Restaurant griddles are invaluable in commercial food establishments. They are used to cook a wide variety of foods such as hamburgers, pancakes, chicken, bread, bacon and many more. Restaurant or commercial griddles typically have a large cooking surface with individual heating controls that allow you to cook a variety of foods at one time. Side and back splashes help to contain grease splatter.
Griddles for the food service industry can either be a floor model or countertop model. The griddle consoles of a flat metal plate that can be made of steel, cast iron or aluminum. The large cooking surface allows numerous food items to be cooked at the same time while keeping them separated. Restaurant griddles can be manually or thermostatically controlled.
Manual griddles cost less but they tend to have more hot spots compared to a thermostatically controlled gridle. Thermostatically controlled units heat up much faster with more uniform heat distribution.
Griddle plates can be thin (3/8 "to 3/4") or thick (1 "to 1.5"). Thin plates transfer heat more quickly and come up to the desired temperature fast but they may warp if preheated to high temperatures. They also distribute heat less evenly. Thicker plates take longer to reach the desired temperature and respond more slowly to changes in set temperatures. However, they retain heat longer and distribute heat more evenly. They are also less likely to warp.
For high production cooking such as those found in restaurants and breakfast houses, a thicker 1-inch griddle plate can cook a lot of burgers and pancakes more efficiently. Make sure that your griddle surface area can handle the cooking volume for today and for future growth.
Griddle tops or plates for restaurant griddles are often made of steel. While many cooks favor cast iron because of its quick temperature recovery and excellent heat retention, it needs special care and cleaning to retain its seasoning.
Cast iron can rust easily if not properly seasoned. On the other hand, stainless steel is easy to clean and does not need to be seasoned. Chromium-coated steel has a shiny nonstick finish that is even easier to clean. Aluminum griddles also provide a lighter and cheaper option.
There are many trusted brands in the food service industry for restaurant griddles. They provide restaurant owners a variety of affordable commercial griddles that are capable of handling small to heavy duty commercial food operations without sacrificing food quality. Quality gas and electric restaurant griddles are available from Anvil, Cecilware, Hobart, Vulcan and Star.