My 22 doesn’t have 3 burners, or a lid.
My bad, i forgot the 3rd burner was for the pots i use for seafood boils.
My 22 doesn’t have 3 burners, or a lid.
The have some interesting options out these days, with all the air fryers and extra burners, etc. And the prices have gone sky high it seems.
I have a 28" at home that has been good, but I do wish I had gone larger with it. I'm lucky that I can use massive commercial griddles, so if mine doesn't have enough space, it's not really an issue for me. The 36" is typically deeper and not just wider (but again, they have a lot of configurations, so it can vary)
I do echo the 'never had rust issues' comments, and mine is outdoors all the time. I don't have the custom windshields like Cowgirl, but when it's been an issue in the past-I would make a quick wind block with magnets and foil.
I think the griddle is a very versatile cooking tool. Most things that I'd grill, can be done there just as well. I also look towards it when I see a recipe that calls for a large skillet and I'm thinking "well, if I griddle this, I'll have even more room to work".
And to Curts point, the thicker steel options, are so much better. At the rental kitchen the griddles are at least half an inch thick, and you don't have any of the hot spot nonsense. They are pretty amazing.
So, again like gas fryers example a few days ago, this is a buy once cry once situations. Disclaimer, I own two Blackstones, old version 36" ($150 clearance price), old version 22" ($40 clearance price). Do they function properly? Yes. But, if I had it to do over again, I'd keep the 22" for portability, but for home use I'd buy one of the griddles listed below. You can get the 36" Advantco manual control for $669 with 3/4" cooking surface thickness. If you really want to splurge and have set it and forget it(again, where have I heard that before?) cooking, you can purchase the 36" thermostat controlled Patriot griddle, with 1" cooking surface thickness for $979. Is this overkill? Perhaps. But, the old saying goes, "he who dies with the most toys wins". That is where I'd be spending my money If I had it to do over again. Of course this is all predicated on having an outdoor kitchen, which I do not have at this time, but plans are in the works.
https://www.webstaurantstore.com/24057/gas-countertop-griddles.html?order=price_asc
https://www.equippers.com/cooking-equipment/griddles/gas-griddles?product_list_order=price
So to recap:
Blackstone-good
Camp Chef-Better
The above listed griddles-Best
In a way I guess it's like Pit Boss versus MAK.
YMMV
Robert
Bill,Interesting options. We don’t have natural gas where I am so even if I build the outdoor kitchen (which is looking unlikely) I’d have to run it on propane. For whatever reason, the propane options from that site are in a much higher price range than the two you linked to.
Blackstone sells stuff to season it which is out of stock. Will any oil do like olive oil