Rating  - Best electric grill I've found
The biggest loss of moving to a condominium was the restriction in our building that no charcoal or electric grill could be used on our balconies. So I check out, bought, and tried, quite a few electric grills. This one ended up the best choice for me.
A lot of power for its small size gets the very heavy, porcelain grate get hot enough to sear grill marks on your food. Think of it as an upside-down broiler but with very heavy grate. For any slow cooked grilled food it's hard to beat. Heating up in 10 minutes or so and no fuel or fire to light means it's always ready to go for a quick meal.
Note that the original ones (this is my second) come with lava rocks for the bottom under the heater like a gas grill has. That gave more smoke flavor as fat and juices burned off the rocks than this one, but took much longer to heat up.
Rating  - not for large families
I used this grill three times. The third time it started on fire. Thankfully I knew to just put the cover on and shut it off and let it burn itself off or I could have burned my face off! Part of the reason is I have a large family so the aluminum foil like pan lining the bottom of the grill had some gunk on it. I knew it had to be cleaned, but I thought I'd get three meals out of the grill before having to dismantle it and clean it. I bucked the system and bought another gas grill instead. In my condo complex we are not supposed to have gas grills on the deck, so I'll have to move it. Ironic because in all the YEARS of cooking on gas grills, the food has never caught fire like in the charbroil grill. I think it would be a good grill for a smaller family with someone who doesn't mind taking it apart and cleaning the aluminum foil like bowl like liner on the bottom of the unit. But a few of these to keep on hand because you will need them. They are flimsy. Good luck!
Rating - great grill for 6 months at low temperatures
We purchased the Char-Broil Caddie Electric Grill in September 2007 because we live in a condominium where gas grills are not permitted. We were initially very happy with the grill, although it never really got much above 400 degrees. This was our third Char-Broil grill, but first electric grill. After about 6 months we noticed that one of the electric prongs from the heating element (male connection) was corroded and that the female connection on the plug in temperature control unit was also corroded and the plastic around the connection was melting. Concerned that we may have a fire with continued use, we contacted Char-Broil (customer service by phone--they do not have an email address) to see if they would replace the heating element and/or the temperature control unit. First call they told us they would replace the parts pending our providing proof that we purchased the grill in September 2007, even though this was 3 months out of their 3 month warranty. We faxed our receipt for the purchase. Several weeks later they called and said they would not replace the parts because we had purchase the grill in January 2006. We explained that was wrong and that our receipt clearly showed that our purchase was in September 2007. That call ended with the Char-Broil representative saying she would clear up the misunderstanding and get back to us. We waited...and waited ...and waited. Finally, after waiting about a month for some word from Char-Broil, we called a second time. This time we were told that we purchased the grill in January 2007, that it was no longer under warranty, and that there was nothing they would do about it. We told them that they were mistaken on the purchase date, our receipt shows the date of purchase, that their product was defective and that we assumed they were a reputable company and would stand behind their product. We offered to send them photos of the parts. They were not interested in our offer. When we asked to talk to a supervisor we were told none were available, but one would call. Fat chance of that. We are disappointed with the product, because of its limited life, but equally disappointed with Char-Broils' customer service. They really don't want to be bothered and don't care if they loose repeat customers. Good bye Char-Broil...our paths will never cross again.
Rating - Love this little grill!
I've had this grill for a little over 8 years and love it! I never wanted to deal with gas so I bought this grill when we lived in our townhouse. There I had an outlet outback and we used this grill all year round. Now we moved to an apartment and it fits perfectly in a corner of our balcony and is still plugin and go! I just use an outside extension cord and plug it in. Make sure you use ceramic briquettes for less mess and you can cover the base with heavy duty aluminum foil if your worried. I use a small metal pail to catch any grease that falls out of the little metal cup. WE LOVE IT and Thank God we haven't had to replace any parts since they are pretty expensive. It's durable and handy...what more can u ask 4?
Rating - Works great!
I have had this grill for about 3 years and it really does work well considering it is electric.
The most important factor when using this grill is to let it heat up.
I would say at least 10 minutes with the cover on.
Once you do that your good to go. Very convenient and no running out of gas. Great for small families or work areas such as apartments or small patios.
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Customer Reviews for Char-Broil,4654870/06601296,099143012964,281392,0099143012964,B00004TBJ6, |
