Blackstone 17: griddle

[shane n]

Ive been using this Blackstone griddle for a couple of seasons now and find it a great addition to my camp kitchen. I use a quality spatula, a dome cover and silicone egg rings. I got a luggage case at goodwill for travel.
I have an Iroda O grill, propane stove and butane stove also in my camp kitchen. I have a little 2 qt insta pot that also is a must have in my kitchen.

[thrifty bill]

I saw that stove at Walmart, looked pretty nice. Only missing was a hook up to a low pressure propane line.

[Tom 72]

It smells great from here. I'll be right there. I agree the little silicone egg rings work great. I also got some silicone muffin cups, and utensils. Unbelievable heat tolerance.

I put a simple muffin mix in the cups, half full, microwave for two minutes, and they are great!

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

I saw that stove at Walmart, looked pretty nice. Only missing was a hook up to a low pressure propane line.

If you are referring g to the Blackstone griddle, I called the company and asked if they were considering a low pressure conversion kit. The girl I spoke with said they were working on it. It they do it, I will buy one. But I’m not holding my breath. Jim (CPAHarley) on the Escape forum has a Blackstone and swears by it. I believe he uses it rather than a grill.

[Avey]

Originally Posted by shane n

Ive been using this Blackstone griddle for a couple of seasons now and find it a great addition to my camp kitchen. I use a quality spatula, a dome cover and silicone egg rings. I got a luggage case at goodwill for travel.
I have an Iroda O grill, propane stove and butane stove also in my camp kitchen. I have a little 2 qt insta pot that also is a must have in my kitchen.

Your Blackstone griddle looks great!
One question about your little 2 qt insta pot, is that a small digital pressure cooker? Both look realy easy to clean up after use.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by thrifty bill

I saw that stove at Walmart, looked pretty nice. Only missing was a hook up to a low pressure propane line.

I would bet as long as it operates on 11" WC that it would be an easy conversion to do yourself. Just tie in to where the tube from the bottle/regulator does and you will be fine.

The key to many of these units is finding one that has a separate volume control from the regulator. If the volume and regulator are one unit, you need to use a separate volume control which some manufactures, like that of my Dickinson Spitfire Grill, do.

[Kai in Seattle]

As so often elsewhere, I really, really, want to be able to click on the "LIKE" icon! (Everyone--ten thumbs up!)

BEST
Kai

[Captleemo]

I've been seeing TV advertisements for these lately. Looks like they come in different sizes.

[shane n]

Originally Posted by Avey

Your Blackstone griddle looks great!
One question about your little 2 qt insta pot, is that a small digital pressure cooker? Both look realy easy to clean up after use.

Yes, 2 qt Insta pot ,I got on clearance for $18 from qvc.
I cook a cod fillet for 4 min and it comes out like a lobster tail.
It will run my Honda 2000 just above idle when In use.
,I run the Blackstone from a bulk tank but I have buckets full of disposables I get free from when the city has a household hazards waste event, you can take all you want.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I would bet as long as it operates on 11" WC that it would be an easy conversion to do yourself. Just tie in to where the tube from the bottle/regulator does and you will be fine.

The key to many of these units is finding one that has a separate volume control from the regulator. If the volume and regulator are one unit, you need to use a separate volume control which some manufactures, like that of my Dickinson Spitfire Grill, do.

Not likely to be easily converted by a lay person. Spitfire uses a regulator similar to that used on Coleman Stoves. Since these regulators put out gas pressures somewhere above what supports an 11-inch water column, internal orifices in the appliance would require enlargement to provide adequate flame under the griddle at lower pressures than what was designed......but how much enlargement is anyone’s guess. Personally, having done extensive experimentation on unsuccessfully converting a Coleman Stove, I would wait for Blackstone to do it.

[Rzrbrn]

I have a Blackstone hooked to a bulk tank. Won’t lv home w/o it.

[Mike Magee]

I don't get it. A 1-burner or 2-burner gas cooktop will work with a variety of pots and pans. Why add a whole 'nother gas unit with a dedicated griddle top? Seems like just one more redundant appliance to carry. I also am wondering about the blurb I read on Amazon for this product:

NO HASSLE CLEANUP - Blackstone makes cleanup a breeze with this table top gas griddle; Simply wipe it off with a paper towel. No fuss cooking allows you more time to enjoy the outdoors

Does this mean I've been wasting time, effort, and dish soap to clean my non-stick pots and pans, when all they really need is a quick wipe with a paper towel? How sanitary is this idea from Blackstone, anyway?

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

I don't get it. A 1-burner or 2-burner gas cooktop will work with a variety of pots and pans. Why add a whole 'nother gas unit with a dedicated griddle top?

Probably because it cooks better than a pan on a cooktop, and provides way more cooking area. If you've never cooked eggs, bacon, pancakes or French toast on a proper griddle, there's no comparison.

