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Cooking on a griddle is one of the easiest ways to indulge your culinary creativity. Wow your guests with effortless stir-fry or perfectly crispy smash burgers all on a single surface. These griddles are some of the most versatile cooking appliances and give home chefs the opportunity to experiment with almost any cooking style. We’ll show you everything you need to know when buying a flat top gas grill or griddle and break down all the major considerations that should be on your radar while shopping.
Flat Top Grill Benefits
Versatile Cooking
They may be called flat top “grills,” but these appliances are capable of virtually any cooking style with help from the right accessories.
Even, High Heat
In addition to producing scorching temperatures, gas griddles are designed to spread that heat uniformly across their flat cooking surfaces.
Not Too Smoky
Rather than letting grease drip onto burners and create smoky flare-ups, flat top grills channel drippings to a built-in pan with no mess.
Cook More at Once
Gas griddles allow you to cook entire dishes on a single appliance — like breakfast hash or stir-fry — or multiple foods at the same time.
Healthier Grilling
You don’t need much oil to cook on a flat top grill, so natural fats from food have the chance to render and run off into the grease traps.
Social Experience
Gathering guests around a griddle for a teppanyaki-style cooking session is one of the best ways to get everyone involved at backyard parties.
Which Configuration of Flat Top Grill Is Right for Your Space?
The first question you must answer is whether you’d like your flat top gas grill to be built-in, freestanding, or portable. Each configuration serves a specific purpose, so it’s important to carefully consider the benefits of these setups before proceeding. Something else to factor into your decision: flat top griddles make great companion cookers alongside gas grills, so if your outdoor space is already graced with a grill, think about how to best incorporate a griddle as a secondary appliance. For a main cooker though, griddles are the most versatile appliance you can have in your outdoor kitchen because they can cook the largest variety of foods. They are also easier to place than many other outdoor kitchen appliances.
Freestanding Gas Griddles
If movement around the backyard is a high priority, then a freestanding gas griddle more than likely fits your needs. These flat top grills are mounted on wheeled carts, allowing for easy portability around the backyard. Mobility also makes these models easier to clean and maintain because you can access the griddle from different angles. Most freestanding griddles use propane as fuel, though certain models can be used with natural gas. Special shoutout to the Blackstone Griddle Cooking Station — a one-of-a-kind griddle that has electric air fryer drawers built in.
Built-In Gas Griddles
If you’re planning that long-awaited outdoor kitchen project, or maybe you’re ready to expand your barbecue island, a built-in griddle is a great addition to any outdoor space. We’ve already discussed how well built-in flat top grills and gas grills work in tandem, but this configuration also shines behind an island bar from which guests can watch you prepare a hibachi-style meal with flair. A Blaze gas griddle next to a Blaze gas grill? Now that’s what we’re talking about!
Portable Gas Griddles
Griddles are so great that they shouldn’t be confined to just the backyard. Having an appliance with this much cooking flexibility that’s still light enough to carry around is a huge benefit for tailgates, camping excursions, or road trips. The Camp Chef Versa is a great example of the mobility and versatility these units provide for on-the-go grillers.
Which Fuel Type Is Most Convenient for Flat Top Grills?
As with other gas grills, there are two choices of fuel type when it comes to gas griddles: propane and natural gas. There are some practical contrasts that will make one fuel better for you than the other. Things like availability, portability, installation, and refueling are huge considerations in the fuel-type discussion, so let’s take a close look at what separates propane flat top griddles from natural gas models.
Propane Flat Top Grills & Griddles
Unless you already have a utility line supplying natural gas to your home, propane will be the easiest and least expensive option.
- Fueled by standard, 20 lb propane tanks that lead to easy mobility
- Safe to connect on your own without needing a professional plumber to install
- 20 lb tanks must be exchanged or filled locally, while a bulk propane tank is refilled on a schedule by your local propane dealer
Natural Gas Flat Top Grills & Griddles
If you already have a natural gas line installed, a natural gas flat top griddle is almost certainly the way to go.
