After posting my recipe for Chinese Make Over, (find the recipe HERE) I got questions about my stovetop griddle.

I got more questions after I posted the recipe for… Crunch Wraps.  Recipe HERE.

Well, I thought I’d answer the question with a blog post.

I have a Steelmade Flat Top Griddle.  This is a link to their website.  I bought mine with a bit of my stimulus money that came in early 2019.  I wanted to do what the money was intended for… to stimulate the economy.

I had seen one in a Facebook post from my niece Jessie.  Her husband is Latino and they make lots of Mexican food.  This is the picture she had posted.  I was immediately intrigued and wanted more info.

She went on to show more and more pictures and I was more and more intrigued.  We messaged each other back and forth about it.  I had it on my want list and finally caved and bought one.

Here are the questions I get…What kind of stove do you have to have?  The answer is any.  You can have any style of stove.  When you order you have to order specifically for the style of stove you have.  I’m a glass top girl so I ordered the glass top version.  Even if you have a custom stove, you can still order a custom top.  I love that part.

They have now come out with ones that cover half of the top.  That would be a nice option if you think you’ll still need burners while cooking a meal.  I bypass that need by using my Instant Pot if I need to heat something.

Here are some reasons I got mine:
-I don’t have an outdoor grill and I don’t want one but I like that style of cooking.
-When all of the family is home, it’s nice to have a big surface to cook.
-I wanted to make more grilled veggies along with meat and there would be more area to do that.
-We eat steak, burgers, and brats regularly and this is an easy way to cook them.
-Greasy burgers are my favorite and cooking on a grill is the best way to get them.
-Cooking is a big part of our family-style and this seemed like a good fit.

They aren’t necessarily cheap…they are about $160-$180 so I decided if I got one, I was going to commit to using one.

We have used our quite a bit and I’m glad I made the investment.  Below you’ll see Karl goofing off while making burgers.

There is a whole world of Youtube videos for Flat Top Grill users.  I’ve watched several and have been inspired to make things that they’ve made.  Just go to Youtube and search “flat top grill” and you’ll find many.  Several Youtubers base their whole channel just on recipes for the griddle.  Many show Hibachi recipes too.

The food is awesome from it.  Everyone in the family agrees.  But…more than the food is good, I love the closeness that comes together when the family is here and we’re cooking.  Karl and Kalissa are often minding the grill.  Kelli is setting the table and I’m pulling the sides together.  We gather around and chat while the food cooks.  We didn’t have that as much before i bought the griddle.  It was me doing most of the work.  Karl and Kalissa revert back to their “kid” selves and there is much horseplay and just happy times are had.

Clean up on the grill is easy peasy.  MUCH easier than cleaning any other pan.  I love that feature about it.  Normally when the kids are home there is a ton of dishes and pans to clean.  With this…no problem.  In fact, Karl always volunteers to clean it.  The whole cleaning takes about 1-2 minutes.

When the whole family is here, the griddle is perfect!! I HIGHLY recommend it but I want to tell you a few downsides too.

-The grill MUST be preheated.  It takes about 10 minutes for that to happen.  So if it’s just me and I want to make myself a burger, it isn’t efficient.  When all of us are here and it’s the evening or weekend and we’re visiting, it’s great.  We have a drink, congregate around, and wait for it to heat.  No problem.

-The grill is heavy and a little hard to store.  Obviously, you are going to want to use your regular stove occasionally, that means pulling the griddle off and having a place to store it.  My laundry room is adjacent to my kitchen so I put it on my dryer.  It’s not glamorous but it works just fine.

-The stove gets a little messier than regular cooking.  It’s not a big deal…just a few more wipes of the cloth at clean-up time but I do want to make that note.

For us, the downfalls are dwarfed by the great food that comes from the griddle and the great family time it has provided for us.  I would love to branch out and discover even more recipes to make with it and that is one of my goals for the New Year.

The griddles are made in Kansas with American made products.  I love that!!  Go Kansas!!  Go Steelmade!!

All in all, I’d give the griddle a 9 out of 10 for a rating.  I really like it and the family does too.