Flat Top grills are not as popular as regular grills, but you can still cook all kinds of food on it. You can cook anything from meat to veggies to even eggs. It won’t give you that char mark you’re looking for, but it will help sear your meat perfectly. Read on to see why you should consider flat top grills and see why we’ve chosen some of the best ones on the market.
Top 3 picks
Blaze Premium Gas Griddle – This grill by Blaze Premium was on the top of the list for the best flat top grill because you can put it in a built in or on a cart. It also has lights on the knobs and enough space to cook for a crowd.
Blackstone Tabletop Griddle – This runner up by Blackstone is a good contender because it’s a tabletop one and it has decent space to cook for a crowd. Also, it’s easy to clean up with this one.
Royal Gourmet Gas Grill – This Royal Gourmet grill made it in the Top 3 because it’s large enough to feed a crowd quickly and it has wind deflectors so you can use this grill in almost any weather.
Why use a flat top grill?
While it doesn’t give that char mark that you desire, you can still make amazing food on it. In fact, lots of restaurants use this exact grill. It’s excellent for searing. Also, it burns out the fat and excess oils and it gets hot pretty fast, making it perfect for eggs, pancakes or even burgers.
Pros and Cons of Flat Top Grills
Let us start off by saying that it’s very similar to a griddle. It’s also one of those grills that can handle lots of food on it at once, as it’s usually roomy.
Pros
- Can cook variety of food – You could cook anything from eggs to burgers to even a crepe if you wanted to on a flat top grill. The variety of food that you can cook on a flat top is amazing and usually is worth it.
- Little to no mess – Most flat top grills are usually non-stick. Some you’ll have to spray some pam on there, but the flat top grill usually burns the fat and excess oil so that you don’t have that mess and fats that you don’t want in your food.
- Larger space – Usually, you can cook for a crowd on a flat top grill because it’s on the bigger side. It’s always nice to have that extra room to grill your food on.
Cons
- No smoky flavor –You don’t get the smokey or char flavor that BBQ grills give, so if you are looking for that taste, you may be out of luck here.
How to properly clean and care for a flat top grill
While most flat top grills are usually easy to clean, sometimes you’ll have to really clean it so you can use it for future foods. Here are some tips on how to care for your flat top grill:
You might have a stainless steel outdoor flat top grill. Or maybe a chrome one. Either way you’ll have to clean it right based on the material of your grill.
Here are some of the tools you’ll need to help clean your flat top grill
- Palmetto brush
- Griddle scraper
- Griddle scrub pad
- Grill screen
- Vegetable oil
- Microfiber cloth
- Warm water (never hot or cold, you don’t want to break your grill with the shock of temperatures)
How to clean stainless steel flat top grills
- While the grill is hot, start scraping off food and the built up grease
- Pour water on the grill, be careful of any steam generated
- Now it’s time to use a griddle screen (if you have one) and use a scrubbing pad to start scrubbing against the grill
- You’ll want to scour against the entire surface
- Finally, you can rinse with warm water and wipe clean
How to clean chrome flat top grills
- It is best while the grill is hot, it’s the best time to start scraping food that got stuck or grease buildup
- Pour warm water on the grill and use a palmetto brush
- Absolutely do not use anything abrasive, it will ruin the grill
- Repeat with warm water and the brush
- Optional, but you can put a food safe polish on the grill
- Now it’s a good time to wipe it dry
- Finally, use a damp cloth (non abrasive) to wipe off the polish (if you put it on)
How to season your flat top grill
You’ll want to season your flat top grill so that it can last a long time and enhance the flavors in your food.
- Heat your grill up (up to 350 degrees)
- Pour some vegetable oil on
- Spread the oil with your cloth or you can use a paper towel (at this point, you’ll probably turn down the temp a little bit so you can safely do this)
- Raise the temp back up to 350 degrees
- When the oil starts smoking, you’ll know to turn it so it can cool
- When it’s cool, wipe off any excess
The best Flat top grills
DCS Series 9 30-Inch Natural Gas Griddle
This is the grill for you if you want fast and easy. The DCS Series griddle has two U burners, and of course 500 square inches so plenty of room to grill. A cool thing about this grill, that it has different temperature zones and has excellent heat distribution so you can literally get the food cooked at the same time at the temperature that you want. The grill is made with 304 grade stainless steel material, so you know that the material is made from high quality. It also comes with a removable drip tray, which is always a plus for grills.
Overall, this is a decent grill that people should have in their backyards because it’s stylish and has enough space to entertain a crowd.
Pros:
- Decent grill space
- Different temperature zones
- Good heat retention
Cons:
- Just two burners
Blaze Premium LTE 30-Inch Built-in Propane Gas Griddle with Lights
The Blaze Premium is a grill that you’ll want because it already has a built-in gas griddle with two powered burners (18,000 BTUs per burner) and it’s made out of stainless steel. If you already have a cutout, you can easily install this grill in or you can place it on a heavy-duty cart. The Blaze Premium has a push start ignition so that means all you do is push the button and the grill comes on immediately. For cooking space, you get a decent 500 square inches, so even though you only have two burners, you can still whip up amazing burgers or eggs.
This is the flat top grill for you if you’re looking for the grill that you can just put in your cutout, making it the perfect built-in grill.
