Simply put, a flat top grill is a must-have item for any cooking in a picnic, backyard, or camping event. This type of grill is incredible capable, delivering lots of roasted, smoked, or cooked foods at a go, without breaking a sweat, thanks to a large and high heat surface. But what is the best flat top grill and griddle for you?
The Top 8 Best Flat Top Grills and Griddles
Whether you are a grill master or just starting your culinary pursuits, choosing the best flat top grill among all the options available is no child play. Lucky for you, we have reviewed the best 8 flat top grills and griddles to help you make the best choice. Whether you’re looking for a griddle attachment for your existing grill or looking to go whole hog with a standalone flat top grill, we’ve got you covered.
1. Blackstone Flat Top Grill 1554
View in galleryBuy now Don’t let this Blackstone’s chic design fool you; the Blackstone Flat Top Grill 1554 is a mean grilling machine. Whether you are a pro or just starting out cooking on a griddle, this flat top griddle will undoubtedly impress you. After a quick assembly, fire up the stainless steel burners with the quick ignition button and get cooking in no time. The 4 stainless steel burners give a total of 60,000 BTU grill power to handle the enormous 720 sq. inches of cooking area. Don’t limit what many call the best outdoor griddle to merely cooking stir fry and breakfast foods alone. With such high power and cooking capacity, you can cook your chicken, steaks, vegetables, and fish; this griddle can handle anything you throw at it. For convenience, you’ll find side shelves and a bottom shelf to keep your grilling tools within reach. Also, you will have no problem maneuvering, thanks to the sturdy caster wheels at the bottom of the griddle. After cooking, feel free to cover the grill using a canvas cover (sold separately) to protect it from external elements that may damage it.
2. Camp Chef Flat Top Grill FTG600
View in galleryBuy now Camp Chef makes cooking a lot of food quite easy with their flat iron grill line. This Camp Chef Flat Top Grill FTG600 in particular is a cooking monster with 604 sq. inches of seasoned, non-stick griddle area and 501 sq. inches of grilling space. Imagine cooking 36 burgers, 40 strips of bacon, and 24 pancakes simultaneously. We are talking about cooking for 50 to 100 hungry people in an incredible 60 minutes. Just fire up the burners with the matchless ignition system, and you will have 48,000 BTUs at your disposal. What’s more, the four stainless steel burners (12k BTU each) allow even heat distribution and retention across the entire flat grill surface, so your food cooks faster. The heat dispersing design also eliminates cold and hot spots during cooking, ensuring that you get evenly cooked food all the time. Camp Chef’s outdoor griddle can comfortably handle a heat range of between 225-500° F. This means you can crank up the heat to sear your steaks in record time, or you can sit back and chill while the low heat gets the job done. Another exciting feature is that you can interchange the cooking surface. Swap out a griddle cooking surface for a traditional grate to suit your cooking needs. You will cook for hours on this flat top thanks to the catch bucket and grease tray that collect drippings, eliminating the need to clean it often.
3. Camp Chef Griddle SG30
View in galleryBuy now If you have a thing for hot sandwiches and fresh fish, you are in for a treat with this Camp Chef griddle top for gas grill cooking. It perfectly fits two gas burners and has an enormous cooking area to satisfy all your desires. So long as you can supply the heat (up to 14″ stoves), the SG-30 provides all the flat top space you need to cook. Thanks to Camp Chef’s heat diffuser plates, heat is evenly distributed across the griddle to ensure there are no hotspots when cooking. This portable griddle comes seasoned, allowing you to cook straight out of the box. And after your cooking is done, the high sides and the grease drain make cleaning the griddle a breeze. It features heavy-duty steel construction, meaning the SG-30 griddle will serve you for a long time. In fact, it may be the best camping griddle that you can just throw in the back of the truck without babying it. And after all, nothing compares to cooking on a flat top–Camp Chef quality is a testament to that.
