Swissmar Classic 8-Person Raclette Party Grill with Reversible Cast Iron Grill Plate/Crepe Top, Indoor Electric Raclette Grill & Griller - Red

back story: i am a swiss native living in the US. raclette is something i grew up with. i visit switzerland often and consider myself up to date with their standards.good to know: raclette ovens have changed since my childhood.no one uses the enameled tins anymore(i remember my mom soaking them, as they were so hard to clean) and most modern ovens have a table-grill option. (i don't really use that, so i can't review that part)the positive: it heats up really fast, does what it should, heats evenly for what it is* and does not transfer heat to the table it sits on. *note, i have never seen a raclette oven with the traditional style heating element like in the above machine heat perfectly evenly throughout. the spaces towards the middle of the oven are always a tad faster. it's normal, actually negligible in this oven compared to others i've used. i have not used the table grill but it gets hot without a doubt. the tins are easy to clean. they could be a little thicker in the handle but it hasn't affected performance, and they're only minimally thinner than the ones i see in switzerland these days.the negative:-it arrived with the heating element dislodged which was an easy fix. also, upon first plugging i noticed smoke and an unpleasant smell caused by paint on the heating element. quality control missed that one i guess. that said, i've had the oven for close to two years and it has been working reliably.what i'd improve/add as an option:-a parking deck for the empty tins while you eat would be awesome. many raclette ovens offer this, but not all. i just give everyone a small plate to park their tins...

Very sturdy unit, though to level the cast iron grill I had to bend one of the supports. And there was no instruction on how to use the cast iron grill in the instruction manual. Cast iron grill cooks and cleans beautifully. It is a load of fun to use. It is so much fun to see the food slide out of the little pans. New users need to try the grill a couple of times to get used to how it operates. My second try brought up puffy egg cheese sandwiches while on my first try the eggs were flat. Great for table cooking with family.However, in order to regulate the temperature better I took a black permanent magic marker and put three tick marks on the temperature control dial so I could duplicate temperatures more easily. I would recommend new users do the same as otherwise, you are just in a guessing game as to the temperature.I am considerting buying a second unit to give as a gift to my daughter who has 4 children. What fun they will have "cooking."

MY FAMILY AND I LOVE THIS THING! Ha ha... our 2nd time using it my son asked if I've already made out my will. Twisted sense of humor I know, but it made me laugh. My reply was that I have, and he has to mud-wrestle his sister for it. Since my children are college age and I'm hopefully a ways off from them getting to inherit anything I love to use... I will be getting them all one of these for Christmas. :)It's amazing and fun and makes some yummy stuff. I mean OMG... melted cheese!!! I guess my only complaints would be the plastic handles on the cheese trays... my aunt pushed hers in too far and melted it. I'm not a fan of teflon for many reasons and wish I had options there... plus the cheese does stick sometimes and then you scratch them getting it off. :/ I love that you can flip this over for grilling or crepes. I love that you can order the granite top one and it fits and works just great. I mean, I wish it were a little bigger given that it has 8 trays for cheese. Really only 4 people can use what we call the "grill real estate". You steak out your little corner and if you're hungry it can be a wait. No matter, this is loads of fun. I also love that it's more user-friendly than Fondue. I have learned so much about cheeses and their melting characteristics. Raclette cheese is impossible to find except around the winter holidays, and then it's still difficult. But if you find a place with a variety of other cheeses, this is seriously a must-have!

I looked at a lot of these and decided on the Swissmar brand because it's been around for a while and make good products, also had good reviews. We love raclette, but we bought this also thinking of fajitas. We had another couple for dinner the other night and did just that. I sliced up the peppers, onions and thin strips of marinated sirloin steak. Coated the top grill area with a little olive oil and heated it up to high, then started laying out the veggies and meat. Oh my gosh did it cook everything perfect. As we sat at the table talking and enjoying our margaritas, we tended to our cooking food easily. You eat more slowly and 'nibble' as the food gets done. Got the grill marks and sizzling just like from a restaurant. The unit is sturdy but not too heavy, so it's easy to get out of the box, set up, clean and put away. It was super easy to clean.

After using mine, my son wanted his own. He loves it!