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You can basically cook anything with this appliance that you could cook indoors with a frying pan or flat top grill: meats such as steak, burgers, chicken, vegetables such as onions and peppers, sandwiches, eggs, pancakes, and the list goes on.
What Do You Use an Outdoor Griddle For?
Outdoor griddles are typically used for cooking outdoors. Sometimes you will see them referred to as a camp stove, but they can each do different things.
While some camp stoves may be able to double as an outdoor griddle, not all of them can. However, outdoor griddles are specifically made to cook on and tend to be much larger than camping stoves and usually with slightly different features than camping stoves. Outdoor griddles typically have two sides, one flat and the other striated for cooking meats.
Some people have been known to use their outdoor griddles as a stovetop or range top at home when they want to cook something outside on a whim. They can be used just like a stovetop or range top by plugging them into an electrical outlet.
Many models come with wheels, so you can easily roll them around your yard, patio, or deck.
Outdoor griddles are often found in parks, campgrounds, and resorts as well so that anyone who wants to cook what they catch out in the woods can do so conveniently without having to haul a camping stove from home along with them when going fishing or hunting.
What Should I Cook on a Griddle?
Griddles are versatile, so you can basically cook anything that you could cook indoors with a frying pan or flat-top grill.
Meat such as steak, burgers, and chicken, vegetables such as onions and peppers, sandwiches, eggs, pancakes, and anything you can think of for breakfast, lunch, or dinner that cooks well on a flat surface.
Can You Cook Anything on a Blackstone Griddle?
As mentioned earlier, you can cook almost anything you want for any meal, and you can cook a lot of it because of the space. There are just a few things that you should not do when cooking on an outdoor griddle.
Most of it deals with safety issues, but you can enjoy the outdoors without having to clean up the entire kitchen and floors.
Always keep the appliance safe from kids and pets when hot. Do not leave grease unattended on an outdoor griddle. That bears repeating because of how easy it is to get distracted.
This is not something that’s typically a problem when you’re cooking outdoors on an outdoor griddle unless, of course, you’ve got kids and pets running around your yard or campground while you cook.
If that’s the case, consider placing the Blackstone Griddle somewhere where it can be anchored firmly in place to avoid mishaps from happening with anyone passing by.
How Do You Use a Blackstone Griddle Outside?
Most foods are cooked in homes, but not typically on griddles because people use frying pans instead, and can be cooked on griddles.
However, this appliance is not generally recommended for baking pastries, cakes, pizzas, or any other dish that would require even heat distribution as an oven provides.
The best way to cook on an outdoor griddle is with oil, butter, or cooking spray. This will keep the food from sticking and also prevent your food from burning if you happen to be distracted for a moment while cooking.
It is recommended that you set your griddle to medium heat. If the heat is too high, it may cause some of your food to burn before you can cook it thoroughly.
Some people like to start on low heat and adjust the temperature after adding their food to control how fast or slow their foods cook.
Always allow the metal surface of your outdoor griddle to heat up entirely before beginning any cooking session because this will help prevent foods from sticking. You should never pour butter, oil, or cooking spray directly onto an outdoor griddle while it heats up because this will cause a flare-up.
Your best bet is to place your pat of butter or spritz of oil into a liquid measuring cup and warm it in the microwave for about 15 seconds; then, pour it onto your outdoor griddle with the measuring cup to avoid any accidents.
The only difference using an outdoor griddle has compared with using a frying pan is that you can typically cook more food at once without overcrowding, but also aren’t able to use wire whisks or scrubbing pads on them due to their electrical components, so washing can be a little bit harder when done improperly.
But for the most part, they are easy appliances to clean by simply wiping them down after each use with a slightly damp towel and then drying with another one, though not always necessary if just used for breakfast or lunch foods only.
Final Thoughts
If you’re having a get-together and want to provide food for your guests, an outdoor grill is a way to go.
In any case, make sure not to leave grease unattended on an outdoor griddle and that you never apply oil or butter directly onto a hot metal surface because this can cause a fire flare-up.
And remember that cleaning your appliance is much easier than cleaning up grease accidents on your kitchen floor.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.