4. Little Griddle GQ230 BBQ Griddle
View in galleryBuy now Little Griddle’s professional griddle is one of the best attaching flat tops for gas grills. The name “Little” shouldn’t put you off because you will be getting 386 sq. inches of cooking surface–hardly diminutive! It also fits any appropriately sized grill. The construction of this restaurant-grade stainless steel griddle eliminates rust corrosion worries. And because it comes with a lifetime warranty, you can be confident that it’s built to last. This is a lightweight BBQ griddle with detachable handles on the sides that allow you to move it easily from the grill’s surface safe and quick, even when it’s blazing hot. With the side walls resting 2 inches above the grill, you should not worry about food slipping off the griddle surface as you cook. But what separates it from the other grills are the cross bracing bars on its underside that ensure even heating of the cooking surface. You will also enjoy the convenience of a grease well that spans the entire length of the whole width of the griddle, making cleaning near effortless. If you want to enjoy some fantastic cooking while camping or tailgating, this one will surprise you with its sautéing, searing, roasting, and baking capabilities.
5. Cuisinart 360° Propane Flat Top Grill CGG-888
View in galleryBuy now If you are looking to replicate your local restaurant’s signature griddle creations at home, the Cuisinart CGG-888 propane griddle grill is your ticket to heaven. It features two independently controlled propane burners that pack 30,000 BTUs of grill power and a 380 sq. inches cooking surface. The Cuisinart CGG-888 has two cooking zones, allowing you to cook in low heat at 200 degrees or high heat at up to 550 degrees. This means you can sear your steaks, roast or smoke your ribs, bake your favorite pizza, and even flip burgers for all and sundry. The cold-rolled steel griddle efficiently retains heat and evenly distributes it for perfect cooking with no cold or hot spots on the food. And thanks to the grill lid, high temperatures are maintained within the grill, and the food remains warm after you finish cooking. This is the best outdoor propane griddle for use in open patio spaces, with its 360° round top that allows you to cook from any angle. Cuisinart includes a foldable side table that you can use as a prep area and a paper towel holder for your towel to clean any mess. With the 360-degree grease pan, oil and any debris get directed into a removable grease cup, making cleanups quite easy.
6. Evo Professional Classic Tabletop Griddle
View in galleryBuy now Evo America spares no expense when crafting its grills; and the Evo-Pro is a testament to that. Indeed, the baseline Evo grill price carries some sticker shock. But with the heavy-duty 304 stainless steel construction, you have a reliably durable product that’s not prone to rust and corrosion. The 30 cm diameter solid oil-seasoned cooking surface offers a whopping 650 sq. inches of cooking area and sits on dual burners that pack 48,000 BTUs. Bring the burners to life using an electronic starter that fires up the burners at the touch of a button. With between 225 and 550 degrees of heat, you can explore a wide range of menu possibilities. And don’t forget, you have a heavy-duty stainless steel lid that maintains the temperature, so you can warm, steam, roast, and bake with a grill master’s proficiency. It is also fitted with an adjustable vent to exhaust vapors and steam while you cook. You will find a drill pan covering the entire underside of the cooking surface that manages all the food debris. Underneath the drip pan is a removable and dishwasher-safe spill-over tray that holds pan debris. This feature ensures easy cleanups. Evo is a propane or natural gas-fueled table top flat top grill that will have you cooking restaurant-level dishes right in your backyard for everyone’s pleasure. It’s big enough for a proper meal, but features a portable form factor allowing you to play griddle master anywhere you please.
7. Backyard Hibachi Flattop Propane Gas Grill with Torched Cypress Surface
View in galleryBuy now The Backyard Hibachi Flattop Propane Gas Grill is perhaps the best griddle for making a statement while you cook. Featuring solid-wood construction and a torched cypress top surface, you’ll definitely turn some heads at your next barbecue. It also features a high gloss finish that averts warping, giving the grill a longer life. It has an enormous 693 sq. inches of pre-seasoned cooking area. Couple that with a burner output of 60,000 BTUs, and you will have the grilling world at your fingertips. Find a removable, dishwasher-safe stainless steel drip pan underneath the cooking surface that catches food debris, making cleanups a snap. Thanks to the heavy-duty caster wheels, you can easily move the Backyard Hibachi outdoor griddle grill when you want to entertain in the backyard. When you aren’t using the flat iron grill top, just cover it up with a vinyl cover (comes separately) to protect the cooking top and the wood material. It also turns your grill into an outdoor banquet table.
