Having a pleasant cooking experience outdoors is hard to achieve, but using a simple piece of equipment like a camping griddle can make all the difference. There are wide varieties of griddles, from nonstick to cast iron, and reversible griddles are available in the market. That will cost you anywhere between $30 to a few hundred; however, this all depends on the griddle to the griddle, the material, and the quality. For example, Blackstone is the most expensive on our list but provides outstanding performance.
With our years of experience in outdoor adventures and in-depth research, we have reviewed the best camping griddles based on different performance parameters discussed in the review part.
What is a Camping Griddle?
You may ask yourself, what is a camping griddle? A camping griddle is a flat cooking surface made for camping and outdoor trips. Even though it looks very simple with its rectangular shape (few come in round shapes) and a piece of metal, its cooking experience is astonishing.
They are available in a variety of designs and sizes, like single or double burner, to cater to the need of all kinds of campers, like family camping, group camping, or single-person camping. But they are usually heavy, so they are mainly not suitable for backpacking.
Which is Better For Camping, a Griddle or a Grill?
Neither one is better than the other it is completely up to personal preference. Generally speaking, a griddle is a better solution for cooking dishes made in pans, such as eggs, vegetables, etc. This is since the griddle is made of a smooth cooking surface that doesn’t allow for food to fall through.
On the other hand, the camping grill is a better solution for grilling burgers, different meats, etc. With a grill, you can achieve more of a barbecue taste in your dishes. As you might see, both options work fine. Since they are so simple to use, a griddle might be a better option for most.
Can You Put a Griddle on a Camp Stove?
As you know, the griddle surface is made of a smooth cooking surface. Therefore, placing it on top of a camping stove is a perfect way to use it because, with this type of use, you get even heat all across a camping griddle. When using a camping fire with a griddle, you are unable to change the heat temperature, which can be a problem when cooking some dishes.
You can avoid this problem by using a camping stove where you can change the temperature with one simple rotation of the gas valve. All this means that using a camping stove with a griddle is a great Idea.
Best Overall Camping Griddle
1. Blackstone 22″ Tabletop Grill
The Blackstone 22 tabletop griddle is overall the best all-around outdoor griddle, which performed brilliantly on all the performance parameters like sturdiness, ease of use and cleaning, and even heat and value for the money. The cooking surface is much larger to fry everything in a single go instead of cooking batch by batch and waiting longer to eat food which can be annoying.
With its balance heat across the surface and quick heating ability, this tabletop two-burner stove griddle works efficiently on propane gas- which stands it apart from the tough competition. We suggest taking a propane tank(not included) for extensive abuse and use for prolonged family camping.
Furthermore, Blackstone 22 tabletop griddle is pretty easy to clean, unlike most cheap models where burned food gets stuck and becomes a nightmare to clean it. The bonus tip is to ensure you properly balance it before cooking, as the camping surface might be uneven, and your food will slip in oil on one side.
The drawbacks are negligible except for the price, which is higher. Still, with guaranteed quality, no other griddle can beat its performance, so it’s a valuable deal if you are a regular camper for your outdoor kitchen.
Camp chef griddle (reviewed below) is a close competitor, but this beat everyone by a good margin. It is also somewhat heavy but comparable with other brand’s griddles in our top griddle list, so it is worth it considering the quality and durability. But you should have good RV or car camping space to accommodate this quality griddle. All and all, this is a great quality griddle, suitable for avid campers and family camping.
2. Camp Chef Professional Griddle
Most tabletop griddles on our list feature griddles for two-burner stoves, but Camp Chef Professional Griddle is for single-burner and is much more efficient and provide much better even heat than its close competitors.
Blackstone 22″ Tabletop Grill provides quicker and more efficient cooking for big families and groups but comes with high weight and price and needs more setup space. However, with reasonable weight and price, a single burner camp chef griddle is more than handy for small families and singles for camping without compromising the quality and portability.
Heating time is also much faster and more efficient; even with the low heat, we could start cooking eggs, pancakes, and bread comparatively faster. However, seasoning that comes with the griddle might not work well, so you probably be ready for your own seasoning, which is not tough either.
Cleanup was rather easier than expected, and food did not stick to the pan if cooked carefully, but with less oil, food burns and sticks to the pan. With the single burner design, you can use your second stove burner(for a duel burner) to cook other stuff for fast food preparations. The downside of this grill(and many others), it will rust if not seasoned well. So, we suggest seasoning with some oil after each use, but it gets better and better with more usage.
Camp Chef Professional Griddle is a much better option with its portable design and quality material if you are looking for a single burner griddle.
Best Budget Friendly Option
3. Coghlan’s Two Burner Non-Stick Camp Griddle
Cannot afford camp chef and Blackstone griddles? Then we have a budget-friendly option for a duel burner: Coghlan’s Two Burner Non-Stick Camp Griddle. Do you know the plus point in addition to its price? It’s weight. At 1.8 pounds, carrying and managing even without a car or RV camping is way easier. Not only is it dishwasher safe, but it cleans up quickly, even with the wipes, because of its non-stick design.
Coghlan’s Camp Griddle offers outstanding and reliable cooking performance at a budget-friendly price of $35. This outdoor griddle is not only lightweight but provides balanced heat for cooking.
What are the downsides to Coghlan’s Camp Griddle? Coghlan’s should redesign the sides a bit because the food pushes out onto the stove and ground since the surface becomes slippery with oil. Further, heat distribution is uneven, unlike camp chef and Blackstone griddles, which provide much-balanced heat for quality cooking.
That said, it works efficiently and heats up quickly since it’s not cast iron. Also, it fits well on two burners stone, but we tried it on a single burner as well since the design is compact, so it fits nicely without occupying space in cars or campers. Despite the minor drawbacks, Coghlan’s Non-Stick Griddle still offers great value for the money and performance.
