{Photograph}: Matthew Korfhage
Griddles are an indicator of the American diner and short-order cooking, and likewise the heroes of all road tacos. And we examined every griddle’s skill to make the flat-top-grill’s most hallmark meals.
On the seven griddles I examined for this information, I made dozens of smashburgers, tacos, fajitas, pancakes, bacon strips, and eggs. I additionally crisped up skin-on fish, seared pork chops, and examined every griddle’s skill to cook dinner delicate greens like asparagus at decrease temperatures whereas meat cooked at greater temperatures on a special burner.
For smashburgers, this concerned cooking on the highest temperatures every griddle may deal with—testing every griddle’s skill to shortly caramelize meat smashed down on the griddle after which launch the meat to a spatula to flip. Pancakes. laid out throughout the griddle, had been a take a look at of the grill’s evenness throughout the cooking floor. Thicker slabs of meat, like a prok chop, examined the griddle’s skill to retain temperature throughout searing.
But in addition, we simply received very acquainted with every griddle utilizing an infrared thermometer—checking temperature at completely different factors alongside the floor of the grill because it heated on excessive or low temperatures. We additionally raced griddles towards one another, checking how lengthy it took every griddle to warmth up 500 levels Fahrenheit.
Although notice that quicker is not all the time higher: Griddles that warmth quicker are typically much less temperature-stable, or much less even. Our top-rated decide, the Traeger Flatrock 3-Zone, took 10 minutes to achieve 500 levels. Nevertheless it did so evenly throughout the floor of the griddle.
I assembled every griddle myself, each to familiarize myself with the quantity of labor every buyer will face but additionally to get down into the nitty-gritty of how every gadget is put collectively: You actually get to know a grill, whereas spending an hour screwing collectively each half.
And particularly, I put within the work of cleansing and seasoning and reseasoning every griddle over time, attending to know its foibles and sizzling spots, how briskly it cools, and how briskly it heats—studying the quantity of effort every griddle requires, and the diploma to which this effort is rewarded.
