A Comprehensive Guide to Different Types of Griddles for Your Cooking Needs

Griddle is an iconic cooking instrument many people are familiar with at restaurants and party dinners. Cooking on a griddle is preferable to so many people as it gives the meat’s surface an attractive sear. This fantastic instrument offers the user an excellent opportunity to prepare a lot of different food items within a short time. 

If you are trying to decide among different types of griddles, this article is for you. Keep reading this article to learn some most common types of griddles and decide which will give you a better cooking experience.

What Is A Griddle?

A griddle is a heated, flat surface used for cooking foods very quickly. People use a griddle as an ideal alternative to a gas grill. The construction of a griddle allows it to cook thinner food items like eggs, pancakes, bacon, etc., simultaneously with a perfect finish. Cooking on a griddle gives the user a different experience than cooking on other instruments. 

When it comes to purchasing a griddle, you should know about the materials, cooking results, methods, and some other necessary features that make a difference between griddles and other cooking instruments. 

5 Different Types of Griddles

Outdoor Griddles

If you decide to cook outside your home to enjoy a family or friends’ outing and don’t want the smell of food to interfere with your home atmosphere, choose outdoor griddles over others. An outdoor griddle is an amazing choice for hiking, camping, outing, or excursion. You can bring this griddle anywhere and have a great cooking experience outside.

Outdoor griddles provide a smoked flavor to the food items like chicken, eggs, steaks, etc. This griddle has a flat surface that should be used with a spatula to prevent food burning. The construction of this griddle allows it to handle the heat of more than 12,000 BTU. Portable outdoor griddles are made of stainless steel or ceramics. 

Cleaning the outdoor griddles is never frustrating. You can use a wire brush and a paper towel to wipe off the remaining residues. Make sure you clean the griddle very well after cooking each food item. Regular cleaning will help this instrument to prevent rusting. 

Advantages

• Foods don’t drop off. 
• Cleaning an outdoor griddle is easy. 
• It is portable.
• It has a large grilling surface.
• Prevent burning while cooking food. 
• The drip tray of this griddle collects extra grease. 

Disadvantages

• Doesn’t have side handles. 
• Likely to rust if not cleaned well. 

Gas Griddles 

Gas griddles are also considered flat-top grills, including several burners with circular heating elements. They come with tabletop designs made to place on a table or with carts that don’t need a table or flat surface to be placed. Gas griddles with tabletop designs are easy to carry outdoors. So, it is better to choose a tabletop for camping or a picnic. The larger gas griddles have a gas hookup and knobs to adjust the temperature. 

These griddles are powered by propane or natural gas, and it is better to use them outdoors because the smoke or vapors can create different health issues. To some extent, it is recommended not to use gas griddles indoors.

Advantages 

• Easy to use.
• Doesn’t require any expertise.
• Provides good taste to the food.
• Easy to clean. 
• Provides even heat while cooking food for a large group of people. 

Disadvantages 

• May cause dangerous consequences if not used properly.
• More expensive than many other griddles.
• Requires more maintenance.
• Produces fumes. 

Electric Griddles

The electric cooking griddle is popular for preparing breakfast foods, eggs, sandwiches, bacon, pancakes, stir fry, vegetables, desserts, and many other things. Electric griddles come in different designs and characteristics. 

Many are portable, so you can bring them anywhere if you plan to cook outside the home. Besides, you can also find them in large sizes, which will be a practical choice if you want to cook a meal for a group of people. This griddle’s self-regulatory and quick heating-up features have made it popular with users.  

Advantages: 

• Both large and portable sizes are available in electric griddles. So, choosing an ideal one to fit your needs is easy.
• Self-regulatory.
• The temperature heats the cooking surface evenly very fast.
• Suitable for indoor purposes.
• Easy to store in a small corner of the kitchen.
• Easy to clean.
• A broad cooking surface.

Disadvantages

• Grease trays are small, which makes them difficult to clean. 
• Short cord. 

Panini Griddles

Panini griddles have two flat plates designed to cook some particular dishes. The upper plate of these griddles allows the user to heat both sides of the food simultaneously. They come in different plates, but the removable ones are covered in nonstick coatings that make the dishwasher safe.

Advantages 

• Best for making sandwiches regularly with thick textures yet tasty. 
• Population for its versatility.
• Provides a reduced cooking time.