Pros:
- Easily fit in built in areas
- Stainless steel
- 18000 BTU’s per burner
Cons:
- Only has 2 burners
- Expensive
Evo Affinity Classic 30G Built-In Flattop Natural Gas Grill
The Evo Affinity 30G is the perfect grill for large patios. You should know that it comes in natural gas and propane. As far as the cooking surface, you get 650 square inches which is pretty big if you are going to be cooking for a crowd soon. It also features a 3/16 inch of oil seasoned nonstick grates which is good because there is nothing worse than having foods suck to it. It has 40,095 BTUs over the stainless-steel dual burners, so you know that it’s pretty durable.
Pros:
- Decent cooking space
- Nonstick grates
- Stainless steel
Cons:
- Without a cover, it may not fare to weather well, which means it’ll rust
Evo Professional Classic Wheeled Cart Flattop Propane Gas Grill
This grill is similar to the Evo Affinity but it has a few differences. It was one of the first grills that let you cook indirectly and directly overheat, which is always good because some foods call for indirect heat and some call for direct heat. It also features a 650 square inch of cooking space, giving you plenty of space to cook on. It also features a 40,095 BTUs so you know that it’s pretty powerful. It also has a quick start up ignition, so that means the grill will come on right away, no matter what it’s like outside. This grill comes with a cleaning kit such as a grill cleaning handle, 2 gray pads, 2 screens, 2 spatulas and a cookbook that has over 50 recipes.
Overall, this is the grill that you’ll want in your backyard that doesn’t create a lot of mess and comes with accessories.
Pros:
- Large cooking space
- Powerful
- Comes with accessories
Cons:
- Expensive
Blackstone 4-Burner Flat Top Propane Gas Grill with Side Shelves
If you’re looking for a grill that’s really easy to clean up, this Blackstone one may be for you. This model has a rear and front grease drain. This grill is also 36” so there’s room to cook at least 28 burgers. The BTUs for each burner (there are 4) is 60,000 BTUs which is pretty impressive in our books.
So, you should definitely consider this grill if you’re looking for an easy clean up and an extra durable grill.
Pros:
- Rear and front grease drain
- 60,000 BTU’s
- Plenty of cooking space
Cons:
- Expensive for what you get
Royal Gourmet GB8000 Gas Grill
If you’re looking for the grill that will be the star of your next gathering, this is the one. The Royal Gourmet grill is fueled by liquid propane and it has EIGHT, high powered burners (each one offering 13,000 BTUs) and you get 950 square inches of cooking space. Now you see why it’s meant for preparing food for a large gathering. It also has extensive drip trays and oil management systems to make cleanup a breeze. You also get side tables that are easily foldable and another plus about this grill, it comes with wind deflectors so you can preserve heat especially if it’s cold or a windy day.
Pros:
- Large enough to entertain a crowd
- Wind deflectors
- Extensive drip trays/oil management system
Cons:
- Very heavy so you’ll need to pick one location to BBQ from
Blackstone Tabletop Griddle
If you are looking for something portable, then you will enjoy this Blackstone tabletop griddle. It has 268 square inches for cooking, so that should be enough space to grill a decent amount of food if you need to.
Another good thing about this grill is that you don’t have a lot of clean up (the benefits of having a flat top grill). A cool thing about the burner, that it’s shaped like a H so you won’t get burned bacon, which is amazing in our books, because burnt bacon does not taste good at all. It has 12,000 BTUs so it has enough power to cook everything that you need to be cooked. You should know that the entire grill is made out of high-quality materials so you know it’s durable.
Pros:
- Tabletop
- Less cleanup
Cons:
- Could be too small for some people
Cuisinart CGG-999 Round Flat Top Surface Outdoor
If you are looking for a grill that’s versatile and flexible, look no further. The Cuisinart is a 360-degree griddle grill so that means you can access your food from all angles. You also get two electric start burners that have heat zones. The grill comes with a cover which is good if you are in an area that rains often. You also get a large grease pan which is pretty useful if cooking fatty meat and foldable side shelves so that you can put your BBQ utensils on while you are busy grilling.
All in all, it’s a great grill that would look pretty cool due to the 360 degree feature.
Pros:
- 360-degree feature
- Comes with cover
- Large grease pan
Cons:
- Only 2 burners
FAQ
What is the best flat top grill to buy?
We personally think that Blaze Premium LTE 30-Inch Built-In Natural Gas Griddle is one of the best flat top grills that you can buy because you can put it either in your built in or you can have it on a cart. It also has enough space to feed a crowd. We think it’s the best flat top grill out there.
Is a flat top grill worth it?
Yes, they are worth it if you want to cook a variety of food without the fat and excess oil building up. You can cook everything from eggs to pancakes without it falling through the traditional grill grates.
Can you put a flat top on a grill?
You can probably get a flat top attachment and put it on top of the grill so you can save money through that way. You will still get the same results you’re looking for.
What are flat top grills called?
They are actually called griddles. But griddles are usually used indoors… but in this guide, we are talking about the ones that you use outside.
Bottom Line
We’ve talked about flat top grills and some of the best ones on the market. You should consider which ones you need for your baking needs and decide from there. If you have enjoyed reading this guide today, please let us know in the comments below!
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