Have you ever tried to make pancakes for your family and serve them all at once without half the stack getting cold? Or have you tried flipping a fried egg but had trouble getting the spatula around the curved dome of the pan? Or make crispy bacon with no fat on the bottom and dip the food in the fat? Then there’s a good chance you haven’t tried breakfast with a hot plate yet.
These appliances free up the cooktop (unlike the cast iron versions, which are actually above the stove) and can be plugged into any outlet in your kitchen (or wherever you want to cook). More importantly, they can quickly and consistently cook a lot of food at once.
And while they range in price, most are great value, like our top picks, the Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Smokeless Indoor Grille and Griddle ($78.99 on Amazon) and the Black and Griddle Decker Family – Electric Grill Top Dimensions ( available from Amazon).
- Convenient warming tray keeps food warm until you are ready to serve.
- Removable, adjustable temperature control to accurately set cooking temperature.
- Cooks up to 30 percent faster to save time and energy.
- Natural, PTFE and PFOA free ceramic coating won’t flake or peel and cleans easily.
- Electric griddle with large cooking surface (19″ x 12.5″)
- Durable and easy-to-clean ceramic cooking surface with titanium enhanced nonstick coating.
- Easy-to-use temperature control plug clicks when inserted correctly.
- Fully immersible body guard and cooking plate.
- Built-in backstop ledge for convenient food handling.
- The heavy cast aluminum base with premium nonstick surface assures stick-free cooking and easy cleaning.
- Control Master heat control maintains the desired cooking temperature automatically.
- Push the handles back in and the griddle returns to a level cooking surface.
1. Hamilton Beach 3-in-1 Grill/Griddle:
- Dimensions: 12.51 x 23 x 6.71 inches
- Weight: 9 pounds
- Material: Aluminum
- Maximum temperature: 425 degrees Fahrenheit
Meeting (and in some cases exceeding) basic expectations for a hot plate, the Hamilton Beach has several noteworthy special features that make it high on our list.
It features two non-stick (PFOA-free) flip-up, easy-click hotplates with flat grates on one side and grooved grates on the other.
And while the trade-off here is usually the surface (you often lose a significant amount of cooking space where the dishes meet), the transition is almost seamless. 180 square inches allowed us to place four large pancakes, three pieces of bacon, and two eggs on our plate with no problem.
Cleaning was also easier because the dishes can be removed and washed without having to push the whole device into the sink (bonus: the dishes – and the removable drip tray that comes with the plate – are also dishwasher safe).
Another neat addition to this pan is that each side of the device has its own heat control, so you can adjust the temperature under each pan. This is very useful when you are cooking several dishes at the same time. Not surprisingly, the Hamilton Beach 3-n-1 heating consistency also scored highly in our tests.
In addition to grilling breakfast foods evenly, the Hamilton Beach produced the perfect grilled cheese: an evenly browned exterior and a perfectly melted interior. And it did it in less time than other models we tested.
- Removable plates
- Easy to wash
- Adjustable temperature controls
- None that we could find
2. Black & Decker family size pan:
If you’re really not into doorbells and whistles, Black & Decker scored top marks for a standard flat plate.
This family unit is all about its cooktop, which offers 200 square inches of space for grilling and grilling. The temperature was easily adjusted with a clickable thermostat, and all the products we tested cooked evenly and quickly (yielding deliciously crispy bacon and medium-grilled cheese).
And although the surface cannot be removed and washed separately, the whole device can be immersed in water, and because it is so light and stylish, also a storage advantage, hand washing is not a problem. It helps that the ultra-smooth, non-stick coating requires absolutely no grease and cools quickly after unplugging.
The only real downside to the Black and Decker is that the plug cord is very short, which limits where you can use it in your kitchen unless you get an extension cord.
- Family-sized
- Click and lock thermostat
- Water safe
- None that we could find
3. Presto Tilt’nDrain Big Griddle:
- Dimensions: 23.94 x 5.12 x 18.5 inches
- Weight: 7 pounds
- Material: Aluminum
- Maximum temperature: 400 degrees Fahrenheit
Electric plates are great for their ability to cook with less grease, easy release, non-stick surfaces and the Presto Tilt n’Drain makes it possible.
