In the modern world the griddle is a kitchen appliance that is intended for cooking pancakes, grilled cheese, eggs, different kinds of breads and more. The cooking surface is often a flat metal (usually stainless steel, cast-iron or aluminum) that comes with a variety of different shapes, including a square, round or a rectangular.
Most griddles usually have a cooking surface that is made of aluminum and can be put on the kitchen’s countertop (the unit is not supposed to be used on top of the stove). Griddle pans on the other hand are supposed to be placed on the stove, and are usually made of cast iron or stainless steel. It’s also not rare for these units to have a nonstick coating that prevents from the food from sticking.
Since there are a lot of other similar models today that have a nonstick coating, it’s important to be careful when cleaning the unit. A nonstick surface can easily be scratched or damaged, and once it happens, the product just won’t be of much use (it really isn’t recommended to cook on a damaged non stick coating, from obvious health risks).
Metal spatulas and utensils can seriously damage a nonstick appliance, and if you are not careful it’s quite easy to scratch the surface with various other tools. Silicone utensils usually work the best in such cases, and would greatly prolong the life of the kitchen product.
Cast Iron Griddles
Contrary to what some may think, these paricular cooking units can be as nonstick as the average electrical griddler when they are seasoned properly. Similar to any non stick cookware item, you have to treat the cast iron with caution or you’ll risk damaging the cooking surface (for example it’s recommended to let the unit cool before washing or cleaning it).
Most such designs conduct the heat pretty well. However, a clear downside of these units is that because of its heavy weight it might be troublesome to take these appliances out of the cabinet and place on the stove each time you want to cook.
One of the most popular models is probably the Lodge Logic pro grill. This Lodge model is very heavy, as with any other iron cast unit, and also has a large surface and a grease gutter that would help you deal with the extra grease.
The appliance comes pre-seasoned and unlike many other griddles, the Lodge Logic pro is not dishwasher safe. Therefore, washing the unit by hand can be a bit hard, especially when considering the heavy weight of this particular design.