Best Cast Iron Option
4. Legend Cast Iron Griddle
People who use cast iron pans for cooking know how well and evenly it cooks food. Legend Cast Iron Griddle made it to our top griddles list because of its quality, durability, and performance. However, if you are new to cast iron, you must break in and understand how it works and how well it cooks.
This grill is for sure heavy and built with solid cast iron material that stays with you for years. Not all griddles are made to work on an open fire, but Legend griddle can be used on a campfire or open fire and also in the oven; that is an added advantage.
What are the disadvantages of Legend Cast Iron Griddle? Without prior knowledge of cast iron, newcomers feel challenged to use it and cook food properly. There is no straightforward cleaning, though, like the non-stick griddles; maintaining this griddle takes patience and extra care. However, as the saying old is gold, this gets better and better with time with proper seasoning.
Having said that, despite these challenges, if you simply learn how to use, clean, and season the cast iron pan- you will never use any other pan for your cooking. It is certainly affordable, almost 50% less expensive than our top two, and works on an open fire. You are much safer to use for an extended camping period without worrying about refilling your fuel tank.
If we talk about portability, it’s not the best, but that is the case with most of the tops griddles, but still, it’s less in weight than Blackstone. We recommend it if you like cast iron pans, but if you are new, you surely need little time to get used to it, but the result will not disappoint you.
5. Lodge LSRG3 Cast Iron Reversible Grill/Griddle
Lodge LSRG3 Cast Iron Reversible Grill/Griddle is another cast iron griddle made to our top griddles list due to its performance and popularity among outdoor lovers. Not only outdoors, this is suitable for your home kitchen as well.
They are available in different sizes, a single burner and dual burner, covering all kinds of people’s needs, from single campers to group and family camping. Even with the single burner, Lodge LSRG3 is a powerful griddle/grill to cook food efficiently. Like Legend Cast Iron Griddle, this is also a rugged skillet that can handle all the camping use and abuse, making it value for the money.
Cast iron requires good care, from proper seasoning to cleaning, but it is all worth the effort. Even though Lodge LSRG3 comes with pre-seasoned, you should do the seasoning again; the more you use it, the better it will become.
It provides the heat evenly to make the cooking process much smoother than other cheaper models. And it’s worth the investment at the price tag of $38(single burner), which is three times less than the Blackstone griddle. This griddle is also heavier like the Legend griddle, but for car camp or group camping, this griddle and grill is excellent for cooking quality food.
The size is reasonably bigger than the regular camping pans, so you can cook more items simultaneously. On the downside, like the other cast iron, the cleanup, especially the griddle side, is only possible if you have the proper tools. You better take a sturdy brush to clean up easily.
How To Choose a Camping Griddle: Buying Advice
When choosing a camping griddle, you need to look for some things that make a griddle better than others. Many of these things can be easily overlooked, so inspect and review every factor. I would recommend having these factors in mind when deciding on a griddle:
Packed Size
As avid campers, we believe that size, and especially packed size, is a key element in determining the use of your camping griddle. In fact, some might say it is the number one factor of deciding on how to choose a camping griddle.
In fact, these are just factors like size and portability. If you want to choose a good size for a griddle, keep in mind how many people will be camping with you. If you are camping with only your partner, you will need a smaller griddle. On the other hand, if you have a big family or friend group, we recommend sizing up.
However, griddles are generally heavy and depend on the material, so they require transportation. Even the single burner griddle comes with a few pounds and requires space to fit in. Coghlan’s Non-Stick Camp Griddle is much better if you are looking for a compact design, and it comes with a good weight-to-compact size ratio, making it easily packable.
This will also save time! Just remember that larger size means its portability is compromised, and you will need to take that into account.
Material and Durability
You want to use a camping griddle for a long time. Choose one that is made from high-quality materials. But why is this so important? Because these types of materials will withstand all kinds of use. Even in the outdoors!
The best is cast iron; not only does it have great heat retention, but it is also the most durable. The only downside is that cast iron is much heavier. Stainless steel and aluminum griddles are much lighter, but they have worse heat retention.
Cooking Surface
Camping griddles can have flat or slightly grilled cooking surfaces. It depends on you on what cooking surface you will choose. But we recommend a flat surface since you can use it for more dishes.
The only advantage you get with a grilled cooking surface is grill marks when cooking burgers, steaks, etc.
Heat Distribution
Sometimes, especially when cooking on a camping fire, the heat source is pointed to one place. This is a bad thing because you can’t cook evenly. Therefore, you need to choose a camping grill that is made from material that can distribute heat evenly.
One simple factor that can make all the difference is the thickness of the cooking surface. To get a more even cooking, choose a thicker surface. Blackstone 22″ Tabletop Griddle provides excellent heat distribution compared to the Coghlan’s Two Burner Non-Stick Camp Griddle.
Compatibility
One of the more important factors when choosing a camping griddle is its compatibility with your other equipment. To be more precise, with your camping stove. If you want to choose a camping griddle that can connect to a camping stove, you have to get the most out of it.
Also, look for camping griddles that can be used on a camping fire, not only on a camping stove. This will ensure you always have a backup if something runs out.
Extra features
The last factor you should look for is extra features on a camping griddle. Some griddles can have special channels for grease to get out or double-sided cooking surfaces, which will give you more versatility when cooking. All these extra features will ensure that you have a better experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a camping griddle is a great piece of equipment that can make the outdoor cooking experience much better. Keep in mind what makes a camping griddle better than any other option. In the end, you should choose the best griddle following these factors that suit your needs.
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