Best Electric Griddle
Have you ever thought about purchasing an electric griddle? It can help you make a big batch of pancakes, eggs, and bacon, all at the same time so half of it doesn’t get cold. If it’s not breakfast time, try frying a burger or grilled cheese sandwich on it. Electric griddles have a large flat cooking surface and they are plugged into your electrical socket. This frees up your stove if you need it for other things.
Unlike some frying pans or other types of griddles, the flat surface of an electric griddle ensures all your food is cooked evenly. The electric griddle at home is the equivalent of the large stainless steel griddle they use in your local diner!
Let’s find out about some of the most popular electric skillet on the market today:
Cuisinart Griddler Five GR-5BP1
The Cuisinart Griddler Five is great for your budget because it’s five small kitchen appliances in one. It is a full griddle, full grill, combination half griddle/half grill, contact grill, and panini press. There is also a sear function, which sears your food at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for two minutes before dropping to 425 degrees to cook.
It has a sleek and contemporary design, which fits into any kitchen décor. It comes with a stainless steel top cover, handle bar, and control panel. The arms are made of die-cast aluminum. This device is a bit smaller than other griddles.
This device has user friendly digital controls. The LCD display shows the function you are using, preheat status, the cooking countdown timer, and the grill temperature. You can adjust the temperature from 175 to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
There is a drip tray to keep grease away from your food, and for easy cleaning. The removable cooking plates, scraping tool, and folding lid are great for cleaning, and they are dishwasher safe. They are also easily stored away.
One drawback is it is hard to tell when the device is properly preheated. Also, the smaller size of the cooking surface means it is difficult to squeeze a lot of food onto it. Another challenge is the arms and top cover are not cool-touch. Be careful when handling them during or after cooking.
Pros
- Five small kitchen appliances in one, including griddle and griddle/grill
- Includes sear function
- Sleek, contemporary design
- User friendly LCD controls with countdown timer
- Drip tray to catch grease
- Many components are removable, for easy cleaning
Cons
- Small cooking surface
- Arms and top cover are not cool touch, which could lead to burns
Presto 22-Inch Non Stick Electric Griddle 07061
The Presto 22-Inch Non Stick Electric Griddle is a very popular brand. It is affordable, basic, and a good value for your money. At 264 square inches of cooking surface, it is larger than many other brands. It is roomy enough to cook eight pancakes. And it is shorter in height than other models, which may suit you for space saving in your kitchen.
It heats quickly to a lower maximum of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat control maintains your chosen temperature automatically. The thermostat fits snugly in place.
Its ceramic coated non-stick surface is textured, which helps runny foods like eggs to stay in place. The textured surface also helps to disperse the heat more evenly around the griddle surface. The entire surface is flat, and not curved like some other models, so you need to watch to make sure your food does not slip off the griddle. There is also a handy grease trap to catch any drippings from your cooking.
This device is lightweight for easy transport. It has cool touch handles which can be removed for easy storage in a standard size 18 inch cabinet.
This griddle is easy to clean. Simply remove the cord and the entire device can be immersed in water for safe cleaning. The grease tray and handles can be easily removed and put in the dishwasher.
One drawback is the heating can be inconsistent, sometimes leading to overcooking in some spots and undercooking in others. Some users have mentioned that warping can occur in the middle of the griddle after a long period of use.
Pros
- Affordable
- Large cooking surface
- Heats quickly and maintains chosen temperature automatically
- Surface is textured, which helps disperse heat evenly and keeps foods in place
- Cool touch handles can be easily removed for convenient storage
- Easy to clean; some components are dishwasher safe
Cons
- Heating may be inconsistent
- Warping may occur in middle of griddle after long time use
Presto Liddle Griddle 07211
The Presto Liddle Griddle is a small, sturdy model that fits well on the countertop in a small apartment or dorm room. It is very affordable, too. This is the perfect griddle for one person.
It has a 10.5 inch wide surface, and a total of 90 square inches of cooking area, enough to cook two eggs and two pieces of toast. Although this is small, it carries as much heating power as other griddles that are full size. A surface this small tends to heat up quickly and stay hot. It reaches 400 degrees Fahrenheit and the surface heats more evenly than many other models.
At just over three pounds, it is lightweight and easy to carry and travel around with.
The non-stick aluminum coating on the cooking surface is lightly textured, and requires very little grease for cooking. There is no detachable grease tray, but instead the grease flows down a channel where it is caught by the built in grease tray.
This griddle is very easy to clean. The power cord can be detached and then the unit can be immersed in warm, soapy water for cleaning.