When the handles are raised, the surface tilts, allowing excess grease to drain into the closed siphon. Due to the pan’s large capacity and almost square shape (it measures 23 x 17.25 inches), the pan can potentially hold more pancakes than a standard rectangle. The front and sides stay cool to the touch and (without the removable heat regulator) the pan can be completely submerged in water.
However, this thing is good to clean and store and takes up a lot of desk space. It’s bulky because of its size and handles, and it’s difficult to assemble and maneuver in your standard sink.
- Generous capacity
- Easy to clean
- Water safe
- Too large
- Hard to store
4. Zojirushi EA-DCC10 Gourmet Sizzler:
- Dimensions: 23.63 x 15 x 4.38 inches
- Weight: 12 pounds
- Material: Aluminum
- Maximum temperature: 425 degrees Fahrenheit
When it comes to texture, Zojirushi doesn’t miss a beat and effortlessly makes a breakfast of identical crispy bacon strips, golden pancakes and soft eggs. It has an impressive temperature range (keep warm function from 175°F to a smoke temperature of 425°F) and a significant surface area of 237.5 square inches.
The stainless steel griddle has raised edges to make turning food easier, and it’s the only model we tested with a lid, meaning you can steam things too.
Oddly enough, it’s also the only option we reviewed that doesn’t include a grease trap, so the extra grease has nowhere to go. And while it can be completely submerged in water, it’s heavy and heavy, making it clunky to store and inconvenient to wash in the sink.
As with other Zojirushi devices, the power cord can be removed for easier storage.
- Water safe
- Consistent heating
- Includes lid
- Doesn’t include fat collector
- Too heavy
- Awkward to store
5. Oster Titanium Infused DuraCeramic Griddle with Warming Tray:
- Dimensions: 4 x 24 x 13.4 inches
- Weight: 6.39 pounds
- Material: Ceramic
- Maximum temperature: 420 degrees Fahrenheit
The nice thing about the Osteria is that it comes with a hot plate – the perfect place to store sausage or pancakes when you’re cooking for a crowd. It has a PTFE and PFOA-free ceramic coating that won’t flake or peel and is said to last eight times longer than standard non-stick surfaces.We noticed that when heated it gave off both an odor and a good amount of smoke. And while it heats up remarkably quickly and (usually) evenly (it produces deliciously crisp bacon in less than 10 minutes), it can come at a cost as it can burn under our pancakes and eggs.
- Water safe
- Consistent heating
- Includes lid
- Doesn’t include fat collector
- Too heavy
- Awkward to store
6. Presto 22-inch Electric Griddle:
- Dimensions: 11.5 x 26.25 x 2.5 inches
- Weight: 6.5 pounds
- Material: Aluminum
- Maximum temperature: 400 degrees Fahrenheit
There is nothing actively wrong with Presto, especially with the parilla base value. It’s roomy (no fuss for pancakes, eggs and bacon), lightweight (won’t damage countertops and is easy to clean) and has cool-touch handles that can be easily removed without tools for perfect storage. in standard size cabinets.
What got it on the charts is that consistency turned out to be an issue — and when it comes to grilling, it doesn’t matter. Some of our bacon strips were a little soggy while others were crispy and the non-stick coating wasn’t as smooth, even when we added the butter some of our eggs and pancakes did stick a bit to the griddle.
- Cool touch handles
- Lightweight
- Roomy
- Inconsistent heating
7. Cuisinart Griddler Five:
- Dimensions: 8.75 x 16 x 13.75 inches
- Weight: 12 pounds
- Material: Stainless steel
- Maximum temperature: 450 degrees Fahrenheit
Especially if you have the money and the space, who wouldn’t want a device that can perform five different tasks at once? Cuisinart definitely creates an immersive elevator that works alternately as a full plate, full grill, half plate/half grill combination, contact grill and sandwich press. The problem is (at least as a grill, the only feature I tested), it’s pretty crowded.