8. DCS Series 9 Built In Outdoor Griddle Grill
View in galleryBuy now If you live on the fast and easy side of life, this DCS Series 9 built-in gas griddle will be your perfect grilling partner. It features two U burners with a total of 40,000 BTUs so that you can go wild on the expansive 500 sq. inches of cooking area. With the different temperature zones and excellent heat distribution on the cooking top, you can sauté your vegetables and sear your steaks simultaneously. This unit has a heavy-duty 304 stainless steel construction meaning it’s rust and corrosion-free, guaranteeing many years of fantastic grilling. Cleans up are simple, thanks to the removable slide-out drip tray. A revolutionary safety feature in the DCS is a flame failure device that disconnects the gas once the burner goes out. You will love having this built-in gas grill in your backyard due to its stylish design and capacity to cook for many people.
Best Flat Top Griddle Grill: Buyer’s Guide
Marketers can get you excited about owning a certain product, but before you fork out your hard-earned cash, here are several considerations you must make.
Cooking Surface
Consider how many mouths you need to feed when choosing a cooking surface. If you want to feed 100 famished souls at a go, you need no less than 900 sq. inches of cooking surface. But if it’s just a small party, you will be safe with 500 sq. inches. A 300 sq. inch flat grill is perfect for a mid-sized family. Put in mind that larger is always better than smaller.
Portability
If you are the adventurous type, a highly portable flat top grill will definitely come in handy. Consider grills with foldable legs and side handles for easy transporting. A unit with caster wheels allows easy maneuverability so you can grill from the backyard, at the pool, or any other outdoor space. Some flat top grills allow you to remove the legs and transform your griddle into a tabletop griddle. Others allow you to remove the griddle and carry it to camping or tailgating so that you can enjoy other types of foods, not just grilled food.
Surface Material
It goes without saying that a non-stick cooking surface with excellent heat retention is the best pick. But a cast-iron flat top cooking surface or a cold-rolled stainless steel griddle top will still get the job done. There are cheaper options, such as aluminum or regular steel. But only buy these if they have a heat-resistant coating to guarantee excellent service for a decent period. Here is the bottom line, only choose a griddle top that is rust and corrosion-resistant. It will last longer and allow easy cleaning.
Grilling Accessories
Obviously, you will love the convenience that accessories such as side tables and thermometers bring to the table. We are talking about having the foldable side table as a prep area for your grilling ingredients and a thermometer helping you keep an eye on the internal heat levels as the food cooks. Don’t forget the hanging racks for your cooking tools such as tongs, spatulas, and towels to clean any mess on side tables. Also, consider a griddle grill with a lid as it helps maintain constant temperatures within the grill, especially when cooking outdoors in windy conditions.
Type of Fuel
What do you prefer, natural gas or propane? Both of these burn at the same temperature, but propane is more efficient than natural gas. If your pockets allow, pick up an electric flat top grill and enjoy better heat distribution and, in some cases, faster cooking time.
Is It Pre-Seasoned?
A seasoned grill gives better-tasting food and also keeps rust and damage at bay. If it comes pre-seasoned from the manufacturer, the better. As you shop for a flat top grill, find out if it is pre-seasoned so that you can plan on doing it yourself if it is not. Seasoning the grill is simple; just apply some cooking oil on the cooking top and bake it in high temperatures for half an hour.
Griddle Top Grill: Conclusion
There you have it, folks. Now you can cook those runny foods such as pancakes and eggs with ease. And no, you do not have to replace your trusty grill; just get a portable griddle top that sits on the grill grates and cook your heart out. Ultimately, the choice of a good flat top grill and griddle depends on you. But give a chance to any of the options reviewed here; cooking on any one of them will be worth your time.
