Electric griddles are fantastic! When it comes to cooking, electric griddles are easily one of the most convenient and useful devices that you can find. For that reason, a wide variety of different brands and manufacturers have developed their own electric griddles.
Naturally, this has lead to an influx of electric griddles, and from this wide expansion of the market, there are a lot of different choices available to you. So many choices that finding the best electric griddle can be a pretty challenging task. Simply because there are so many choices available to you, at any one time.
In this buying guide, we’re going to help you out. We’re going to give you the information you need to find the best electric griddle for yourself. Only, this electric griddle isn’t going to be any average electric griddle.
It’s going to be an electric griddle that has a warming tray, plates that you can remove, and a good cover. Each one of those features makes the entire process of using the griddle, and cooking your food, significantly easier.
Today, you’re going to learn about the different attributes that you’re going to need to consider when looking at different electric griddles. These attributes directly affect the quality of your experience with the electric griddle, and your experience with the griddle, especially when it comes to how your food is cooked, and the overall effectiveness of the cooking experience.
Each attribute will be anchored to a few questions that you can ask yourself, so you can determine your needs and wants, and what features and attributes will best align with those needs and wants.
Before we dive into those attributes, and the questions that tie into them, we need to look at what an electric griddle is, though, and the unique advantages that electric griddles present. That way, you have a greater understanding of why an electric griddle is such a useful device.
This website is supported by readers. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.What Is An Electric Griddle?
The most basic definition that we can give an electric griddle is that it is a cooking surface. A long, flat cooking surface that you can use to cook a wide variety of different foods, such as pancakes, eggs, bacon, among many others.
Most of the time, this surface is made out of cast iron. The reason for this is because cast iron is a very strong and durable material, and because cast iron is also, generally speaking, a non-stick surface. This means that when you are cooking your food, your food won’t stick to the griddle, causing it to fall apart when you try to take it off of the griddle.
There are two types of griddles, though. Stovetop griddles are very common, and these griddles are heated by your stove. Whereas electric griddles are pretty much the same, except for the fact that they have a heating element built in, and this heating element is powered by electricity
What Are The Advantages Of Owning An Electric Griddle?
Electric griddles are unique, in comparison to stovetop griddles, because they have a very large and spacious cooking surface. With this large cooking surface, you have a great deal of freedom when it comes to the things that you cook. You can cook eggs, pancakes, french toast, bacon, sausages, tortillas, quesadillas, and on and on. Due to the large surface of an electric griddle, you have an incredible amount of versatility, when it comes to what you can cook, and this is a really great feature to have, especially if you enjoy cooking bigger dishes – or bigger quantities of certain dishes – and experimenting with different foods. This is in contrast to traditional frying pans, which are quite small.
With a stovetop griddle, the heat tends not to be applied in the most even manner. Instead, some spots on the griddle are heated well, while others aren’t heated that well at all. This leads to cooking that is a bit more uneven, not to mention difficult than it actually needs to be. But, with an electric griddle, since the griddle isn’t relying on the grates of a stove, the electric heat is applied all across the surface of the electric griddle, making it easier to cook all kinds of foods, without worrying about a heat imbalance.
Since electric griddles don’t need to sit on your stovetop, you can place them just about anywhere, and they won’t take up valuable on your stove, either. This mobility and convenience is one of the defining factors of an electric griddle, and it truly does make things significantly easier. Especially since it’s easier to place the electric griddle just about anywhere, so you can set up your griddle no matter where you are, as long as you have some kind of electric outlet.
When Searching For The Best Electric Griddle
When searching for the best electric griddle, there are a few things that are really going to affect the overall experience. In this part of the guide, we’re going to be talking about those things, as well as other factors that will end up affecting your experience with the electric griddle. You’re going to learn about how you can think about those factors, and deal with them so that you can have the most enjoyable and pleasant cooking experience!
How Big Is The Electric Griddle?
Size is one of the biggest and most important considerations when buying an electric griddle. You need to consider just how big the electric griddle is. This has to do with the measurements of the pan, and you need to consider how big the pan actually is.
The reason for this is because, naturally, you’re going to be storing this pan somewhere. And, you need to figure out where you are going to store it – most people store their electric griddle on the countertop, or on some kind of table that has been set aside for cooking – and just how big that space is. That way, you know what size of the electric griddle is ideal for your purposes when it comes to storing it and having easy access to it.