Disadvantages 

• Heavier than some other griddles.

Stovetop Griddles

If you want to cook numerous foods for your entire family or a group of friends, a stovetop griddle would be an ideal option. It has been used as a cooking appliance for many decades. The entire surface of this griddle heats up when you place a food item on it and helps you cook the way you want. 

This griddle has different sizes, designs, shapes, and materials. There are two types of stovetop griddles -nonstick and cast iron. You can cook pancakes, eggs, fish, meat, vegetables, etc. Whatever you cook, place the food at the center of the stovetop griddle that gets hot before the other areas and get your food cooked correctly and quickly. 

Also Read: How to Use a Griddle on a Gas Stove

Don’t use soap to clean stovetop griddles with too much soap, which can cause rusting. Use a cloth dipped in coconut or olive oil to clean the griddle and prevent rusting. 

Advantages 

• Suitable for cooking on a campfire for a large family or friend group.
• Non-stick attributes.
• Easy to clean.
• The side handles of this griddle provide a better grip. 

Disadvantages 

• The food is cooked slower than when using other griddles. 
• The surface is too large, which causes the heat to escape while cooking.
• Food may fall off sometimes.
• Likely to rust if not appropriately taken care of. 

Things To Look For In  A Griddle

Griddle Plate

The most important thing you need to look for in a griddle is its plate. The griddle plate comes in different surfaces like ceramic glass, steel, cast iron, or chromed. Moreover, check out the plate’s surface, which can be flat or ribbed. Not all surfaces are suitable for all kinds of foods. In addition, you shouldn’t forget about the thickness of the plate. Thinner plates get hot more quickly than thick plates. Therefore, the thinner ones are cost-effective options that consume less energy. Contrariwise, thick plates consume more energy but provide an even heat distribution. 

Kitchen Space

After deciding on which griddle plate to get, another crucial consideration you should make is the space of your kitchen. If you purchase a griddle with a larger plate, you can cook many food items simultaneously, but it will take more space and energy. Elsewhere, smaller griddles are suitable for smaller kitchens. However, the smaller counterparts consume less energy as it heats only a particular area you use while cooking. 

Size 

Griddles have different sizes and purposes. You have to choose the right one depending on your requirements. Full-size griddles are suitable for use in commercial settings like hotels and restaurants. On the other hand, smaller griddles are ideal for household use. It is important to note that the smaller the size of the griddle is, the less energy it consumes. Choose the smaller one if you have a tight budget and narrow space to place the griddle. 

Positioning 

The positioning of the griddle is a crucial consideration because kitchen space is an issue for some people. The griddle with a full-height unit is suitable for traditional domestic purposes that can be mounted on a long-lasting stand. On the contrary, countertop griddle types should be placed carefully and technically by forming an effective kitchen line. If you have a narrow kitchen space, an oven with a griddle or a griddle with a fridge base can be a savior for you. 

Model

You can choose either a gas griddle or an electric griddle. While gas griddles are more responsive to temperature control, electric griddles take more time to heat up and cool down. Gas griddles are good for searing and making food items perfectly when cooking with extreme heat. Unfortunately, they may not provide equal distribution of heat to your foods. In addition, you need to take help from a professional to install this griddle. Conversely, electric griddles offer an even temperature control and are more energy-efficient. If you are concerned about your monthly utility bills, install an electric griddle. 

Cleaning Process

#You should also consider how much time you want to invest cleaning a griddle. Buying an electric griddle is a better option if you are looking for an easy cleaning process. It is also a convenient option due to its less-maintenance requirements. Alternatively, griddles with non-stick finish are popularly used by many people as they don’t stick to the griddle plate, and it is easy to eliminate the remaining food from the griddle quicker than other types of griddles. 

In Conclusion 

Buying griddles can be a fantastic addition to your cooking instruments, whether you want to cook indoors or outdoors. The wide range of different types of griddles discussed above in this article will help you choose the best one for your requirements. Each one has distinctive features, unique constructions, pros, and cons. 

Depending on how you want to use it while cooking and where you plan to cook, these are the things you should keep in mind before choosing the right griddle for your needs. Whatever griddle you choose, it will be a great help to cook anything and everything you can do on a frypan. However, griddles offer a better cooking surface than grills or frying pans.