Griddle FAQ's

Having a griddle blog is an interesting thing. People are passionate about their cooking and rightfully so.

We spend our hard-earned money on grills and griddles, buy good food, research how to cook it best, and then perfect this craft over years of trial and error.

When people are considering buying a new flat-top grill or a griddle, or even comparing them against a traditional grill, they take it pretty seriously, like getting a new spouse or something.

Because of their love for the backyard cooking life, that leads prospective buyers into a flurry of google searches about all their grilling and griddling questions.

Griddle FAQ’s

Below are the most common questions I get, a bit of a Griddle vs Grill FAQ’s if you will. Don’t hate me for the answers, your mileage may vary.

What Is The Difference Between A Griddle And A Flat Top Grill?

This is a VERY common question and it’s understandable as there isn’t a clear distinction between the two.

Essentially, a flat top griddle IS a Griddle….and a griddle IS a flat top grill. I’m not sure when these two terms became interchangeable, but rest assured, it’s a common point of confusion.

The term “flat top grill” comes from the type of grill that has a flat top cooking surface rather than a grated grill as you would normally see on a BBQ grill. More on that topic here.

What Foods Can You Cook On A Griddle?

Without a doubt, its versatility. Griddles and Flat Top Grills have so much range in their cooking ability. From the common choices like steak, burgers, and veggies, all the way to the unique things like stir-fry, pancakes, biscuits, and pizza (yes pizza!). Pizza breakdown here.

The fact remains, sure, a grill can smoke meat (sometimes), and that’s about all it can do beyond your griddle. On the other hand, a griddle can do LOTS more.

I heard a phrase a bit back from some guy on YouTube that said “My Griddle can do everything your grill can do and about 100 other things your grill cant” and I feel like this sums it up pretty well.

How Long Does It Take To Season Blackstone Griddle?

Seasoning a new Blackstone Griddle is a must! Your griddle’s performance relies upon its seasoning and its ability to cook with a non-stick, well-seasoned surface.

Seasoning the griddle for the first time takes about 30-45 minutes. Take your time and get it right, this isn’t a step you want to rush through despite your mind racing with griddling delights.

If you aren’t sure where to start, check out our Easy Griddle Seasoning Guide.

Is A Griddle Healthier Than A Grill?

Another loaded question, but, it’s also a fair question. Here’s the deal, it comes down to two main factors I will highlight below:

A Griddle can be healthier if you are cooking healthy food to start with, at the end of the day, your cooking device doesn’t really change the overall health of your body…..what you feed your body has the biggest impact on health.

But….

A griddle is generally healthier than a grill because it gives you the grilling experience with outdoor cooking, however, a griddle doesn’t emit the same carcinogens that a grill does that is actively burning below your food and emitting the char and toxins that are created from a traditional grill.

Can You Season A Griddle With Butter?

If you go around asking folks what you should season your griddle with, you will hear all sorts of wild ideas from a pound of bacon to a stick of butter. Unfortunately, seasoning with butter (or bacon) is wrong, and bad advice.

Your new griddle surface is fresh and ready for seasoning, while bacon will give it lots of fat and grease, it won’t give it a true seasoning as most modern bacon contains sugar, salt, and other additives that will corrupt the seasoning process and prevent your griddle surface from creating the true life-long bond you want out of your griddle.

Despite what you hear, you want to avoid bacon for your initial seasoning. More on that here.

Can You Use Non-Stick Spray On The Blackstone Griddle?

Yes! You can use non-stick spray on a Blackstone griddle, in fact, Blackstone makes their own non-stick spray for cooking with your Blackstone griddle.

However, do not confuse using non-stick spray when you cook with using the non-stick spray as a seasoning. Non-Stick spray should NOT be used as an initial seasoning as it does not contain the correct value of fats that a true seasoning oil will have.

If you skip the seasoning process thinking non-stick spray will work, you are in for a baked-on nasty coating of cooking spray and a sticky flat top grill. More on that here.

Should You Clean The Flat Top Grill After Every Use?

Yes, you should be cleaning your griddle or flat-top grill after every use. It’s important to understand that cleaning your griddle is not like you clean your other pots and pans.

A griddle cleaning should not involve soap or chemicals.

When cleaning your griddle, you want to heat the griddle up, remove the excess food by scraping it off, then use the griddle bottles to squirt water on the hot surface that will create a boiling/disinfecting action on your griddle surface.

Repeat this until you are satisfied with the results and once done, leave your griddle stored with a very thin layer of oil on it to prevent rust and aid in the long-term seasoning of your griddle. Easy griddle cleaning guide can be found here.

Can you use Blackstone Griddle in the Garage?

Yes! you can use a griddle in the garage. Keep in mind that anytime you are involving the combustion of propane, there is a possibility of the production of carbon monoxide.

It doesn’t mean it will happen, it just could if your regulator isn’t giving the correct ratio of propane. Make sure you are cooking with good ventilation in your garage.

I would recommend leaving the garage door opens to the outside and keeping a fire extinguisher nearby. Familiarize yourself with the sign and symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning here.

Blackstone does not endorse the use of a propane griddle indoors. As a result of demand, Blackstone has just released a new Blackstone E-Series 17 and 22-inch Griddle that are approved by Blackstone for indoor use. Read the review here.

Do Blackstone Griddles Rust?

Yes, a Blackstone Griddle can and will rust if left uncared for or in humid areas without frequent cleaning and oiling of the surface. When the griddle surface is left in a humid environment, iron and water naturally create rust.

Frequent use of the griddle and storing it with a fresh thin layer of oil will help reduce the rusting of your griddle. You can read more about this here in our Guide To Rusty Griddles.

What Is The Best Flat Top Griddle?

I gotta admit, this is a loaded question. Depending on so many factors like budget, space available, personal preference, etc, the “best flat top griddle” could mean many different things to many different people.

My advice would be to look around at the big retailers, compare reviews and specifications and then make a purchase that makes you feel like you got the right griddle. If you need some inspiration, check out our reviews and buyers guides here:

Is Steak Better On A Grill Or Griddle?

Y’all trying to get me beat up? People are so partial to their own style of cooking, it would be tough for me to convince anyone otherwise.

I will say this, a good steak (again subjective) needs a searing on the outside and mild temp raise on the inside for a good med-rare steak.

I can almost hear you right now talking bad about med vs rare and rare vs well-done.

My Blackstone Griddle can sear a steak perfectly and that results in an awesome steak, but, I’m sure the grill guys are getting fired up, so gain, personal preference.

How Hot Does a Blackstone Griddle Get?

This was a question I was asked often, and after lots of cooking and some testing, I have a pretty good idea of the temperatures able to be put out by most Blackstone Griddles.

On a sunny Colorado day, I tested the Blackstone E-Series, the Blackstone 28in Griddle and the Blackstone 17” Adventure Ready model.

All of them were left on high and periodically checked with a laser thermometer gun. Surprisingly all griddles went well above 500 degrees Fahrenheit, and some went upwards of 700. See the video test results here in the article “How Hot Does A Griddle Get”.

Can You Boil Water On A Griddle?

Another common question, good thing it’s in the FAQ Huh? I decided to test this on my Blackstone 17 and my Blackstone 28.

As it turns out, you can in fact boil a large pot of water on both griddles, however, due to lots of factors, it takes about 2x as long to bring a pot of water to boil as it would with your standard stovetop.

So, yes, you can boil water on a griddle, but unless it’s a last resort, I would just use your standard means to boil water….but, I CAN be done! Video results here.