Let me first say I work for Williams Sonoma. So at the risk of sounding biased, here goes.

I used this grill for a demo at work a couple of weeks ago. First impression is that it is well built. It is exclusive to WS.

I would call it an electric grill pan rather than grill. It has two sides independantly controlled and has deep channlels for grease runoff into a small center collection area.

The unit is temperature adjustable and can get quite hot a producing fantastic "grill" marks.

It will produce smoke when searing on high power so you should have some sort of ventilation.

If you are looking to grill I would not suggest this. It would provide an indoor alternative to outdoor grilling.

I have a Wolf charbroiler on my kitchen range and have no need for this AC unit but if I didn't have an indoor grilling setup I would surely consider it.

Thanks for that info, but yet another question. How about cleanup? Does the grill take much scrubbing to clean, and what about the "collar" of SS around it?

The grill surface is nonstick so cleanup is easy. A soft nylon bristle brush is included.

Yeah, the backgaurd collar thing. It is removable. I remember now when first using the grill wondering how long it would stay nice and shiny. It is polished stainless steel so it will scratch if abrasive cleaners are used. I dont know what is recommended here. I'll check the manual tomorrow. Since it's not a cooking surface Fume Free Easy Off oven cleaner would work well I'm sure. Or some Dawn Power Dissolver. Barkeepers Friend, I wonder if that might scratch? I only use that very, very lightly on polished ss, more like a soaking agent.

I saw it featured in the Williams Sonoma catalog that arrived at my home last week and I had to have it! Since I had a $200 gift card to defray the cost, I went for it. Would I have spent my own $300 on it? I'm not so sure...I was also considering the Cuisinart Griddler that I spotted in Costo for $99, which was smaller but more versatile (two sets of removable plates, functioned as contact grill, panini press, and large open grill or griddle). I decided against it after looking at a customer's photo posting on Amazon. It appeared that the grease was collected by two little cups positioned under drip channels and there were grease drippings shown on the counter at the back of the grill. I used the All-Clad for the first time this weekend to grill (huge) duck breasts and fresh plums. I was very satisfied with its performance for both items. As for cleanup, the drippings drain into a removable tray, the chrome backsplash pops out and both are dishwasher safe, so that part of the clean up is great. What I didn't like: the grill plate is fixed, so you have to sweep the debris into the middle slot to fall into the drip tray with the provided brush (easy); then use damp paper towels to clean up the residue between the grids that was not removed with the brush (tedious). It was not difficult, but somewhat annoying. However, I am still pleased with my purchase, as the weather here has been so hideously hot, that I can't imagine going out to the patio to use the outdoor grill!

When planning a BBQ there is nothing worse than a unexpected rain storm to ruin the event. Having an indoor electric grill you can move the BBQ inside and still enjoy the great taste of a good BBQ. You can still BBQ your favorite foods the same as a outdoor grill if you have an indoor electric grill.

Here is a link that might be useful: top rated indoor electric grills