The Presto brand is usually the first manufacturer of electrical griddles that comes to mind when thinking of the top brands in the market. This shouldn’t come as a big surprise, especially when examining the company’s reputation and popularity. The average Presto unit is quite cheap when compared to other griddles and the results can usually rival if not outmatch more expensive products.
This Company currently has a number of models competing for spots in the top ten most popular electrical griddles. Boasting with fairly attractive prices, the appliances of this brand include a couple of big designs and a small one that is intended for the use of 1-2 people.
The following list includes short reviews of the various Presto griddles (Note that currently not all the models of this company are included in this list, but rather the more popular ones).
Presto 07046 Tilt n Drain Big Griddle
This appliance has a nonstick feature and with its surface measures at 15 by 18.5 inches, it offers a spacious cooking space. This unit has a Tilt ‘n Drain built-in feature that help draining the grease more easily compared to other electrical griddles.
On the other hand, the center of the 07046 Biggriddle seems to get less hot than the rest of the surface, thus require the user to pay more attention to temperatures and monitoring of the food.
Presto 07039 Professional 22 Inch Jumbo
Made of heavy cast aluminum, the Jumbo model offers easy cleaning since it is designed to allow effective grease draining and this unit also has the ability to be submersible in soapy water.
However, the cooking surface of this appliance tends to reach higher temperatures in some spots compared to other areas, particularly the center.
Presto 07030 Cool Touch 20 Inch Griddle Black
This electrical machine is large enough to allow cooking for the entire family in one batch, yet not as big as other designs such as the Biggriddle, thus less bulky and easier to maneuver.
Being quite cheap like other griddles manufactured by the same brand, this one also heats up rather quickly and is designed to allow easy cleaning. Despite all the positive features, the 07030 model tends to slide around a little, probably because the lack of rubber feet. Anyway, it can be solved with little efforts by the user.
Presto 07211 Liddle Griddle
Designed in order to fit for a smaller group of individuals, usually one to two people, this unit has some very interesting features. Being dishwasher safe, this appliance offers the attractive opportunity of placing it in the dishwasher.
Unlike other griddles manufactured by the said company (and also those of other brands), this one is very compact and won’t catch a lot of space in your kitchen. Its heat distribution is also more accurate, probably because of its small size.
Presto 07045 Family-Size Cool-Touch Tilt’N Drain Model
Like many other Presto griddles from that offer a large non stick cooking surface, the 07045 design also comes with similar features. Some of these features include the tilt’ n drain functionality, a dishwasher safe unit and a couple of other things that could interest the average consumer. However, the big size of this appliance will make it hard to clean and store, and the heat distribution of this model isn’t very impressive too.
In general, the kitchen appliances of the said company are well known and reputed products that other than griddles include grills, pressure cookers, electrical skillets and more.
I have owned many Presto griddles in the past and have been very happy with their performance. However, I recently purchased one with a detachable warming tray that is less than satisfactory. The center of the griddle sags causing all the grease to collect there instead of moving towards the drain hole at the edge. When I make pancakes they become elongated as they to run towards the center. I have to raise the rear legs by about an inch in order to get the grease to drain. This is not the quality product that Presto has made in the past. My only suggestion is open the box in the store and take a marble and put it in the corner and see where it rolls.
I have used the Presto griddles for about 40 years. I even got my children to use them in their home. I bought a new one the Griddle/Warmer Plus, like the size and the idea of the warmer lid. But this is the first one that I got that did not have a even cooking area. Parts of the griddle cook hot and the other part is almost cold. It is hard when you are cooking bacon, part are burn and part stay raw and you have to shift it around to finish cooking.
So I can see that the presto grills really are cheap, but I don’t have good experience with cheap products in general… I’m looking for a BIG griddle that is made of good quality – and I’m still not sure which one is “best” for me.