Your camping experience remains incomplete without cooking on an open fire. Be it fresh kill or the ration you carry, your topmost priority is having multifunctional, portable, and lightweight utensils.
After you have chosen a stove, the debate of Grill vs. griddle ensues. While your choice of either depends on your cooking requirements and the type of food you have to cook, some features overlap and can confuse even a Master Chef.
So, to grill or to griddle, that is the question. If you are an outdoorsy person and refuse to eat anything other than complex proteins, you need to carry a grill to achieve the required “Doneness” on your steaks.
But, if you have got your hands on some eggs and bacon, a grill would simply not give you a sunny-side up! That’s where a griddle comes in.
What is a Griddle?
A griddle is a flat top utensil that mimics the surface area of a skillet. It can conduct heat on both a propane and an electric stove and can be used to cook eggs, toast, and even steaks. Some griddles have a bit of depth, so you can make gravies or let your food cook in its own juices.
Benefits of Camping Griddle
A griddle is a multifunctional piece of article that helps you to exercise your versatility as a cook even when you aren’t in the comfort of your kitchen.
Griddles are Easy to Carry
Most griddles are made of cast iron, stainless steel, or aluminum. These constituents are often combined with ceramic or carbon steel, making the griddles compact, a bit lightweight, and easy to carry.
Carrying a griddle will be a breeze if you are a lightweight camper. Griddles come in various sizes, so you can customize your camping gear according to your culinary needs.
The materials used to make a griddle are good conductors of heat, so the temperature of your camping site doesn’t affect the temperature of your food.
Griddles Promise Safe Cooking
Griddles are your safest bet if you have to multitask while you cook. If you are camping with an electric stove, the griddle can do its job without your constant supervision.
You can simply adjust the heat according to the ingredients you are cooking. There is no need for an excessive amount of turning your food.
If you experience inclement weather during your camping, you don’t have to depend on the outdoors to cook your food, as an electric griddle can be used indoors.
However, using propane with a griddle indoors can be hazardous since it releases carbon monoxide.
Griddles Don’t Restrict Your Cooking Style
You can stretch your chef legs with griddles. Griddles support a smooth surface without any meshing, providing you with various cuisines to cook.
Be it breakfast or dinner, a griddle can fry an egg as much as it can sear a steak. Some griddles come with a bit of depth to them, so you can add in water to make a bit of gravy or just warm the broth you already have.
A griddle’s best feature is its heat distribution all over its surface area. You can choose your cooking angle for a thick meat fillet and get your desired tenderness.
The risk of burning your food is minimized with a griddle as you regulate the heat while you cook.
Griddles Promise Easy Cleanup
Camping requires rationing, be it off your food or your cleaning supplies. With griddles, you don’t have to worry about messes that can’t be cleaned.
The stainless-steel surface can be cleaned easily with water or a bit of kitchen towel. A small rinsing can do as good a job as a dishwasher for a griddle.
Since the griddle has the structural design of a skillet, you don’t have to worry about spillage or seepage. This saves your stove from getting the layer of grease that’s tough to remove and hinders a premium cooking experience.
To sum it up, a griddle is your best shot at enjoying home cooking away from home. It allows a range of mobility so you can cook indoors and outdoors.
What is a Camping Grill?
Unlike a griddle, a camping grill has a meshed surface. Most grills have metal bars that heat up at a singular temperature. A grill is only an option for an open fire fuelled by kindling, propane, or charcoal. A grill should be your cooking buddy if you want a close-to-nature camping experience.
Benefits of Camping Grill
Grills help awaken your vacationing spirit. What better way to use a cozy campfire than to fire up a grill and cook a whole meal?
Carrying grills reduces your camping equipment, as you don’t have to take a stove full of propane or an electric hot plate that might be redundant in the woods.
Grilling Allows a Stove-free Trip
Cooking on grills has to be the closest you can get to your primitive instinct to cook on fire. A grill is your best bet if you are a lightweight camper and don’t want to carry a hotplate or a stove to your camp.
While you get the fire going for your camping site, all you have to do is prop up your grill to start cooking.
Grills are Multifunctional
Once your grill is on an open fire, the sky is the limit for its functionality. The iron bars of most grills are sturdy enough to support the weight of your pots and pans.
If you are a hot beverage person and need a kettle at your camping site, a grill will have you covered.
Grills might be slow to heat up, but they retain their heat and temperature once they do. So, cooking on a grill is a culinary experience that keeps you on your toes.
Grilling Adds Flavor to Your Food
If you are into complex and lean proteins, a grill can give you a Michelin star flavor even while you camp. The open fire adds an earthen flavor to your food while you cook your food on kindling. You can also achieve a charred look for your steaks.
The barred structure of the grill allows you to achieve a dried-out taste for your food as the juices spill straight into the fire and evaporate quickly.
The open fire is also a healthy option for a fresh kill, as it rids the meat from bacteria and other impurities.
Grills Can be Used Anywhere
Unlike griddles that can’t be used indoors on propane, grills can be used indoors and outdoors. No matter the terrain you are camping on, a grill only needs an open fire to be used.
Be it a fishing trip, a hiking trip, or a trek, a foldable grill can be a part of your camping bag.
Cooking indoors on a grill promises no odors. Since the food drips directly into the fire, the chances of greasing and malodourous layering are significantly reduced.
However a grill might be a good option for tasty food, but it does create a larger mess to clean. The bars of the grill require a lot of scrubbing, and the cleaning of the grills will require a cleaning agent.
While you can cut down on a stove, you may have to carry some form of fueling in case you can’t gather enough kindling to start a fire. You will have to carry a few more utensils in case you want to make eggs or food that requires a pan.
Grill vs Griddle Side by Side Comparison
Our Verdict: Which is better for camping a griddle or grill?
In short, a grill should be your best pick if you like the smoky flavor and less greasy food. A grill is the best choice if you intend to bring food that needs charring or an open flame, like steaks, burgers, and vegetables.
On the other hand, a griddle is the best option for cooking foods(mainly breakfast) like pancakes, eggs, bacon, etc. It can multifunction as a grill and cook a range of impossible meals on a grill. A griddle doesn’t require a hectic cleaning routine and can be stowed away quickly for its lightweight and customized sizes.
However, a grill can only be a good option if you have planned on a long haul and require an indoor and an outdoor cooking experience.