- Cooking for a crowd? Then an electric griddle may come in handy.
- An electric griddle can cook a variety of foods, from pancakes to grilled cheese sandwiches and steaks. Some can even cook a large volume of food at the same time.
- The expansive and economical Black & Decker Family-Sized Electric Griddle with Drip Tray gets the job done with its 10-by-20-inch nonstick cooking surface that heats up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you've ever had to whip up tall stacks of pancakes to feed hungry mouths in rapid succession, as I did during my kids' swim team breakfast, then you know how useful a large griddle can be. Also called a flat-top grill, griddles are nothing more than cooking appliances with a flat surface area. It could be cookware that is heated over a burner, a surface built into a range, or a separate appliance that heats up using a power source (like gas, electricity, or solar energy). This guide focuses on electric griddles for use at home or in a noncommercial setting, which you plug in, place on a counter or table, and fire up away from the stove.
Since an electric griddle has its own heating element, it's convenient for making hot meals when you don't have a working stove or want to cook outside (like frying bacon outside to avoid grease splatter and aroma in the house). Other benefits to electric griddles include:
- Not heating up the whole kitchen as a conventional stove would
- Greater energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness when compared to a full-sized stove (although the Federal Management Program with the U.S. Department of Energy said, "Idle or standby energy consumption is a significant portion (up to 40%) of griddle energy use. Griddles should be turned off when not in use, as most take less than 15 minutes to preheat.")
- More precise control of temperature (by degrees) than a stove-top
- The ability to cook (and then serve) a variety of foods quickly and simultaneously
- A convenient place to keep food warm
- No dirty pots and pans to wash (although you do need to clean off the griddle after use)
In addition to reflecting on my own experience using a griddle, I perused reviews sites and pored over feedback from professional and amateur chefs, family cooks, and other consumers. I've narrowed down to what we considered to be the best electric griddles available.
Here are the best electric griddles you can buy:
- Best electric griddle overall: Black & Decker Family-Sized Electric Griddle with Drip Tray
- Best small electric griddle: Presto Liddle Griddle
- Best large electric griddle: Broil King Professional Portable Nonstick Griddle
- Best electric griddle/grill combo: Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Grill/Griddle
- Best versatile electric griddle: Cuisinart 5-in-1 Griddler GR-4N
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