Every commercial griddle gets a score from 0 to 100% built from six factors, which maps onto the 5-point rating shown on the site (a 0% score would be 1.5 stars; a perfect score, 5). Each factor is scored against fixed reference points, not against the other products in the list, so adding a new model never moves another model’s rating. Griddles are grouped as electric, gas under 36 in wide, and gas 36 in and up, and use the same scale in every group.
| Factor | Measures | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Heat | gas BTU per 12 in of width, or electric watts per square inch of plate | 25% |
| Plate thickness | griddle plate thickness, for heat recovery when cold food goes on | 20% |
| Cooking area | cooking surface in square inches | 15% |
| Controls | thermostatic control and independent heat zones | 15% |
| Listings | sanitation (NSF) and safety (UL, ETL or CSA) listings | 15% |
| Warranty | parts and labor warranty | 10% |
Where the numbers come from
Plate size and thickness, burner ratings, electrical needs, controls, dimensions, listings and warranty come from the maker’s spec sheet or product page, or from the maker’s own copy on a retail listing where no spec sheet is published. Prices are checked at the stores each page links to, and the lowest price is used.
The factors
Heat is the heat for the size of the plate, which sets how fast the plate recovers when cold food goes on. For gas griddles it is the total BTU per hour for each 12 in of cooking surface width: 15,000 BTU scores zero and 30,000 BTU full marks. For electric griddles it is the rated watts per square inch of cooking surface: 5 W scores zero and 12 W full marks, and a dual-voltage griddle is scored at its higher voltage. When the maker gives only the plate depth, the plate width is taken as the griddle’s overall width and the factor is marked estimated.
Plate thickness is the thickness of the griddle plate, which stores heat: 0.3 in scores zero and 1 in full marks.
Cooking area is the plate width times its depth, on a log scale so going from 200 to 400 sq in counts as much as going from 700 to 1,400: 200 sq in scores zero and 1,400 sq in full marks.
Controls is 60% for thermostatic control, which holds a set plate temperature, and 40% for independent heat zones, full when there is a separate control for each 12 in of width. Manual gas valves get no thermostat credit.
Listings is 60% for a sanitation listing (NSF, or ETL, UL or CSA sanitation to NSF/ANSI 4) and 40% for a safety or gas listing (UL, ETL or CSA).
Warranty is the parts and labor warranty, from none (zero) to 2 years (full marks).
What isn’t scored
Plate material, burner count and rating, control temperature range, gas type and propane kit, pilot, voltage, current and plug, dimensions, weight and release date are listed but not scored.
Missing data
Heat and plate thickness are the factors that most separate one griddle from another, so when the gas input, heating power or plate thickness isn’t published, that factor scores zero and is marked estimated. Warranty works the same way: a maker that doesn’t publish one gets no warranty counted, so that factor scores zero and is marked estimated. When the number of independent heat zones isn’t published, none are counted and the controls factor is marked estimated. A griddle whose maker gives no cooking surface size gets the neutral middle score (50) for cooking area, and for heat when it is electric; both are marked estimated.
Ties and discontinued models
Products are ranked by score within each group. Discontinued models stay listed but rank below every current model and can be hidden with the “Hide discontinued” filter.