As far as useful built in features go, there are two folding side shelves and trays for extra work and serving space while you cook. Commercial grade locking caster wheels are kitted on the bottom of the cart, which makes transporting and securing your griddle super easy. We created a guide on everything flat top griddles if you want to check out as well. When it comes to all around versatility and practicality, the flat top grill is one of the best types of grills in the outdoor cooking world. One name that consistently comes up that we cover is the blackstone grills. It’s one of the best selling grills in the USA regardless of type, and we thought it was well deserving of its own dedicated review.
The other key difference is that the cooking surface area totals 470 square inches. Blackstone specializes in griddles, which consist of a smooth cast-iron surface. Grills, in comparison, use cooking grates, which allow grease and food particles to fall through them into the grill body below. Griddles are more versatile than grills because they can cook foods you could never put on a grill, including eggs, pancakes, and stir-fries. One of the key characteristics of a flat-top griddle is its ability to cook everything from veggies to burgers to chicken breasts all at the same time. Since those foods don’t all cook at the same temperature, being able to create different temperature zones on the griddle’s cooking surface is vital.
Routine upkeep is incredibly important, but especially so for a griddle surface. We have a complete guide on how to do this right here if you want to check it out. The Blackstone 28″XL is a 3-burner griddle and sits in the middle of the 36″ and standard 28″. This large flat top grill has dual side shelves, wheels to move around, and a heavy-duty hood. Clean up is one of those topics that many people either don’t think about or overlook during when comparing grills. It’s one of the most important considerations though, and your flat top grill should be easy to clean so that you can minimize the time you have to spend doing it.
It trades a cast-iron cooking surface for a nonstick titanium-coated surface. Like its larger gas-powered cousins, which feature multiple burners, this electric model allows the chef to create two cooking zones. Two separate heating elements, a characteristic not typically found on electric griddles, power the 307 square inches of cooking surface. How many cooking zones the chef can create depends on the number of burners. For example, a griddle with two burners can create two different zones. Blackstone’s 28-inch models come with two burners, while its larger 36-inch griddles offer more cooking versatility with four.
Blackstone also sells combination grills, which have air fryers or side burners. While most of Blackstone’s griddles have at least a few additional features, the company equips its higher-end grills with more extras than its lower-end models. A hood adds versatility to the griddle top, black stone griddle allowing the chef to trap heat for more even cooking. Other features include hooks for tools, a magnetic strip for utensils, and a paper towel holder. Large side tables provide a place for food going on and off the griddle, while a large lower shelf offers plenty of storage space.
Keep in mind that Blackstone’s griddles can take up a fair amount of real estate on a deck or patio, so be sure to consider the griddle’s overall size when shopping for one. In assembling our list of the best Blackstone griddles, we evaluated each model that the company offers and considered a variety of factors. Since budgets for a flat-top griddle can vary, we assembled affordably priced Blackstone griddles as well as top-of-the-line models that are loaded with convenient features. All of the griddles we selected have burners capable of providing the output needed to reach high cooking temperatures and evenly heat the cooking surface. While Blackstone may indeed be the go-to brand for this style of grill, deciding on which model to buy can be a challenge.
Blackstone was founded in 2005 with the goal of bringing friends and family together over deliciously cooked food. Specifically, they wanted to bring products to the market that had a degree of culinary excellence that other brands lacked. The griddle’s flat top surface has a few distinct advantages over traditional grilling grates – but most importantly, they’ll make some incredibly delicious food. How long a Blackstone grill lasts depends on how well you take care of it. Cover the grill when not in use, and clean and oil the cast- iron surface between uses to protect it from the elements and prevent rust.
This is why you probably want to know whether, or not, they are worth your money before you buy. Additionally, they are very sturdy griddles with heavy-duty wheels that lock in place when you are using them. Before you purchase one of these griddles, you might be weighing up whether, or not, they are worth it simply because of the cost. But we would say that they are worth it, and for a lot of different reasons. The Blackstone Outdoor Flat Top Grill has a built in grease management system that really takes the burden off of you.