June 8th, 2020
Whether you own a steak house, diner, pub, cafeteria, or a coffee shop in Plainfield, a commercial griddle is an essential piece of kitchen equipment that is vital to many restaurants. Any item that requires even heating for cooking foods (such as eggs, pancakes, French toast, burgers, chicken, or steak) is best prepared when cooked on a griddle.
Griddles come in a variety of different types, sizes, and models. In this post, we’ll discuss some of the things you should consider before buying a commercial griddle:
1. Source of Energy
When purchasing a commercial griddle, you could choose from either of these three heat sources:
- Electric commercial griddles: These griddles are powered by electricity and can be purchased with energy-efficient features. The advantage of electric heaters is that they heat the surface evenly. The drawback with electric griddles is that they take longer to heat up and recover, as compared to a gas griddle.
- Gas commercial griddles: Gas commercial griddles heat up quickly and are easily controlled with the help of thermostatic controls. Additionally, since they operate on either natural gas or propane gas lines, they are less expensive to operate.
- Induction commercial griddles: These griddles use induction elements to generate heat directly across the griddle plate, so they heat up very quickly, thereby reducing cooking time.
2. Griddle Surface
Griddle surfaces are generally made of either chromium or stainless steel. Chromium is highly corrosion resistant and has a shiny appearance, whereas stainless steel is more resistant to dents and scratches. Some griddles are made of a steel alloy and coated with a layer of chrome. Chrome helps keep food from sticking, and it can eliminate the need to season the cooking surface with oil. Furthermore, chrome is non-porous, and therefore, it does not allow the transfer of flavor between different types of food.
3. Griddle Size
The griddle size should be determined based on the amount of food you plan to serve at any given time. This will give you an idea of whether you should go for a medium or heavy-duty griddle. Another factor that should be considered is space availability. This will also dictate the size of the griddle you can accommodate.
4. Griddle Controls
Griddle controls vary based on the type of griddle chosen:
- Economy griddles are built with modulating thermostatic controls that keep temperatures accurate within 30°F or 40°F
- Medium-duty griddles are built with snap-action thermostats that keep temperatures accurate within 15°F. This type of griddle offers the best balance between affordability and accuracy
- Heavy-duty griddles are built with solid-state thermostats. They offer temperature accuracy within 5°F, and they are the most expensive griddles on the market
5. BTUs of the griddle burner
BTU is the amount of heat generated by the griddle. A higher BTU means faster heat generation, translating to quicker cooking. BTU generation varies as per the griddle model. Economy griddles may produce around 20,000 BTUs an hour, whereas a heavy-duty powerful gas griddle will produce 30,0000 BTU per burner, or even more.
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If you’re on the lookout for any used restaurant equipment, and if you need it in Plainfield, we here at March Quality are the people to see.
For over 30 years, March Quality has provided a place for restaurant owners to buy and sell equipment for their restaurants’ kitchens. We purchase used equipment and refurbish it until it’s like new, then sell it for a fraction of the price of new equipment.
Contact us today to discuss your restaurant’s needs!