If you’re shopping for an iron online, it’s best to be specific in your inquiry because irons come in all shapes and sizes, and for all kinds of different uses. Just to prove the point: the best-selling griddle on Amazon, the Calphalon 10-Inch Nonstick Griddle, is actually a crepe pan. The short, gently sloping sides give it away. It’s still a great buy as a nonstick griddle, especially when it’s on sale for around $20 as it is at the time of this writing.
grill and grill
Let’s figure out the difference between a grill and a griddle. A grill or broil pan has a rack with raised ridges that prevent food from cooking directly in the oil and drippings from collecting on the bottom of the pan. If the heat on the stovetop gets high enough, you can get the same desirable sear marks on steaks, chops, and burgers that you see when cooking on outdoor gas and charcoal grills.
A griddle has a smooth, flat cooking surface, making it ideal for pancakes, omelettes, and crepes. A cooktop, double griddle, or two-burner griddle (they all mean the same thing) are often reversible, with a flat griddle surface on one side and with grilling ridges on the reversible side. These griddles are often advertised as either a reversible griddle or a grill/griddle.
A reversible griddle is likely to be a rectangle about 20 x 11 inches with short handles on each end. These griddles are called two-burner griddles because they are large enough to cover and heat on two stovetop burners at the same time. Coleman and Camp Chef make 24-inch and larger griddles that are a little big for a cooktop griddle but are great for outdoor use.
round and square
A round griddle is most likely a grill. A smooth-bottomed skillet about 10 inches with sides high enough to prevent oil and drippings from spilling onto the burner, and with a conventional long handle. The short sides are designed to make it easier for the spatula to access the food. You can appreciate this if you’ve tried flipping a pancake with an angled spatula. Since the heat can only be applied to one side, round griddles are likely to have nonstick surfaces.
A square griddle is also probably a grill with short sides and a conventional handle. The advantage of the square shape is that it can fit more pieces. An 11-inch square griddle will fit four burgers or cheese sandwiches, while three is the practical limit for a round griddle.
Steel, Aluminum, Stainless Steel and Cast Iron
Steel griddles are usually the larger rectangular type, most measuring over 24 inches, and are well-suited for large group cooking. Nothing prevents you from using a steel griddle on your stove if it will fit, but most are made for camp stoves. The steel construction is heavy-duty and can take some abuse from knives and metal cookware.
Aluminum is less popular than it used to be, but you can still find many sizes and shapes of aluminum griddles from major manufacturers, including the Farberware Double Burner Nonstick Griddle. Thick aluminum is an excellent conductor of heat, though if it’s not hard anodized it can discolor and pit if cleaned with metal pads and harsh chemicals. Most aluminum griddles have at least one nonstick surface.
Variations of the cast iron griddle probably date back to the beginning of the iron age. Cooks who use cast iron cookware regularly have no problem maintaining cookware to produce a nonstick cooking surface, though newcomers still seem intimidated by the seasoning process. A cast iron griddle can be used indoors or outdoors, can be dropped, and can be completely abused with scorching cooking utensils and temperatures without ill effects. Cast iron directly over the coals is the only way the home cook can raise the temperature high enough to achieve a truly blackened effect. Cast iron can be heavy, so check the weight specifications if you are petite.
Unexpectedly, a stainless steel griddle is rare. Even the stainless steel All-Clad champion only makes a hard anodized aluminum plate. There are a few models of 12-inch round stainless steel griddles, but even these great kitchen tools, from different manufacturers, for the same odd reason have puny side handles that disqualify them from serious consideration.
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