BLACK+DECKER 3-in-1 Waffle Iron, WM2000SD, Grill and Sandwich Press, Non-Stick Removable Plates, Space Saving Compact Design

I have a mini waffle-maker and a mini sandwich press (the kind that makes triangular press marks) and wanted to get one appliance that does both and a bit more, plus which cooks two waffles or small sandwiches at once. I was hesitant about this thing because of the quality problems that customers have reported. I've had good luck with Black & Decker (B&D) in the past, though, so gave it a try. I'm hanging onto my old waffle maker until I've had the B&D for a while, though, and watching for quality problems.How I use it: I live alone. I use this for one or two chaffles (keto cheese waffles), a single large sandwich, or one or two sandwiches made with smallish loaf bread. Now that I've tried the panini press/grill plates, I've stored the triangular sandwich press plates in a high cabinet in the unlikely event that I'll ever want to use them again. My favorite thing is to take a purchased sub sandwich and squish it in the panini press, getting a crunchy crust with delightful grill marks.This is better than reheating a sandwich in the toaster oven because it's OK to put a sandwich in the B&D even if there's lettuce in it, because you can take the sandwich out before it wilts the lettuce: the bread still gets that great crust. My usual chaffle batter (one egg, half a cup of finely-shredded cheddar, and a sprinkle of some random spice mix from my spice cabinet) makes two interesting chaffles: they don't fill the waffle iron enough to touch the top plate, such that I get sort of a lace edge, with square holes all around the outside edge. I thought this was a problem until I ate them. The crispy lacy edges are my favorite part! Now I add a little cayenne to the mix, and the result is very similar to cheese straws, which I love, but the chaffles are not greasy, which is different from (and better than) cheese straws. So now I make extra, put them in a food storage box on the kitchen counter when cool, and eat them as snacks. If I want one substantial chaffle, I'll put all the batter in one side. I tried cooking a small steak in the panini press/grill, and it was OK -- I buy whole tenderloins on sale and cut them into 1.5" steaks, so, no problem making contact top and bottom, but the cook was uneven. The right side was medium rare and the left side was medium. I've gone back to searing the steaks in a small non-stick pan, like I used to (and yes, in my experience, you can sear meat in non-stick). When I'm not using it, I store it on the kitchen counter behind my toaster oven, which sits athwart a corner, so there's lots of room back there. But it stays out where I can use it most of the time, because I use it a lot.Bottom line: I love it. It's fun to play with, trying different things, and it fills needs I didn't know I had, such as improving sandwiches. Very versatile. The size is perfect for an old lady living alone. I will continue to experiment with it, and grilling a chicken breast is probably next. I'll brine it and maybe pound the thick end so it will cook more evenly, and will rotate it halfway through cooking.Tips:- If you use pieces of cooking parchment to enclose food, the plates won't need washing at all. I use "Katbite 130PCS Air Fryer Liners" (from Amazon) for this. You can set the food on a sheet of this paper and just fold it over for most things, so you protect the top and bottom plates, and if there's any likelihood that the food will spread out at all (like cheese melting in a sandwich), wrap it all the way around to contain it. The paper will extend out past the sides of the B&D, which is not a problem, and is even helpful for removing the food to a plate. The cheese (or shredded meat or whatever) that spills out will still grill and get delightfully crispy (and will be easy to remove completely inside the paper, with no cleanup).- When using cooking parchment, you can lay a skewer or chopstick along one long edge of the food, inside the paper, to help position the food inside the B&D. This is especially helpful when wrapping the food up completely. With thick food, the B&D won't close completely, so the skewer sticking out the side doesn't interfere with anything.Notes:- The B&D handles thicker food than most similar appliances because it's set up to make thick Belgian waffles. I like this and chose the B&D because of it. My goal was to use the panini plates to grill thick sandwiches, and it does this like a champ. It does mean, however, that you may need more waffle batter than you are used to using.- It's fast. Don't leave the kitchen while it's going. I like to put a sandwich in, then get my plate together with things like slaw and pickles and get my beverage ready, and by then the sandwich will be perfect.- The plates wash well in the dishwasher, but come out with a gazillion water drops. I set them on the rack of my air fryer/toaster oven and run the "warm" cycle (180F for 10 minutes), and by the time they are cool enough to touch, they are dry. The air-fryer function gives it a blow-dried effect. It does not prevent water spots, though.- The underside of the plates gives off a black substance that stains. I tried hand-washing the plates the first time I used them and dried them with a white cloth, and there's a stain on the white cloth now that won't come out. I tried soaking and pre-treating, and it still didn't come out. After running the panini plates through the dishwasher several times, the black stain still comes off the back on my fingers. Not a problem, I just handle it by the edges and dry them in the toaster oven.- There's nothing wrong with the triangular sandwich press plates. I just don't see that there's any advantage over using the panini press. I might make grilled cheese sandwiches with it in the future... but the panini press is really good for that, too.If problems develop with the B&D, I'll post an update. But, so far, so good.

This waffle maker is a godsend. I have 2 young boys and they just love making their own sandwiches on this. That means we can stay in bed while they make their own sandwiches, pancakes or waffles. It’s simple to use and clean. This was the best purchase for them I ever made. Even above their Playstations. I just recently purchased another to keep in reserve in the event something happens to this one. Wish it had a timer.

Ours arrived yesterday and I just finished making and eating our first batch of waffles.They certainly need to improve the instructions. One key thing they fail to mention is that after washing the plates before use, you should heat them for about 10 minutes to burn off residual oils - when you do, you'll get an unpleasant smell from the burning surfacing treatment that would otherwise go into your first waffles/sandwiches. Second, the instructions for use and the recipe instructions don't match. For example, the general instructions say not to use cooking sprays but some of the recipes say to spray the plates! I'd compromise and use a propellent-free spray (the propellants can leave a residue).The plates only get to about 350F. Hot enough to cook waffles but not enough to crisp them - you can finish them quickly in an air fryer or broiler (or even a toaster) if that matters to you. The green LED just means "at temperature" it does not mean "done." For our waffles, I got the best results at 7 minutes from closing the lid, which was around 2-3 minutes after the green light.Still, with all the above, the family enjoyed the waffles and the cleanup was easy - and my wife loves the idea of being able to make paninis too!

takes a little practice for waffles but all in all a great pan frying appliance

We use this all the time for panini sandwiches. No problems.

Worked very well for the first two times I used it, then the next time I went to use it, I removed it from it's resting spot in the cabinet it's kept in and the bottom stayed there, obviously not useable any more since wires are showing and it's now a fire hazard. Of course, this was just after the return period ended, so now I'm stuck with a piece of junk that I'm going to try to contact the manufacturer about, not expecting any satisfaction. I had expected a "Black and Decker" product to be of better quality, and until this happened, I hadn't read the other 1 star reviews claiming the same thing happened to several other purchasers. Then to add insult to injury, I scrolled further down and saw comparison products, listed for under half of the cost, under another name (Chinese brand name) that is exactly the same product, which suffered the exact issues in it's review as well. I guess I should have read the 1 star reviews first. I wouldn't have purchased this junk had I done that. This junk "was" listed as an Amazon Choice. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR MONEY ON THIS GARBAGE PRODUCT that is no longer even carried in "The Black & Decker Store" on Amazon.

Makes great cheese melts!!! The multiple plates make to so much more versatile.

It’s a great little sandwich maker, but after some months of use the plastic, which goes around both plates top and bottom has started to melt. I would not recommend this, mine is in the trash and now I am shopping for one that has no plastic near the plates.