- Must be installed by a licensed plumber
- Freestanding grills are no longer able to be moved around
- No need to refill any tanks and you’ll never run out of fuel mid-cook
What Size of Flat Top Grill Do You Need?
The size of your gas griddle is all about how much food you can cook at once. It also plays a role in the number of cooking zones at your disposal and the versatility that arises as a result. To figure out which size is right for your outdoor space, ask yourself how many people you normally cook for, what’s the maximum number of people you’d cook for, and how often will you cook for that maximum number? Then take your answers and apply them to the information below.
Flat Top Grill & Griddle Classes
To help you decide which flat-top griddles best fit your needs and lifestyle, the team of BBQGuys experts split our selection into 4 clearly defined classes of varying quality, performance, and features. We call them Luxury,Premium,Practical, and Entry-Level, and they’re your ticket to a simplified shopping journey. To give you an idea, brands like Blaze are classified as Premium while some of the griddles from Blackstone with fewer features are labeled as Entry Level.
Luxury Flat Top Gas Grills
- Highest possible quality of parts and materials, generally backed by lifetime warranties
- Beautifully designed to serve as an attractive outdoor centerpiece
- Top-of-the-line features that make cooking both engaging and entertaining
- The most reliable cooking systems and widest temperature ranges of all gas grills
Premium Flat Top Gas Grills
- Usually built entirely with 304, commercial-grade stainless steel
- Long-lasting grills, some with lifetime warranties, that can be built into an outdoor kitchen island
- A wide range of accessories allows you to personalize your grill
- Produce consistent, dependable results along with easy-to-control heat
Practical Flat Top Gas Grills
- Built using a mix of stainless and painted steel, with warranties up to 10 years
- Budget-friendly with adequate quality and dependability
- Cooking versatility may be limited due to a smaller range of features and size options
- Decent heat retention, though temperatures max out around 500°F
Entry-Level Flat Top Gas Grills
- The most affordable and accessible grills, making them a popular choice among beginners
- Limited range of features and size options restricts overall cooking versatility
- A large mix of materials indicates that quality varies widely from product to product
- Mostly portable flat top griddles that are best for the camp or tailgate
Final Things to Consider When Buying a Gas Griddle
After you’ve purchased your griddle, you’ll need to be equipped with the right tools for long-term care and use. See below to find out what can help you get the most out of your flat top gas grill.
Maintaining Gas Griddles & Flat Top Grills
The cooktop is the star of every flat top gas grill, so it deserves a layer of security to block out the elements. That’s the job of griddle lids, which sit over the cooking surface to help them stay sturdy and clean for years of use. Blaze and Twin Eagles flat top grills are among the models that have a cooktop cover included at purchase, so keep that in mind as you’re narrowing down your selections. Above all, griddle surfaces must be kept seasoned to prevent rusting or sticking and to stay in good condition. Burning a high smoke point oil on your surface every so often will keep it seasoned. Meanwhile, a little bit of water and dish soap on a paper towel will suffice for cleaning after each cook.
Flat Top Griddle Accessories
To use your gas griddle to its full potential, you’ll need a handful of accessories to smooth along cooking and improve versatility. Backyard Hibachi accessories come highly recommended from our experts, but there are general tools to look for, too. For starters, squeeze bottles enable safe oiling of your cooktop, minimizing the risk of burns from spattering liquid, while long-handled spatulas are essential for handling food from a safe distance.
We’re particularly fond of melting domes, which not only quickly melt cheese over burgers, but also make it possible to steam food on a flat top grill. You can further expand cooking options with a set of cookware, but make sure it isn’t cast iron! While cookware made from cast iron will eventually scratch steel cooktops, stainless steel cookware will not. Cast iron will also leave flecks of iron on the cooking surface over repeated uses, and those metal deposits can quickly rust and ruin your griddle.
For more information or if you have additional questions about gas griddles, don’t hesitate to reach out to our flat top gas grill experts at 1-877-743-2269. Another great resource is our Free 3D Design Service (a $500 value) which has helped thousands of customers bring their outdoor spaces from the blueprint to the backyard.