Made from materials like carbon steel or cast iron and boasting a high heat tolerance and plentiful surface area, a round griddle—just like its square or rectangular brethren—is pretty much flawless when it comes to crisping bacon, searing meats and vegetables, and getting those lace-thin crispy edges on your smash burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches. The main difference, however? You can use it on virtually every cooking surface—round grills included.
From whipping up crepes to cooking up a feast on your kettle grill, here’s everything you can do with these compact, cornerless griddles.
Understanding Round Griddles: The Basics
Like we mentioned up top, a round griddle should be able to do everything a rectangular griddle can. Depending on the material (we prefer high heat-resistant, naturally non stick carbon steel), your griddle should be adept at both conducting and circulating heat so that your food cooks evenly, without burnt or raw spots.
While the shape of your griddle shouldn’t affect its performance, it will affect the kinds of food you can cook on it—as well as how well it fits on your cooking surface. Round griddles are great for cooking (of course) round foods like crepes, and pizzas, and they also fit on most stovetops and grills.
How to Choose the Right Round Griddle
Once you’ve decided on a round griddle, it’s time to look at some of the other variables. We’ve already talked up carbon steel, our number one choice for its lightweight construction, seasoned non stick surface, and excellent heat tolerance—all things you definitely want in a griddle. Carbon steel is also induction, gas, and electric stovetop compatible, and, of course, safe for grill use.
Next, it’s time to look at handles. It’s always ideal to have a pan you can transport easily from kitchen to grill, and handles play a big role in that: we fitted our new Round Griddle with ergonomic, upward-facing handles for both a comfortable grip and to make sure they wouldn’t interfere with closing the lid on your round grill.
Benefits of Using a Round Griddle
We’re big fans of griddles in general, and especially round ones. Here are just a few of the benefits of using one.
- No corners means less wasted space when cooking pancakes, tortillas and other round items—you can utilize the entire 15 ⅝” cooking surface.
- Round grills can’t comfortably fit our standard Griddle, but we wanted kettle grill enthusiasts and Big Green Egg users to be able to experience the difference of carbon steel when grilling—thus the inception of the Round Griddle.
- To ensure maximum compatibility with round grills, our Round Griddle also features upward-facing handles for easy lid closure.
- The Round Griddle is more compact than or standard Griddle, making it easier to store and fit on your stovetop.
Why You Need a Round Griddle
A round griddle is an incredibly versatile piece of cookware—even more so if it’s made from carbon steel, which, like we said, is compatible with both gas and induction stoves as well as any grill. Plus, along with classics like burgers, chicken wings, and shrimp, this shape is also prime for pancakes, crepes, dosa, and more of your favorite round foods.
Our Round Griddle is also slightly more compact than our full-size rectangular griddle, making it easier to store and transport, but with more surface area than our Half-Size Griddle—some would say the best of both worlds.
Cooking Techniques and Tips
Again, you can cook practically anything on a round griddle, from pancakes to flatbreads and steaks or chops. Since carbon steel and cast iron can tolerate very high heat, they both work beautifully on the grill, and make for even easier cleanup afterward. And if you’ve never used your griddle on the grill before, we’ve got a guide to help.
Cleaning your griddle is easy, especially if you’re used to cleaning and maintaining carbon steel. If your griddle is properly seasoned, this will likely be about as simple as wiping it down with a spritz of water and a rag, though you may need to get a little more aggressive with tougher messes and stains. Here’s our full carbon steel cleaning guide when/if that happens.
Ready to Shop?
It’s hard to beat the feeling of eating a meal you’ve cooked yourself in the great outdoors—except, maybe, the feeling of using a really high-quality griddle for the first time. With our new Round Griddle, you can harness all the intense, direct heat of carbon steel while cooking with your kettle grill.
