That’s not to say that I’ve gone to the dark side, or heaven forbid, forsaken grilling entirely.
No, on any given night, my grills still burn bright. But there’s a new kid in the backyard: a Weber griddle. I see grills and griddles as complementary companions, as it were, in the quest for excellence in outdoor cooking.
Why Steven Raichlen Wrote the Project Griddle Book
So why would Steven Raichlen write a book that calls for not a single log or lump of charcoal?
Blame it on a steak. An A5 wagyu—one of those hyper-well marbled steaks from Japan that are as much luscious fat as meat. Try cooking one of those super-rich steaks on a conventional grill and the melting fat will start a conflagration.
No, the way to cook an A5 wagyu steak is how the Japanese do it: on a hot slab of metal known as a teppan. The Japanese call this style of grilling teppan-yaki, “griddle-grilling,” and it lies at the heart of the Japanese steakhouse experience (think Benihana).
My griddle produced a steak with a softly crisp crust and meltingly luscious center. And unlike on a conventional grill, I didn’t have to worry about smoke in my eyes or flareups.
The Best Foods to Cook on a Griddle
Encouraged by my steak experience, I thought about what else I could cook on a griddle.
Breakfast dishes, like pancakes and “dirty eggs” (sunny-side ups with chopped herbs charred on the underside).
Lunch dishes, like Cubano sandwiches and muffuletas.
Dinner dishes, like barbecue spice pork chops and flounder and sole (too fragile to cook on a conventional grill).
Side dishes, like bacon-wrapped squash and fried rice.
And desserts, like torrijas (Spanish French toast) and crepes.
Here is a sample recipe!
The more I got into, the more I came to appreciate the potential of the griddle.
I wasn’t alone.
How the Griddle Trend Took Over Backyard Cooking
Around this time, two of the world’s largest grill manufacturers came out with full size stand-up griddles. That would be Weber and Traeger, joining the already immensely popular Blackstone. The griddle moment had arrived—and so had the time for a Raichlen griddle book.
And being a Raichlen book, it had to be more than a collection of recipes. I’d also explore the history and culture of the griddle. It turns out that three of the world’s greatest cuisines are built around griddles.
Griddle Cooking Around the World: Spain, Japan, and the U.S.
The first is Spain, where chefs use the plancha (griddle) to cook every imaginable tapas and seafood dish. The Spanish superstar chef and humanitarian Jose Andres got his start manning the plancha at a seafood restaurant on the Mediterranean coast.
The second country is Japan, where teppan-yaki (griddle grilling) is not only a beloved cooking method, but an evening’s entertainment. The cooking tables at restaurants like Benihana are nothing more than oversize griddles. I even spent a day training as a Benihana chef (it’s harder than it looks!), and while I still can’t flip shrimp tails into my shirt pocket, I did learn the secret of the volcano onion. (It’s in the book.)
The third country is our own United States, where the griddle is the beating heart of our diners and breakfast joints. The griddle gave us such classics as hashbrowns, chopped cheese and Philly cheesesteaks.
As for the origin of the term griddle, it comes from the Latin craticulum, literally a grill or gridiron. Thus, griddles and grills are close etymological cousins—another reason why even diehard grill fanatics can add griddles to their repertory with a clean conscience.
Top Reasons to Add a Griddle to Your Outdoor Kitchen
Here are seven other reasons why you should add griddling to your repertory:
- Griddles are big. You can cook a lot of food on them. You can cook a whole meal on them.
- Griddles are versatile. You can use them to cook every major food group, from dairy to meat to veggies to sweets.
- Griddles are easy to clean and maintain. No grill grates to scour or multiple pots and pans to wash and dry. Just scrape the griddle clean, re-oil it, and you’re ready for the next meal.
- Griddles boost flavor. The close contact of the food with the hot metal triggers the Maillard reaction, with all its flavor-boosting caramelization of animal proteins and plant sugars.
- Griddles reduce fat. You use a fraction of the oil for griddling that you do for sauteing or deep-frying.
- Griddles are safe: No open flame or flare-ups—no more explosive ignition or singed arm hair or eyebrows.
- Griddles are stick-resistant—perfect for cooking delicate or stick-prone foods, like fish fillets, French toast, or eggs over easy—provided that the griddle is properly seasoned.
I hope you’ll join me in celebrating the official publication of Project Griddle. When you try out the recipes, post photos of your masterpieces on my social media.
I’ll be watching—and beaming with pride!
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