Griddle

A griddle, in the UK typically referred to simply as a frying pan or flat top, 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,^[1] a flat heated cooking surface built into a stove or

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.^[citation needed] A griddle can have both residential and commercial applications, and can be heated directly or indirectly.^{[citation needed]} The heating can be supplied either by a flame fuelled by wood, coal, or gas; or by electrical elements.^{[citation needed]} Commercial griddles run on electricity, natural gas or propane.^[4]

Griddles can be made of

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 word craticula, 'small griddle' (craticula – graille – gredil – gridil),^[1] possibly via the Latin craticulum, 'fine wickerwork'.^[5]

Traditional and early modern

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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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

Middle East

In traditional

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, arepa 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

In Upstate New York, a griddle used to be the lid covering a round opening on the cooking surface of a wood- or coal-burning stove.^[1]

Commercial griddles

Dishes

Griddles are often used to prepare breakfast items such as pancakes,

Commercial griddles can be 2–6 feet wide and 18–30 inches deep, and their plates can be flat or grooved.[4] The burners on the griddle units can be controlled manually or with the help of a thermostat.^[4]

Gallery

• 
  A basic consumer

  electric griddle

  with temperature control
• 
  Griddle with ridged surface
• 
  Pancakes cooking on a commercial griddle
• 
  Catering griddle in a warship galley

See also

References

External links

• Media related to Griddles at Wikimedia Commons
• Foodservice Equipment & Supplies (FE&S): the FE&S website has 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.