Cooking your favorite recipes requires you to use the right equipment or cookware. Therefore, you’re likely to find a significant number of homeowners who own either a grill or a griddle. Yet, surprisingly, most people confuse between the two cooking equipment and use the two terms interchangeably.
What is the difference between electric grills and griddles? The main difference between electric griddles and grill is their cooking surface, i.e., grill plates have raised ridges while griddles have a flat and smooth cooking surface. However, there are more differences, and this article addresses them down here.
What is an Electric Grill?
An electric grill is small or medium-sized grilling equipment that uses electricity as a source of power. Unlike other grills that cook on direct heat, it uses intense radiant heat generated from the heat coils under the grilling plate.
Additionally, the grilling plate has raised ridges that are about 1 to 2 cm and about 0.5 cm high. However, there are other electric grills with shallow ridges (deep grooves). While cooking foods on such grill, it sits on the ridges. Consequently, they allow easy flow of fats while cooking; thus, food doesn’t have to sit and boil on its own juices. Also, the ridges/groves create grill marks on foods while cooking.
The grilling plates of most electric grills are made of non-stick materials. Therefore foods can hardly stick on the grill.
Electric grills can heat up to 600 degrees F, but it depends on the exact model you select. They are also practical cooking equipment that handles most foods, from meats to vegetables. Additionally, some electric grills have a removable drip tray where excess fats are collected.
What is an Electric Griddle?
An electric griddle is a kitchen appliance with a flat and smooth cooking surface and uses electricity as a source of power. It has an electric heating element beneath the cooking surface. Depending on the manufacturer, the griddle plate may be round or rectangular and may have an additional drip tray.
Additionally, electric griddles are of two types, i.e., open and contact griddles. Open electric griddles have a single flat cooking plate, while contact griddles have a lower and upper plate. Usually, open griddles are best for cooking foods such as pancakes, while contact griddles are suitable for sandwiches. A contact griddle is also referred to as a Panini press.
Unlike electric grills that create grill marks on foods, an electric griddle cooks food evenly and uniformly since the cooking surface is flat.
Another notable feature of electric griddles is that they have raised edges or sides that catch grease or juices as food cooks. Additionally, the cooking surfaces are often non-stick.
Usually, electric griddles make breakfast meals such as bacon, eggs, pancakes, toasts, hashbrowns, etc.
Electric Grills vs. Electric Griddles: What is the Difference?
As you can tell from the above highlight, electric grills are not the same as electric griddles, even though they share some similarities. The table below shows the key differences between electric griddles and grills in various aspects. It’s brief and easy to understand.
| Difference | Electric Grill | Electric Griddle |
| Cooking Surface | Has cooking surface with raised ridges or grooves that make grill marks on foods. | It has a flat and smooth cooking surface that cooks foods evenly. |
| Application | Due to its uneven cooking surface, it cooks more solid foods such as meats. However, it can still cook vegetables and fruits. | Its smooth and large cooking surface area allows the cooking of breakfast meals such as eggs, pancakes, bacon, toast. However, contact griddles also make sandwiches |
| Heat levels | Grilling requires intense ad high heat; therefore, electric grills can go up to 600 degrees F. However, some models can only attain a maximum temperature of 450 degrees F on their cooking surfaces. The optimum cooking temperature on electric grills is between 350 to 375 degrees F. |
Most electric griddles get to 450 degrees F as the top heat. However, some go as high as 600 degrees. The ideal/optimum cooking temperature on electric griddles is 375 degrees F. |
| Exterior of foods | Foods cooked on electric grills have grill and char marks on the exterior. Also, it might have a brown interior. | Foods cooked on an electric griddle tend to attain brown color. However, some foods such as steaks might attain crustiness depending on the level of cooking. |
Electric Grills vs. Electric Griddles: Which is better?
Both of these kitchen appliances are great and versatile. Additionally, each one has its main use and delivers excellent results. Finally, both electric grills and griddles are safe to use indoors.
Choosing between an electric grill and griddle boils down to a user’s preference and the types of foods to be cooked. For instance, electric grills will cook tasty steaks, while electric griddles will cook nice brown pancakes.
Did you know you can enjoy the benefits of these appliances on one piece of equipment? There is an electric grill griddle combo. It’s a single appliance with grill and griddle plates. This combo offers more versatility in terms of foods you can cook on a single piece of equipment.