There is another consideration, though, that is equally important. And this has to do with the types of food that you are going to be cooking on this electric griddle. What types of foods do you want to cook on your electric griddle? Big, juicy steaks? Or, perhaps, you want to cook smaller foods, and you don’t really want to cook anything that is particularly large. You also need to consider the quantity of food you would like to cook, at any given time, because this, too, is directly affected by the size of the electric griddle.
You also need to consider the size of the warming tray, as well, because this tray is going to hold all of the food that has finished cooking, but you aren’t ready to serve. And, if you are cooking for a big family, you’re probably going to need a nice, big warming tray.
Is The Surface Non-Stick Coated?
This is a “Yes” or “No” question. Some electric griddles have surfaces that are non-stick coated, and this means a few things. Other electric griddles lack this non-stick coating. It really does depend on the electric griddle that you purchase.
With non-stick coating, food, of all sorts, doesn’t actually stick to the surface of the electric griddle. Instead, you can easily move it around, grab it with your spatula, and things of that nature. It’s a lot more convenient, too, because when you are done cooking food, such as pancakes, it won’t stick to the surface of the electric griddle, or fall apart when you try to pull it off.
However, with an electric griddle that lacks this non-stick coating, you’ll find that it’s a little more difficult to actually remove the food that you have already finished cooking or to actually move and manipulate the food, as you are cooking it.
Now, for some people, this inconvenience isn’t really that big of a deal, and they don’t have any problems dealing with it. But, for other people, this is a big annoyance, and it isn’t something that they want to deal with. So, they’ll spend the extra money to buy an electric griddle that has some kind of non-stick coating. In the end, though, it depends on what you want, and the level of convenience that is most desirable.
What Kinds Of Temperature Controls Does The Electric Griddle Offer?
When searching for a good electric griddle, you’re going to find that electric griddles tend to vary a lot, when it comes to the different temperature controls that they offer. Some electric griddles are quite limited when it comes to the temperature controls that they offer, and this means that you have less versatility, overall, when it comes to the types of foods, you are able to cook, and how you cook them.
For example, if you want to cook simple foods, like grilled cheese sandwiches or burgers, then you really don’t need access to temperatures that are particularly high. But, if you want to cook something a little more dense, and a little more complex, such as a steak with lots of herbs and spices, then you will need a higher temperature. And, if you plan on cooking a wide variety of dishes that will require many different types of temperatures, you are going to need access to that wide variety of temperatures.
Along the same lines, some electric griddles have two “griddle zones”. One side is one griddle zone, and the other side is another griddle zone. With these types of electric griddles, you have the ability to cook one side of the griddle at one particular temperature, and the other side of the griddle at another temperature and this lends itself to a lot of versatility, enabling you to cook all kinds of foods, at the same time.
Is It Dishwasher Friendly?
When we talk about “dishwasher friendly”, we’re referring to the plates, as well as the warming tray, that are part of the electric griddle. Obviously, the heating element is not going to be dishwasher friendly.
With the removable plates that serve as the surface in which your food is cooked on, some of these are dishwasher friendly, and some of them aren’t. It does depend a lot on the electric griddle that you buy. The same goes for the warming tray.
When it comes to being dishwasher friendly, it’s really up to you, with regards to whether or not it’s important for those elements to have the ability to be washed in the dishwasher. For some people it is, and they choose to spend the extra money to have that, and for others, it isn’t.
How Much Does It Cost?
Ultimately, it comes down to price. When you’re looking at electric griddles, it’s very important that you are aware of your budget, and you are aware of what you can afford, and what you cannot. But, it is also important for you to understand your needs when it comes to buying an electric griddle, as well as your wants.
For example, if you need an electric griddle that has a warming tray, removable plates, and a good cover, then that is what you will buy, regardless of the price. But, if you want to have a certain maximum temperature, then it isn’t something that you will adjust your budget for, necessarily.
Conclusion
Electric griddles are exceptionally useful devices! They really do make life a lot easier, and owning the right one can make the entire cooking process a breeze!
By reading this guide, and by following the information that we have given you, and considering the individual aspects we brought up, you will have no difficulties finding the best electric griddle for yourself!