Someone needs to start an Appliance Dealer FAQ -- various fibs and lies, how to fight the weasels off...

;) So, is this an issue or not?

I have a gas griddle, and I can't imagine what problem your dealer is talking about, but then again I also have a gas oven. So maybe I'm missing something ;-)

Really, love my gas griddle and my gas oven. Good luck.

As a matter of personal preference, I opted for the six burners and bought a cast iron grill, griddle combo. It works great and if it gets messy looking I can always put it away when company comes. Just food for thought.

A thermostat controlled griddle is a very different thing than a griddle plate on a burner.

I love our gas griddle. Even heat and pretty fast to temp. Maintains temps well.

GE Monogram by DCS

>Just food for thought.

Sounds more like thought for food.

Can some of you show a photo of your well-loved and well-used griddle? My favorite appliance salesman, who has given me great advice in the past, tells me that the griddles never look good again after they've been used...That they stain and are hard to clean. Jcthorne, can you elaborate on the advantages of a thermostatically controlled griddle over a griddle pan? What do you all cook on them?

I was planning to do like Dottieq and get 8 burners (48" rangetop) and just use griddle and grill pans...I figured they'd be easier to clean and I could use them on whichever burners worked best for me at the time. Any advice for or against this theory/plan of mine would be appreciated. This is my first gas appliance (LP), I want to make the best decision I can, and with no prior experience, it's been difficult.

No pictures, but it ain't a pretty sight! That's why they usually come with a stainless steel cover. They season just like a cast iron pan, and develop a mottled brownish coloration. They are not hard to clean unless you attempt to remove the seasoned layer and that defeats the purpose of seasoning. But the cover hides it very nicely. I usually spend 5 minutes or so cleaning the griddle after use. No big deal.
I have never used a griddle pan, but I imagine a good built-in griddle provides a more uniform surface temperature that a long pan straddling two hot burners with no flame under the middle of the pan. I cover my griddle with pan cakes and they all cook in retty much the same time-only the ones on the very front may be a little less done.

I'm not at home so I can't take a picture, but as capecodcook says the surface gets a mottled brown color. I would imagine the BlueStar griddle comes with a cover. My Wolf griddle came with a stainless steel cover, so the color of the griddle surface doesn't matter.

I've cooked with both a removable cast-iron plate spanning two burners and the built-in griddle. I much prefer using the built-in griddle. I set it to the temp I want, say 350 or 375 for pancakes, and the griddle turns itself on and off to maintain that temp. The cooking surface heats very evenly.

I cook all sorts of stuff on the griddle. The usual breakfast fare, fried rice, chicken, hamburgers... I use a griddle a lot, so for me it was worth getting the dedicated space.

Hope this helps.

Thank you both...I'm not big on pancakes, so wondered what else everyone used it for...Pancakes are pretty clean, so I wanted to know, also, if you used it for messier items, like meat, etc...And you answered that one, Sharon. Do you ever use it to keep things warm?

So did you go to a certain effort to season it, or just let it happen over time? Why did you choose this over a grill?

Thanks again, and I hope this hijack is Ok with you, randgalt.

The reasons I want a nice, pro-style griddle:

* Look in an open kitchen restaurant. They use a griddle A LOT and not just for breakfast stuff.

* Large sauteing area. I imagine doing mushrooms, onions, etc. on the griddle instead of a pan. Especially when I need to do a lot.

* Fish. I rarely make pan "fried" fish because I can only fit a few fillets in my saute pan. A griddle is perfect for this.

* Of course, breakfast stuff.

* An option for cooking meats. Sometimes I like char-broiled meat. Sometimes I want pan seared meat. Yes, you can pan sear in a "pan" but if you're doing more than a few you have to do it in batches.

We have restaurants at malls around here (not sure if they're nationwide) called Mongolian Grill where they stir-fry fresh ingredients on the spot on a hot griddle-like thing. I thought it was probably like Gaggnenau's TepanYaki. Do you mean I could do that on a rangetop griddle?

I always have trouble finding a big enough frying pan to cook for our 10 person family, and never considered that I could use a built-in griddle instead... Dumb, I know, but I had always planned on getting an induction cooktop, so feel overwhelmed about all the things to consider in choosing gas instead. (But I am SO glad I realized that an induction cooktop would never offer the burner space I need before I got one.)

No problem rhome410. BTW - I plan on getting a griddle AND a grill ;) A 60" Bluestar monster - 6 burners, a grill, a griddle AND a salamander!!! This will be my shrine to cooking ;)

Something else you can do on a griddle: before serving your pecan pie, fry it in a scoop of butter.

Oh, I will envy you that! I thought about doing two 30" ranges (that's actually less money than one 48"), but the cost of venting stopped me... A 60" setup always grabs my attention. DH laughed at me today when what I noticed first in an article about a kitchen in the new This Old House Magazine was their 60" Wolf.

Bear in mind that I have the 60" Wolf (I have a 60 because I wanted two full ovens and I can't have the wall ovens I wanted), so I didn't have to give up burner space to get my griddle. I went with a double griddle (22") instead of a smaller griddle and grill. For me it works well, but someone else might rather have the smaller griddle and a grill.

I like the space of the large griddle. I also use it to cook veggies and all the things mentioned above.

I love my griddle on my 36" bluestar. However, I noticed that the temp would not go over about 375 degrees, so I called BS for service. They told me they redesigned the griddle plate to include a heat shield between the flame and the thermostat tube recently and are sending me a new griddle plate that includes this modification. They are so good about sending new parts while under warranty whenever something is upgraded. Now I've got to re-season the griddle though. No, it's not pretty, but it is so easy to clean if you don't expect it to look like new. I just scrape it after use. Takes about 30 seconds. You can't do this with a griddle plate over burners because you can't really lean into it to scrape it without it moving. The built in griddle stays put, and also has a drain hole for grease. I like it. Not sure what I'd do with 6 burners.

Well bluestar sent me the new griddle plate but it made no difference. I still can not get the griddle any hotter than 350 even if the thermostat is on max(550). At this point BS has replaced the griddle burner, thermostat, and not the entire plate. I'm afraid it is just a bad design. I will inquire about a refund unless they come up with something else I can try.