned.

Everything about this Panini grill is great, except for the fact that it doesn't heat up enough to really grill the panini sandwich. The grill seems to be high quality for the price- it feels solid and well put together and thought out. I like that it has a power button, temperature control, removable grill plates, and that it locks closed for storage/carrying. Unfortunately, the unit I received couldn't reach a high enough temperature to brown the bread in sandwiches. It just left things hot but a bit soft.I replaced the VillaWare grill with a Cuisinart GR-11 Griddler. The Cuisinart is about the same price, and while it has removable grill plates, it is smaller, doesn't have a power switch, temperature control, or locking mechanism, and feels quite flimsy compared to the VillaWare. But it does heat up enough to grill sandwiches properly and give the bread a crisp, browned texture.

I shopped around for a bit and landed on this one. It didn't have a ton of reviews, but they were positive. We had the red George Foreman with the interchangeable plates. That worked pretty well, but the top wasn't easy to clean, and it didn't have a swivel top like this. We seemed to only use it for paninis, so I decided to get one of these. This heats very nicely, evenly, warms up pretty quickly (keep it closed initially) and just does a nice job overall. I haven't tried it on high yet. 3/4 does the job.. I've only done paninis so far but plan on doing burgers, etc. I can speak to durability yet, I've only had it a couple weeks, but it seems like it is made well. No negatives that I can think of yet. The cord is short, but that's good for putting it away, and we have plenty of plugs by the counters. It locks closed and sits upright, which is nice.Plates come out and are pretty easy to clean - even burnt cheese isn't too bad to get off. I haven't even tried them in the dishwasher. Soaking works great.

Once I got this thing figured out, we have been getting consistently delicious pannini. Things to consider: 1) Set the temp to high and forget it, 2) If you make thicker sandwiches, you need to be careful placing the lid on top (swivel it up from the back hinge and carefully use a spatula to keep the sandwich from moving forward on the grill). The trick is to get the top to sit parallel with the bottom on top of the sandwich. I am glad the grill plates are removable, because the plates need cleaning after every use. I gotta say though, this thing makes great sandwiches!

3/31/17 Update : I purchased replacement plates for this unit, but cannot use them because they didn't come with the "anchors & screws" that anchor the plates to corresponding slots in the unit. Villaware rep didn't know what I was talking about, and said they don't sell the screws separately anyway, and since this is a discontinued item, they can't look at a new one to see what I was talking about. I even tried to recycle the anchors/screws off the original plates that came with the unit, but they are screwed on so tight, they will not budge. So, if you plan on buying this unit, don't waste your money on replacement plates because they cannot be used as is without those anchors/screws.I had read all the reviews on these kind of products because I had never used one of these appliances before, and decided to settle on this one - and I am glad I did. My husband never complains any more of my overcooking his steaks - takes the guesswork out of it. And it cooks much faster because you don't to flip the food as you would in a skillet because it cooks both sides at the same time. DON'T use this to make grilled cheese sandwiches with regular sandwich sliced bread, LOL. Cleans up nice because the trays are removable.