At first it was hard to tell when the Cuisinart was properly preheated (our cupcakes dried before browning). And for some reason we haven’t decided yet, it went out half way through the bacon cooking time, leaving the slices of meat limp and sad.
While it is nice to use two separate heating plates, dividing them significantly reduces the surface area.
The Cuisinart couldn’t hold four pancakes and two eggs at once, and the bacon strips were longer than the plate, so they couldn’t be turned down. And despite opening and lowering as instructed, the back of the device (which doubles as a cover) isn’t flat. When we tried to break an egg on it, it slipped off the board into the siphon.
While the removable plates and folding lid make Cuisinart easy to clean and store, we recommend the Hamilton Beach if you’re looking for a grill/grill combo (cheaper and much smoother).
- Removable plates
- Folding lid
- Easy to clean
- Doesn’t lie flat
- Inconsistent heating
How we tested the electric grills
Tester
My name is Sarah Zorn and I have been a professional food writer and recipe tester for over 10 years. As much as I love eating out, I especially love creating restaurant experiences at home, and hobs are perfect for that: they allow me to turn my kitchen into a short-haul restaurant, 7 days a week, 24 hours a day.
Taste
To find the best griddle, we load each cooktop with three strips of bacon, four medium pancakes, and two eggs to see if it’s good without running or crowding Tetris-style and how long the bacon lasted. To get crispy, the pancakes brown evenly and the eggs are cooked over medium heat.
We analyzed the performance of the units by measuring the evenness of the heating, how easy it was to use/read the heating controls, how easy it was to remove food from the surfaces and how easy it was to clean the trays (both surfaces and grease traps).
We also evaluated how much counter space they took up, how easy they were to store, whether they had special features or accessories, and how useful they actually were.
After listing our first point, we made grilled cheese sandwiches in three of our most tested pans to see how well, quickly and evenly they melt and brown.
Guide to buying a hob
Are electric plates worth it?
What exactly is a heating plate? And why should you consider spending money on it and giving it space in the kitchen? Instead of loading your stove with all kinds of cookware, you can plug the grill into any outlet.
Their flat, rectangular surface is heated by a built-in heating element from below, which is powered and controlled by thermostats, unlike much smaller (and awkwardly shaped) cookware, which inevitably has cold and hot spots when heated by one round, difficult one. – to stabilize the stove (or electric coil) on the stove.
What can you cook on a hot plate?
Electric hotplates are perfect for preparing your favorite breakfast foods (or other items that benefit from a completely flat cooking surface) in one go. They heat evenly, so wherever you cook, the food is cooked at optimal temperatures.
Plus, the plates have significantly more cooking surface than your standard pan, so you don’t have to cook in batches (no one has to wait their turn with pancakes!), so you can feed a crowd without the meals spilling out and getting cold.
The surfaces are non-stick (or generally look out for options that aren’t), so you can cook with less fat – in fact, many models have features that allow the fat to drain from the food. It also makes them easy to clean, especially if the plate has removable heating plates without cleaning.
Should I buy a big heating plate?
When buying a hob, size matters. There are smaller, sometimes collapsible models that are easier to store in small kitchens and are perfect if you don’t often invite people over for brunch. But you’ll probably want to go with a large family grill because it makes it easier to prepare entire meals at the same time and for everyone to eat at the same time.
Either way, make sure you have the storage space to put one. Pans are usually the size of large cutting boards, but they are much larger and heavier. Also look for units with heating controls that have an extended temperature range. Some grills also have two thermostats, so you can choose different heats for each side (perhaps a higher temperature for browning burgers and a lower temperature for eggs). Other hotplates also have removable plates, so you can mix up cooking methods by making steaks or pancakes.
How do you clean a heating pad?
Hobs are relatively easy to clean, especially those with drip trays to catch all the excess grease and batter. All you have to do is take a damp paper towel or kitchen sponge and remove food and grease residue. Cleaning the surface while it’s still a little warm will make it easier – be very careful that it’s not too hot to touch.
