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

I fantasized about buying this grill since seeing one on RHOSLC. When the opportunity finally arose, I jumped on it, and within a week of receiving it, we were having a raclette party in my home. What nobody tells you is how powerful the smell of raclette cheese actually is once you heat it up.In any case, what I love about this grill is how everything needed to make it a magical evening already comes in the box. The only thing you need to do is plug it in and get to work with whichever ingredients you have chosen. The heat is consistent, and it is even across the cast iron plate. Cleanup was a breeze.The construction of the grill was well thought out, but if I have one criticism, I wish that the spatulas which are included in the box were of a different material (something a touch more solid), and were just a bit larger. While the pans for melting your cheese are a great size, the spatulas used to push the cheese off feel a bit small - as if I am using something from a child's play kitchen.

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!

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...

This is such a fun dinner party idea! It is interactive and it makes for a delicious meal with fresh ingredients. So many options. Clean up is super easy and compact for storage.

We bought this large swivel grill after noticing that a lot of rental apts. we were considering in the ski resort Val Thorens, France mentioned them as part of their appliances. It's the perfect vacation house appliance especially if your usual group includes vegetarians and guests who don't eat fish as well as hearty meat eaters. Just cut up the veggies, meat, fish and bread, cornichons, put out a selection of cheeses and let everyone cook to their own liking. We set up this large grill on the counter and everyone cooks there and then takes their plate to the table to eat just like buffet. In France we put smaller grill in the center of the table and it worked fine. Entertaining with the raclette is fun and liberates the cook from making a cooked meal. And it's delicious! One thing to note is the swivel grill does not have temperature controls so it can get too hot over a period of time. We just unplug it for a few minutes before continuing but it would be much better with temperature controls. The grill is Teflon so make sure your guests know not to use metal utensils. Buy the optional plastic cooking tongs. Our friends love the Raclette Party and so do we. We will buy a smaller one for our daughter who likes to entertain.

We wanted to start a new family Christmas tradition and this raclette grill was the centerpiece. Works beautifully! We had a wonderful Christmas Eve celebration. Everything heated up quickly, the raclette cheese melted perfectly and nothing sticked to the surfaces. Easy clean up! Everyone enjoyed the fun. Great quality and a nice little addition to the holiday festivities.