Making purchases at Amazon.com and other website funds this website by generating revenue. Any help is appreciated and supports both me and content like this.
Best Mini Griddle
Cooking is a great way to eat healthy and save money. However, stoves are not always readily accesible. Electric griddles are great alternative but sometimes they are pretty big. A good alternative is a mini griddle. They fit compactly on the table and they are portable. The Best Mini Griddle should be powerful enough to fry an egg and cook bacon on it. However, not all are created equal. You have variation in size, power and usability.
What is a Mini Griddle?
A mini griddle is a griddle but smaller. Traditional griddle are gas powered. At the bottom, there is a flame. It is then used to heat a metal plate. The griddles that most people use are electric. They use a heating coil that heats up a aluminum plate. More often than not its coated with nonstick for ease of clean.
Mini Griddles are essentially griddle but smaller. Functionally they are the same however because of its size, they are usually lower in power. While this may seem like a drawback, the power is usually sufficient for the amount of food cooked.
What can you cook on a Mini Griddle
Because of the power, you can cook anything that does not require high heat. I would avoid cooking things like steak. The only thing you will do to it is steam it. However, things like egg, bacon, sausage and even pancake works just fine.
In order to use a mini griddle effectively, you should preheat the griddle. Be sure to add oil to prior to the preheat cycle. This prevents accidental overheating of the nonstick. Once its up to temperature, add the food and cook as you normally would.
How do You Cook Egg and Pancake?
For eggs, like sunny side up, I recommend using a miniature dome. Preheat the pan and then cover it. If the top is not cooked over, then add a light amount of water to generate steam. This will cook the top. For things like scramble egg, just heat up the pan and mix it.
For pancakes, the same instruction applies. Just preheat it and then add the batter. The length of time for pancakes on the mini griddle really depends on the heat and size. Just wait until you see the bottom start to brown. Once that is done, flip it.
Best Mini Griddle List
Below, you will find a list of some of the Best Mini Griddle. There are a few option available, get one that best suits you.
Dash Mini Maker Electric Round Griddle (Best Overall),/h3>
Dash is the perfect example of a mini griddle. Its small and compact. This means you can take it to your office or put it in your dorm. While it only sports 350 watt, its mower than strong enough for its size. There are two option available, the waffle maker and the flat griddle. I recommend the flat one for versatility.
Presto 07211 Liddle Griddle (Best Mid Size Griddle)
While Dash Mini Griddle is nice, its really small. Probably smaller than what most people want. In that case, you can go with presto Liddle Griddle. Its mid size, bigger than dash but smaller than a full size electric griddle. The good thing about the Liddle Griddle is that its much powerful. You get 1000 watt and it can reach a temperature of 400 degree. This means you can cook multiple food for a family of 2 or 3. Plus the larger size means that its easier to move food around.
Lodge LSRG3 Cast Iron Single-Burner Reversible Grill/Griddle, 10.5-inch (Best Mini Stove Griddle)
If you want something for a stove top, then lodge is for you. Its heavy and fits perfectly on one burner. You can use either side for both a flat griddle and a more traditional grill mark. The best thing about this is that its affordable and made in the USA. If you want something suited more for steaks and meats, this is the way to go. You just need a gas stove.
Thoughts
A Mini Griddle is great for portable cooking. While it may seem underpowered, its perfect for the smaller portion size. I personally think the Dash Mini Griddle is the best on the market. Its small and you can even bring it in the office. Cleaning it is also a lot easier than the bigger model. However, for something a little bigger, get the presto liddle griddle. Its much more powerful and you can cook enough for 2 or 3 people. For the gas powered model, go with lodge, its reversible and its heavy. Perfect if you need to cook things like steaks or other meat. You will get that perfect sear that you wont get with the electric model.
Like Potato? Check out our article on the Best Electric Potato Peeler.