Originally Posted by Mike Magee

I also am wondering about the blurb I read on Amazon for this product:

NO HASSLE CLEANUP - Blackstone makes cleanup a breeze with this table top gas griddle; Simply wipe it off with a paper towel. No fuss cooking allows you more time to enjoy the outdoors

Does this mean I've been wasting time, effort, and dish soap to clean my non-stick pots and pans, when all they really need is a quick wipe with a paper towel? How sanitary is this idea from Blackstone, anyway?

The Blackstone griddle is not coated non-stick like your pans. It's cold rolled steel, and needs to be seasoned for proper cooking and to prevent sticking. Like a cast iron skillet, you never use soap or abrasives to clean the cooking surface. That removes the seasoned surface and you wind up with bare steel again. Treated properly, this type of griddle, just like a cast iron pan, gets better over time.

As for any sanitary concerns, any bacteria on the surface from previous use is destroyed once the griddle heats up.

[Glenn Baglo]

I've been reading this thread with an open mind, but the question I have is why a cast iron griddle? Why not a large fry pan? I have a half dozen cast iron fry pans at home and I put a couple of the large ones in the trailer until I decided to reduce as much weight as possible. They've been replaced with a couple large T-Fal non-stick fry pans that weigh a third as much as cast iron.
I had a cast iron griddle years ago that for some reason was designed so that the oil ran immediately from the center down to the edge. Pretty much useless in my book. It was also large and heavy, making it difficult to clean. Last I saw it was in a truck headed for the sanitary landfill ( and why is a landfill sanitary? ).
I'm still pondering, but need convincing.

[Rzrbrn]

I don’t like Teflon or other coated pans because at high temps it supposedly gives off nasty chemicals. Why take the chance? Also I don’t like the results, food just looks and tastes different.

I use cast iron griddle and pans, and also carbon steel pan like the Mineral B and Blackstone. These are all non stick when seasoned properly. Don’t need to worry abt scratches in the Teflon or ceramic coatings, and these last a life time. Also Teflon and ceramic pans seem to warp, as well as scratch. When I was young I threw away too many. Don’t like SS either. When I found cast iron and carbon steel I never went back.

I like griddles because easier to flip food.

I like Blackstone griddle for reasons previously cited. I’m not trying to convince you, you either get it or you don’t. It’s like riding a motorcycle, it’s not for everyone.

Also, I like to try different things and I like to cook. And eat correctly cooked food. That is to say, food the way I like it to be prepared.

I find that single burner gas stoves are difficult to balance a pan on, which keep sliding off. 2 burner stoves don’t really hold 2 decent fry pans or griddles. Blackstone gives me plenty of cooking area, and the control valve seems to be precise.

[Jim Bennett]

I don't doubt for a minute that this grill is great to cook on, but a stove with a good burner along with a thick bottomed fry pan will do just as good of a job. I also feel that it is more flexible, as it also boils and simmers as well, something a griddle can't effectively do.

I just don't want to take another cooking appliance along. I use three quality appliances, for outside use a Dickinson Spitfire BBQ and a Camp Chef Ranger II stove, and inside we have a Dickinson Caribbean range. Both the outside stove and the inside stovetop have excellent burners that distribute heat well across a fry pan, and both have inner and outer rings to provide this even heat. My old Coleman stove had just a single ring of flame and did not heat a pan evenly.

The true testament to even heating is doing a large pancake, the size of a large frying pan, and seeing it cooked even across the entire surface. Looks good and tastes great.

As evidenced here, there is no one way for everyone to cook, we all have our preferred methods, none of which are the wrong way to do it.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Rzrbrn

I don’t like Teflon or other coated pans because at high temps it supposedly gives off nasty chemicals. Why take the chance? Also I don’t like the results, food just looks and tastes different.

Teflon and other coatings are different today than those you fear.
As for "food just looks and tastes different", I'm not sure how one could discuss that assessment.

[Captleemo]

A friend of mine once took a disc off a plow, cleaned it up and welded some legs on it so it could be set over a campfire to cook breakfast on. Kind of like a homemade Wok. The food he cooked on it was delicious.

[k corbin]

Like most choices in cooking appliances the grill will not be the best choice for everyone's needs. But it does offer some good advantages.

The reason for a griddle versus a cast iron pan is you have enough surface area to cook the pancakes, eggs, bacon, potatoes and such all at the same time. Just like they do in a restaurant where the cook has to get it all done very quickly so everything is ready to serve, nice and hot all at the same time.

If need be you can also set a small pot on top of the griddle while the rest of the food is cooking for heating up a liquid such as syrup, bar-b-que sauce or a pot of beans to go with the meat.

If you are feeding a family of three or four people the surface area of a griddle versus a frying pan is a real advantage.

There is another advantage, the flames are not exposed as much to the wind when outside and it makes it safer to use when indoors as the flames are not exposed to surrounding items.

[apfixer]

Have any of you tried the Kalorik Portable Induction Cooking Surface.
I have.
Bought it at a store called Tuesday Morning for $39.99.
Tried it out at home.
Will only work on ferrous cooking pans, cast iron works great.
Had eggs, sausage, and potatoes ready to eat in about 20 minutes.
When I turned it off, the surface was cool to the touch in about 10 minutes.
Works on standard 110/115 volts.