A griddle, in the UK also called a girdle, is a cooking device consisting mainly of a broad, usually flat cooking surface. Nowadays it can be either a movable metal pan- or plate-like utensil, a flat heated cooking surface built into a

stove A stove or range is a device that burns fuel or uses electricity to generate heat inside or on top of the apparatus, to be used for general warming or cooking. It has evolved highly over time, with cast-iron and induction versions being develope ...

kitchen range A kitchen stove, often called simply a stove or a cooker, is a kitchen appliance designed for the purpose of cooking food. Kitchen stoves rely on the application of direct heat for the cooking process and may also contain an oven, used for baki ...

, or a compact cooking machine with its own heating system attached to an integrated griddle acting as a

cooktop A cooktop (American English), stovetop (American English) or hob (British English), is a device commonly used for cooking that is commonly found in kitchens and used to apply heat to the base of pans or pots. Cooktops are often found integrated ...

. A traditional griddle can either be a brick slab or tablet, or a flat or curved metal disc, while in industrialized countries a griddle is most commonly a flat metal plate. A griddle can have both residential and commercial applications, and can be heated directly or indirectly. The heating can be supplied either by a flame fuelled by wood, coal, or gas; or by electrical elements. Commercial griddles run on electricity,

natural gas Natural gas (also called fossil gas or simply gas) is a naturally occurring mixture of gaseous hydrocarbons consisting primarily of methane in addition to various smaller amounts of other higher alkanes. Low levels of trace gases like carbon d ...

propane Propane () is a three-carbon alkane with the molecular formula . It is a gas at standard temperature and pressure, but compressible to a transportable liquid. A by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining, it is commonly used as ...

."A Guide to Grills & Griddles"
general technical and construction details at the Foodservice Equipment & Supplies (FE&S) website. Accessed 23 Dec 2021. Griddles can be made of

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impuri ...

, but there are also non-stick varieties. A residential griddle may be made of cast iron,

aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ha ...

chrome steel Chrome steel is one of a class of non stainless steels such as AISI 52100, En31, SUJ2, 100Cr6, 100C6, DIN 5401 which are used for applications such as bearings, tools, drills and utensils. Popular culture The term was used in both the origin ...

, or

carbon steel Carbon steel is a steel with carbon content from about 0.05 up to 2.1 percent by weight. The definition of carbon steel from the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) states: * no minimum content is specified or required for chromium, coba ...

. The vast majority of commercial-grade griddles are made from A36 steel, though some are

stainless steel Stainless steel is an alloy of iron that is resistant to rusting and corrosion. It contains at least 11% chromium and may contain elements such as carbon, other nonmetals and metals to obtain other desired properties. Stainless steel's r ...

or composites of stainless and aluminium. The plate surfaces of commercial griddles can be made of cast iron, polished steel, cold-rolled steel or can have a chrome finish.

Etymology

The word griddle is attested in 13th-century English and it probably comes from Anglo-French ''gridil'', which had developed over time from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

word ''craticula'', 'small griddle' (''craticula'' – ''graille'' – ''gredil'' – ''gridil''), possibly via the Latin ''craticulum'', 'fine wickerwork'. In British English it is also called girdle.

Traditional and early modern

Traditional griddles include a stone or brick slab or tablet, and a shallow platter filled with sand. The former are usually heated to cooking temperature before the food is placed on them, the latter heated after. Later versions were sometimes integrated into the tops of wood-fired cookstoves as a removable iron plate, and later as a separate, typically handle-less plate covering one or more burners on a gas or electric stove.

Middle East

In traditional

Middle Eastern The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europea ...

and

South Asian cuisine South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

s, a ''saj'' is a convex griddle that is used to cook a variety of flatbread types.

Latin America

In Latin America one traditional style of griddle is a ''budare''. Made from stone or clay, it is used to cook a variety of flatbreads, such as

tortilla A tortilla (, ) is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The Aztecs and other Nahuatl speakers called tortillas ''tlaxcalli'' (). First made by the indigenous peoples of M ...

arepa ''Arepa'' () is a type of food made of ground maize dough stuffed with a filling, eaten in the northern region of South America since pre-Columbian times, and notable primarily in the cuisine of Colombia and Venezuela, but also present in the cuis ...

and casabe. Modern versions for commercial use are metal and called comals.

Great Britain

In Britain the griddle is also called girdle, and is used for instance for making scones. It can take the shape of a thick iron plate, round and held from above by a half-hoop handle. The traditional Scottish griddle (or ''girdle'') has a flat

wrought iron Wrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon content (less than 0.08%) in contrast to that of cast iron (2.1% to 4%). It is a semi-fused mass of iron with fibrous slag inclusions (up to 2% by weight), which give it a wood-like "grain" ...

disk with an upturned rim to which a semicircular hoop handle is attached, allowing it to be suspended over the fire from a central chain and hook. Girdles are used for cooking scones, bannocks,

pancake A pancake (or hotcake, griddlecake, or flapjack) is a flat cake, often thin and round, prepared from a starch-based batter that may contain eggs, milk and butter and cooked on a hot surface such as a griddle or frying pan, often frying w ...

s and

oatcake An oatcake is a type of flatbread similar to a cracker or biscuit, or in some versions takes the form of a pancake. They are prepared with oatmeal as the primary ingredient, and sometimes include plain or wholemeal flour as well. Oatcake ...

s. The traditional Welsh bakestone is similar, circular with a one-piece handle, typically cast iron, in thickness. It is used to cook Welsh cakes, pikelets, and crepes.

United States

Upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York (state), New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York metropolitan area, New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upsta ...

, a griddle used to be the lid covering a round opening on the cooking surface of a wood- or coal-burning stove.

Commercial griddles

Dishes

Griddles are often used to prepare breakfast items such as pancakes, French toast, eggs and bacon, as well as

stir-fries Stir frying () is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries has spread into other parts of Asia and ...

and meat dishes like hamburgers, steak and chicken breasts.

Technical details

Commercial griddles can be 2–6 feet wide and 18–30 inches deep, and their plates can be flat or grooved. The burners on the griddle units can be controlled manually or with the help of a

thermostat A thermostat is a regulating device component which senses the temperature of a physical system and performs actions so that the system's temperature is maintained near a desired setpoint (control system), setpoint. Thermostats are used i ...

Gallery

File:Electric griddle.jpg, alt=A basic electric griddle with temperature control, A basic consumer electric griddle with temperature control File:Hamburgers à la Lindström in making (2646002595).jpg, Griddle with ridged surface File:Pancakesongriddle.jpg, Pancakes cooking on a commercial griddle File:US Navy 100821-N-2686K-030 Culinary Specialist Seaman Cody D. Cunningham prepares pork chops for lunch in the galley aboard USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77).jpg, Catering griddle in a warship galley

References

External links

* * Foodservice Equipment & Supplies (FE&S): the FE&S website ha
hundreds of pages
on commercial griddles. Accessed 23 Dec 2021.
"A Flash in the Pan"
broad technical presentation of commercial griddles. Dan Bendall, 1 July 2006, ''Food Management'', US. Accessed 23 Dec 2021. {{Cooking Techniques, state=collapsed Cookware and bakeware Baking Barbecue