I need to replace my Hamilton-Beach electric pancake griddle. One leg broken, coating has gotten kind of funky, it really doesn’t heat evenly, and the temperature gauge has always been wrong by about 100 degrees.
What’s your recommendation? I’ve looked at the reviews on Amazon, and the top rated seem to be the Presto and the Broil King brands. Each one has its detractors and fans. Reading the reviews I sometimes wonder if the reviewers are reporting on the same product. One person says the thing is perfect, another says it’s a piece of trash.
I don’t need anything fancy, but want durability, reliable temp control, and even heating. What are your experiences with these appliances, either these two or another that you particulary like?
I gave up on electric griddles when I got a stovetop griddle. (Mine is actually one made for my specific stove, but you get the idea.)
It’s WAY nicer than any electric I’ve ever had, easier to clean, and I use it so much that it lives on top of my stove. I’d highly recommend one over an electric one unless there’s some reason you absolutely need a standalone appliance.
I have a Presto 22 inch electric griddle and have been happy with it. I would use it much more often if my tiny kitchen had more counter space. As it is I have to keep it in a cabinet and it is kind of a pain to get in and out so I forget I have it a lot of the time.
It seems to have accurate temperature control, I have never noticed hot or cold spots and it cooks evenly across the board. I have had it for years, in several houses and this is the first time it has been regulated to the cabinet, so I would say that it has held up well as far a durability and was not expensive to begin with, so it certainly proved itself in value for the money as well.
I like the electrics because it (supposedly) keeps the right temperature. On the stovetop, it’s difficult for me to tell if it’s too hot or too cold until you’ve burned the pancakes!
Nope. I can’t even think of how that’s possible. The sides are cool to the touch and both have to be pulled away from the center to make it tilt. That being said, the angle is not particularly steep anyway, I’ve made pancakes and bacon simultaneously while tilted to no adverse effect.
I have a Cuisineart Griddler that I use once or twice a week. It can be used open, or closed as a panini press. The non-stick plates are removeable and go in the dishwasher. It comes with smooth plates and ridged (?) plates. I really love it. I’ve never seen or heard of the Broil King brand.
I have a Presto griddle, it works reasonably well. I use it only occasionally for pancakes for the grandkids or guests. Two things 1. It must be set to the max temp (400) to bake the pancakes; 2. I have to use a citrus-based cleaner to get the funk off from the outer edges.
I have a small George Foreman, I only use it for link sausage and bacon. It’s a wonderfull way to cook bacon, and the grease just flows into the catcher-thingie below the grill.
Have they made the grills detachable on the smaller ones? The one my boyfriend has is an oval about a foot and a half across with built-in grills and was a giant pain in the butt to clean.
I have a Rival, and the surface detaches for easy cleaning. It has a digital temp gauge, and it works pretty well. There are areas of slight uneven heat, but I flip all the pancakes at the same time and have never had one come out raw or anything, just slightly lighter in one area.
I gave up on stovetop griddles after my second attempt because none of them sit well on my gas cooktop.
Following up, in case anybody else is making a decision: My Broil King (actually made by a company called Cadco) arrived yesterday. I made pancakes on it this morning. Excellent product! The heat was steady, uniform and evenly distributed. Plus, it’s made entirely in the USA, in Winstead, CT.
We figured out a fairly easy way to clean ours (we use it at least a couple times a week).
Stick the grill in the sink, plugged in. Fold up a paper towel so that it’s more or less the same dimentions as the inside. Soak the towel in water, and let it heat up until it starts sizzling. Dump a glassful of water in there, and let it come up to sizzling again. Unplug, remove the paper towel, and allow to cool. The steam works its way into some of the more caked-on bits, and the water itself gets rid of the bigger, nastier chunks.
This works for a few years - after that, there’s no non-stick coating left, and it’s easier just to go buy a new one than try to clean it.
I got the Cadco PCG-10. I used it on Saturday and Sunday and found the heating to be as perfectly uniform as one could ask for. I didn’t check it with any kind of scientific instrument, but the results on my pancakes and French toast were awesome. One trick is that it must be thoroughly pre-heated to allow the heat to distribute evenly. What kind of control problems were reported? Mine seems to work fine.
Regarding cleaning, the base unit can be submerged. You just have to remove the electic cord first, natch.
Wow, that is one impressive unit! If you search on Amazon under “broil king griddle” you should see the ones which have medium ratings, mostly due to people complaining about uneven heating and parts that break.
Yeah, I read a lot of the ratings also. However, the supposedly uneven heating is due to not letting it warm up long enough. It has a very substantial base that, given time, spreads out the heat more evenly. I’ve only had it less than a week; so far nothing’s broken! Time will tell. The fact that it’s made in Connecticut should in theory make it easier to get a replacement something if need be.
The (much smaller than yours) Rival griddle I have beeps to let you know it has reached operating temp. It does fluctuate in temp a bit, and it doesn’t heat PERFECTLY evently, but I never have the problem I used to run into with my old stovetop griddle, where some pancakes are overdone and some are burnt. I never have to “rotate” my pancakes on this griddle, which is very nice indeed.