All-Clad Electric Indoor Grill, AutoSense Stainless Steel Panini Grill Press Sandwich Maker, Automatic 1800W Smokeless, Removable Plates, Dishwasher Safe

Why it's worth it

The All-Clad AutoSense grill is a full 1800-watt indoor grill that also presses sandwiches. It senses food thickness and adjusts cooking time, has nine automatic programs plus manual temperature control, and its removable plates go in the dishwasher.

This one's for you if the press is really an indoor grill that occasionally makes panini. It's XL-sized — enough surface for meals for up to eight — with stainless construction and 1800 watts behind it. If you live somewhere where firing up the outdoor grill in July means standing in a furnace, an indoor grill this large actually replaces it for weeknight cooking.

The AutoSense system is the reason to pay more. It reads the thickness of what you put on the plates and adjusts the cook time, then walks you through five stages with an indicator so you're not lifting the lid every ninety seconds. Epicurious found the All-Clad held temperature within ±5°F of target over a twenty-minute session, while budget models drifted as much as ±40°F. For anything delicate — a brie-and-pear sandwich, thin fish — that stability is what keeps it from scorching.

From our review of 8 panini presses and sandwich makers, by David Sinclair, Managing Editor

What we like

• +This one's for you if the press is really an indoor grill that occasionally makes panini
• +The AutoSense system is the reason to pay more
• +Manual mode gives you four fixed temperatures when you'd rather drive it yourself, and nine automatic programs when you wouldn't
• +It also runs genuinely smokeless, which matters more in an apartment than on paper

What to know

• –The automatic doneness readings aren't reliable for everyone
• –It's expensive and it's large — nearly eighteen inches wide
• –The lid is heavy. Some owners find it presses harder than they'd like on a soft sandwich