There's one cooking appliance in my house the whole family actually uses. It's The Griddler by Cusinart. Even my husband uses this, probably even more than he uses the toaster! It's handy and is actually a permanent fixture on my counter. It can be used as a grill, griddle or panini press.
When I orgiinally got it, I wanted to used as a panini press. I even bought cookbooks for panini and everything. It's now mostly used to grill meat. Burgers are my husband's favorite. It cooks them fast because you can cook both sides at the same time. I have used it for pancakes and french toast - 8 slices at one time! It's great for chicken breasts. I marinate them in a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and oregano and in less than 15 minutes you can grill up great chicken no matter what the weather!
It comes with two different grilling plates, one flat and the other with raised ridges to give a nice grill line look to the food. It opens up flat - to give you lots of cooking surface. It has a no stick finish and washes up in the dishwasher! What more can you ask for!
