The Hamilton Beach 25451 indoor grill has a number of exceptional features to help it stand out in a crowd. It delivers contact-style grilling, with two removable nonstick cooking grids that clamp onto the unit's upper and lower body frame. Heating elements recessed between the frame and the grids provide 1,200 watts of heating power. The unit's 10x10-inch grill plates provide 85 square inches of usable cooking space -- or enough for cooking six hamburgers or chicken breasts.

One of the main advantages of contact grills is the fast, even heating you can expect. The Hamilton Beach 25451 is no exception. In our tests, the grill preheated in about 5 minutes. Green and red indicator lights signal as the unit is heating and when it reaches the correct cooking temperature. Quarter-pound hamburger patties cooked to medium well doneness in 6 minutes. Chicken breasts took just slightly longer. We especially liked the grill's performance with crusty Panini sandwiches. Its steady, even heat perfectly toasted the bread and thoroughly heated the contents of the sandwiches.

We found you can also cook certain frozen foods on the grill. For best results, you'll need to cook frozen foods about twice as long as their non-frozen equivalents. Hamburger patties, individual boneless pork chops or fish fillets can be placed on the grids and cooked using the traditional contact grill method (lid closed) or -- thanks to an innovative locking hinge design -- the top grill plate can be lowered slightly and locked so that it is suspended just above the food. This feature is invaluable when it comes to melting cheese on hamburgers or open-faced sandwiches, as well as warming fruits and other delicate items without burning them. To close the lid partway, you simply lower it to the desired level and use the locking clamp on the unit's handle to hold it in position. A small dial tightens and loosens the clamp to let you raise and lower the top grid as needed.

We loved the unit's removable grill plates, which make cleanup quick and easy. Two pushbutton switches (one for each grill plate) release the plates so you can wash them. The plates get very hot during use so you should always allow them to cool before attempting to remove.

The Hamilton Beach 25451 also comes with a freestanding drip tray, which must be positioned in front and just beneath the lower cooking grid during use. We missed the ability to attach the tray, offered on some other Hamilton Beach models, but found the small cup to function adequately, collecting grease and drippings that channel away from the food. The grill's slightly slanted design facilitates drainage of grease and fats.


Pros: Removable nonstick grill plates, locking hinge design to keep top plate at desired height
Cons: Can't adjust temperature, drip tray not attached

Warranty
1 year