The 10 Best Electric Griddles
Special Honors
Open Kitchen by Williams Sonoma This convenient small appliance can cook up many foods with finesse, whether it’s pancakes and bacon for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, or burgers for dinner. You can easily control the temperature with the built-in probe, and the handy backstop edge assists with flipping. It’s highly portable and is made with a nonstick coating reinforced with titanium for easy release of foods. It’s resistant to scratches and abrasion, and made to hold up to heavy use. You can cook up to eight pancakes at a time, so you’ll likely be able to feed the entire family in minutes. williams-sonoma.com
Avantco EG36N 36-inch Electric Countertop Griddle Those who work in commercial spaces need equipment that they can rely on, and that works consistently well for hours at a time. This Avantco griddle is one such item; a true workhorse that is both reliable and effective. It includes three-inch-high splash guards, a sturdy stainless steel construction, and an adjustable temperature range of between 150 and 570 degrees Fahrenheit. avantcoequipment.com
Editor's Notes
March 26, 2021:
Those who have never owned a good griddle are, quite frankly, missing out. They provide a convenient surface that frees up space on the stovetop, with a responsive cooking plate that can also keep food items warm while others are prepared. If you are a fan of a cooked breakfast, then a griddle is often all you need for the entire preparation, and they are quick to clean and store away after use.
Griddles are an inexpensive way to add more versatility to your kitchen, and to maximize efficiency where space is limited. They provide an excellent centerpiece when preparing food for guests indoors, and are a favorite at barbecues, especially when there's a high turnover of food that must be kept thoroughly heated after coming off the grill.
While our ranking stays largely the same since our last update, we did feel the need to make one replacement, switching the Oster DuraCeramic for the Ikich 1600W. This new addition has many of the features and benefits of a health grill, including a channel that removes grease and a dishwasher-safe drip tray to collect excess fat. We also liked the fact that it has both a ridged and flat cooking surface, which is ideal for making bacon on one side and eggs on the other, for example.
January 31, 2020:
If you’re looking for a simple, single-function griddle that comes at an affordable price, the newly added Dash Everyday Nonstick is hard to beat, as it provides a large cooking surface and an adjustable temperature control. In addition to being easy to use, it’s got nonslip feet for stability and ad pull-out drip tray to collect fats and oils. The handy recipe book can give you plenty of ideas to get started with your new small appliance. Choose one in neutral black or white, or fun, trendy red or aqua.
Also new to the list is a heavy-duty, multifunctional model, the Breville Smart Grill, which is great for sautéing vegetables, frying bacon and eggs, and cooking burgers and steaks. This is all possible since it’s equipped with a ridged plate and a smooth one. Just fold the handle down to use it as a panini press. It’s got six adjustable heat settings and a handy sear mode. The plates are conveniently removable and dishwasher safe. The smart, user-friendly controls include a programmable timer and a backlit LCD that’s orange when the grill is preheating or cooking, and blue when it’s not hot.
Leaving our selection today is the Oster Reversible, amidst complaints that food sticks to it and it can heat unevenly. The Broil King Professional also makes its departure, due to some quality control issues.
For safety’s sake, be sure to unplug your griddle whenever it’s not in use. Always keep hot surfaces safely away from small children’s reach, and supervise any young helpers in the kitchen closely.
For more options that may interest you, see our list of best indoor grills, which are convenient for use during cold weather months or for anyone without a backyard grill.
The Many Forms Of The Griddle
One can find large stainless steel griddles in most restaurants.
Griddles have been used throughout history as an efficient way to cook a large amount of food. Over time they have taken a number of different forms and names. Early griddles were often made from stone, brick, or clay slabs and were heated by open fires.
In many Central American countries, the griddle is known as a comal and is used to cook tortillas, sear meat, and toast spices. Comals can be completely flat, convex or concave. Modern Central American societies often make their comals out of cast iron, but many indigenous tribes still make them out of clay in the traditional method. Many comals are handed down from generation to generation with idea that a long history of tempering allows them to heat up faster, cook cleaner, and impart more flavor onto the food. The use of comals dates back to the pre-Colombian era with the earliest found examples from 700 BCE.
In many South American countries, a griddle is commonly known as a budare, but some remote tribes refer to them as a blandona. Thinner variations of griddles are known as aripos. While the different types of griddles found across South and Central America are used in a similar manner, their style varies in design, handle placement, depth, and thickness.
In India, the griddle is called a tawa and is often used to cook roti, naan, pita and other flat pan breads. They may also be used to cook chaat, pan fry fish, and other meats. As with a comal, a tawa can be flat, convex, or concave, and is often made from cast iron, steel, or aluminum.
One can find large stainless steel griddles in most restaurants. Short order cooks made a name for themselves by cooking a large volume of food quickly, with almost every item from burgers to eggs being cooked on griddles. In residential settings, a griddle may be made of cast iron, aluminum, or carbon steel. Most home cooks prefer to use an electric griddle because of their ease of use and maintenance.
Benefits Of Using An Electric Griddle
One of the most notable features of an electric griddle is their ability to maintain a consistent temperature for long periods of time. When using a traditional griddle that is set over a stove's burner, it can be quite difficult to maintain the correct temperature. One will often find themselves adjusting the temperature either higher or lower. Electric griddles feature a rotary dial or digital display that allows them to be set to an exact temperature, resulting in perfectly browned food every time.
This makes them ideal for pancakes, crepes, crab cakes, and other similar foods.
Electric griddles also have a large surface area on which to cook food. When using standard pans to cook a breakfast consisting of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and home fries, one would have to use four separate pans. All of these items can be cooked simultaneously on one electric griddle, so there is only one item that needs to be cleaned at the end of the meal.
Even if one isn't cooking a variety of different items, the large surface area of an electric griddle allows them to cook a higher volume of food more quickly. This can be a huge boon to large families or those entertaining friends. There is nothing worse than having to cook a meal in portions, where the first few items cooked sit on the side and get cold while the rest of the meal is being cooked.
The flat surface of an electric griddle makes flipping food easier. Instead of trying to maneuver a spatula around the curve of a pan, one can simply slide the spatula under the food, with less chance of accidentally damaging it. This makes them ideal for pancakes, crepes, crab cakes, and other similar foods.
Griddles are also a healthier way to cook food than traditional pans. When cooking in a pan, grease and fat that drips off of the food puddles up in the pan. On a griddle, grease drips off, so food doesn't wind up sitting in a puddle of oil.
Best Foods For An Electric Griddle
While an electric griddle can be used to cook almost any type of non-liquid food, certain foods lend themselves particularly well to this cooking method. Pancakes are one such example. Not only can they be difficult to flip when using a traditional pan, one is often left having to cook just one at a time. This is fine if only cooking for oneself, but if one is cooking pancakes for a family and wants everybody to eat at the same time, an electric griddle is invaluable.
Crepes are another food that perfectly lends itself to cooking on an electric griddle. Being able to accurately set the temperature makes it easier to perfectly brown a crepe, without accidentally burning it. The large surface areas also makes it easier to slide a spatula underneath them when it is time to flip, without taking the chance of tearing it because of the high sides of a traditional pan. If not using a griddle to cook crepes, then one should definitely use a specialized crepe pan. which also features a large flat surface area and low sides.
Other foods that work well on electric griddles are crab cakes, falafel patties, pitas, tortillas, hash browns, eggs, arepas, flank steaks, and grilled cheese sandwiches.