Smeg has added another small kitchen appliance to its roster: the MultiGrill (now available for £299.95 via Smeg).
Kitted out with three different cooking modes (contact, oven and BBQ) it has all of the design hallmarks that you've come to recognise with a Smeg product, from rounded retro edges to the iconic lettering.
Given the brand's release of an air fryer just this year, which our expert home economist recently tested in her Smeg air fryer review, it's clear that Smeg is showing no signs of slowing its expansion into kitchen worktop must-haves. Here's a closer look at this multi-functional buy for all sorts of cooking needs, including what I thought when I got up close with it during a demo.
Available in Cream or Black, this grill is a real upgrade on any toastie maker you might have used before. Whether it's waffles, paninis or pancakes you want to cook initally, you'll find this grill has plenty more to offer than first thought.
What you might not be able to tell from first glance at this grill is that it has dual functionality. That means that you can cook on each plate independently (at different temperatures) when in the BBQ mode, and get a wide, flat surface area for grilling. That's good news if you want to host a teppanyaki or go full American breakfast on the weekends.
This grill is also kitted out with a dedicated sear function, with temperatures of up to 250°C possible. In this mode, you can brown meat with ease and lock in flavour before you move on to your next mode of cooking.
The mode that you're probably going to get most use out of is contact mode, which is when the plates are pressed as close as possible against one another. Ideal for cooking up classic paninis (which is what I sampled), burgers or meats like chicken, this Smeg would certainly be an elevated way to serve up homemade toasties.
Oven mode, the final setting of the three, is perfect for providing hot temperatures without crushing whatever is inside the grill. It means you can cook delicate fish fillets or melt cheese, for example, without affecting the overall texture.
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And of course, this grill also comes with separate waffle plates so that you can treat yourself to a sweet breakfast or pack in the protein on a daily basis. To make individual foodstuffs easier to cook, Smeg has engineered this grill with three preset programs: Burger, Waffle and Panini so that you can take the guesswork out of using it too.
Smeg's shiny demo van came to visit Ideal Home towers to give us a look at how this grill looks and works. On first impression, it's hard not to be charmed by how it looks – as the owner of a Smeg toaster and kettle set, I'm definitely charmed by the Italian aesthetics – though it is fairly bulky.
I was impressed by the volume of food you can fit into the grill – there were plenty of paninis packed in and the cheese and other fillings were well melted. There was a good crunch to the ciabatta bread too.
After a first taste test, I think this is a solid addition to Smeg's range but our full review will be coming soon. Can you see the appeal in this worktop classic appliance?