One drawback is the light indicator does not say if the device is hot or cold, so you need to be careful when touching it.
Pros
- Affordable
- Small, fits well on countertop in dorm or little apartment
- Heats up quickly, stays hot, and heats more evenly than other models
- eatHeHhhLightweight and easy to transport
- Textured cooking surface requires little grease
- Easy to clean; remove power cord and entire unit can be immersed in water
Cons
- Light indicator does not show if the device is hot or cold
Presto Tilt ‘n Drain Big Electric Griddle 07046
The Presto Tilt ‘n Drain Big Electric Griddle’s non-stick cooking surface is extra-large, at 23 x 17 inches (277 square inches), and cooks a lot of pancakes! It holds 50% more food than other large griddles. You will require a decent amount of counter space to accommodate this griddle but it is a great size if you regularly cook for a large group.
It heats up surprisingly fast for a large griddle. It goes from zero to 350 degrees Fahrenheit in about 10 minutes, which is about the same as other smaller griddles. Its maximum temperature is 400 degrees. The master heat control automatically maintains the temperature that you require.
The sides and front are cool-touch, and when the heat controller is removed, the entire device can be submerged in water. However, due to its large size and handles, this device is hard to fit into a sink and thus it is a challenge to clean. It is also a challenge to store away.
When the handles are pulled outward, it tilts the surface of the griddle, which allows grease to flow out, towards the attached trap. This is especially handy if you are cooking meats. The drip tray catches any extra grease and can be easily emptied for cleaning.
This griddle comes with six wooden spatulas and two non-stick egg rings.
One drawback is the extra-large size of this device sometimes hinders its ability to maintain heat evenly throughout the entire cooking surface. But this is to be expected with a griddle of this size. There are also some criticisms of the tilt ‘n drain feature because the channel the grease goes into is narrow and cannot be removed, which is challenging during clean up.
Pros
- Extra-large, holds 50% more food than other large griddles
- Heats up fast
- Cool-touch sides and front
- With heat controller removed, entire unit can be submerged in water for clean up
- Tilt ‘n drain feature allows grease to flow out towards attached trap
Cons
- Large size may hinder its ability to maintain heat evenly
- Grease trap cannot be removed, which makes clean up a challenge
- Large size makes it a challenge to clean and store away
What you should know about an electric griddle
Electric griddles are great because they save you having to pull out different pots and pans to make your favorite foods. Simple cook them all on your griddle. You can also plug in your griddle wherever in your home that you wish, and make your favorite breakfast foods or steaks.
These devices have a flat cooking surface that is rectangular shaped. This surface offers a lot more cooking space than your typical pans so there is no need to cook in batches and have people waiting around for their food. No more food getting cold before everyone can dig in!
They have a built in heating element that heats the surface from below using temperature controls. They heat more evenly than a traditional pan on a stove that is heated from the center with a flame.
With an electric griddle, you should be able to heat all your food evenly, no matter where on the griddle your food items are placed. However, with some larger electric griddles, perfectly even heating is a challenge to achieve.
They have a non-stick cooking surface which means you can use less grease than with a typical cooking pan. Many electric griddles also drain away the grease which makes your cooking more healthy and your griddle easy to clean.
Electric griddles come in a range of sizes, from small to extra-large.
What to consider when purchasing an electric griddle
There are three main things to consider if you are thinking of purchasing an electric griddle: size, heat controls, and inserts.
Size
When looking into an electric griddle, you should make note of how much room you have available in your kitchen to use and store it, and how many people you think you will be cooking for. The larger electric griddles can accommodate families and guests but need ample counter space and storage, while the smaller ones are more suited to a couple or single person in a compact apartment or dorm room.
Heat Controls
Different foods cook better at different temperatures. Pancakes, for instance, cook better at a lower temperature than bacon. Most people who own electric griddles prefer to cook more than one food at a time. You might want to consider a griddle that has two plates/thermostats so you can do this. Another handy feature is a warming tray, which a few models have. This allows you to keep cooked food warm while you are cooking another batch of food.
Inserts
Some electric griddles have features where they can carry out more functions when you want them to. For example, some can easily turn into a grill, or a griddle/grill combination. Some have other features you can pop on or off as you desire. Try to find a model with attachments or pop-on features that are dishwasher safe, for easy cleaning.
By evaluating your needs, reviewing the various available sizes, heat controls, and features, and checking out different models on the market and their reviews, you will be sure to find the electric griddle that suits your needs perfectly.