Mastering the art of using griddle on stove tops happens to be one of the greatest game changers out there when you prepare food. Griddles are an alternative to frying pans and they come with more flexibility and space. Also, they are easy to set up. When it comes to using top gas cooktops with griddle, you simply have to overcome the fear of learning to use it. Let us take you through the basics of using the griddle on stove tops followed by some secret hacks from professionals.
What do you mean by griddle?
Griddle can be referred to as a continuous and large pan that generally spans approximately to burners on the stovetop. Usually they come with a smooth surface, and they are manufactured of copper, cast iron or steel. Various materials come with numerous advantages, but each of the three materials can be highly beneficial for having in the kitchen.
People generally consider the best gas cooktop with griddle as a larger replacement for a frying pan, but some of them are similar to grill pans and one can also use it for grilling food indoors. Both stovetop and electric griddles are beneficial for the kitchen. Electric ones are stand-alone machines that operate with electricity, while stovetop ones can operate after heating from kitchen stoves.
Hacks to use the best gas cooktop with griddle
Using a griddle on your stove top happens to be simple. While people might believe that they can use it with a gas stove top, one can also use it with gas or electric burners. Here are some of the hacks:
- Setting up the griddle: Make sure to put your griddle on top of the stove top. In case of a flat range, make sure to not slide it for repositioning because this would lead to damage. Rather, make sure to lift it and move it while placing it down again. Now, find the burners nearest together, while still large enough for heating the griddle. Keep the warmth even on either of the burners to keep the pan heating evenly.
- Heating it up: Make sure to turn the warmth to your chosen level, and then provide the griddle with sometime for heating. If you do not know how to check the heat, try splashing a few water drops on it. If the water starts sizzling, the griddle is very hot. If you find the water to dance around, the flame is medium high. If the water barely sizzles, the temperature is still low. Based on what you are making, each of these temperatures can be perfect. The water serves to be your visual cue to help you choose when your pan is ready enough.
- The oiling step: You may choose to oil it or don’t as it is not mandatory and depends upon the type of surface of the pan. If there is a steel or cast iron pan, you need to apply a fat coating for preventing your food from sticking into the pan. It might be anything like vegetable oil or butter. But, you need to follow some steps for preventing the sticking. If the pan is made of copper non stick, skipping the oil and fats is accurate. These kinds of surfaces do not allow sticking of food.
- Start cooking: After you choose your recipe, make sure to follow it and start cooking. If you think of cooking multiple dishes, you might need to consider adding more oil or butter for preventing sticking. If the pan starts to smoke, it is a sign that it is becoming very hot. In this case, loading the temperature and allowing the pan to cool down is beneficial, before you begin cooking again.
Now that you are aware of how to use griddle on stove tops, you might be thinking about the recipes to try next. In that case there are various kinds of food that you can successfully cook on a griddle. But, here are some of the popular dishes that have listed below:
- Grilled cheese sandwiches
- Pancakes
- Potatoes
- French toast
- Omelettes
- Sausages or bacon
As it comes with a lot of versatility, make sure to try various dishes on it.
