The Best Stovetop Griddles

The best stovetop griddles cook lots of pancakes, eggs, and burgers perfectly. Our top choice is the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Nonstick Double Burner Griddle. It’s got a large nonstick cooking surface that makes it a breeze to clean and maintain; big, easy-to-grip handles; and tall walls that keep in grease splatters. We also love the Lodge Pro Grid Iron Reversible Griddle. This cast-iron model is quite heavy and lacks the tall walls and easy-grip handles of our top choice. But it’s an excellent alternative to our favorite nonstick model and does a particularly great job of searing burgers and steaks. It’s also incredibly durable and can be used on the grill or over an open fire.

What You Need to Know

When we’re cooking for a crowd, we love using our favorite electric griddle, the BroilKing Professional Griddle with Backsplash. But it’s quite large, making it a less appealing option for cooks with limited storage or counter space. Stovetop griddles are more compact and easy to store and still give you the extra space you need to make lots of pancakes, eggs, bacon, grilled cheese, and even steaks or burgers on top of your range and in relatively few batches. 

For this review, we chose models designed to straddle two burners, as single-burner griddles don’t offer much of a size advantage over our favorite skillets. And we looked at models made from different materials, including nonstick-coated hard-anodized aluminum, stainless steel, carbon steel, and cast iron.

All the griddles performed well, browning pancakes evenly, cooking eggs consistently, and searing the burgers respectably. But a few factors made some models more durable and easier to use, clean, and maintain than others. 

Which Material Is Best for Stovetop Griddles?

Stovetop griddles are made from different materials, and the type that’s best for you depends on a number of factors.

Many people prefer models made from nonstick-coated aluminum (either hard anodized or cast). These griddles are lightweight (3 to 6 pounds) and easy to clean, and they heat up quickly. They also require no maintenance, making them especially easy to use. There are a few caveats to buying a nonstick-coated aluminum griddle, though. They’re not as durable as other materials in the long haul. Because their cooking surfaces are relatively thin, they can warp if they are heated unevenly, so make sure that you’re getting about the same amount of heat output from both burners you put them over. You also can’t crank up the heat too high on these griddles—their nonstick coatings should never be heated above 500 degrees F, or they can emit toxic fumes. (This heat maximum means that while you... read more