Griddle & Chargrill Buying Guide
Griddle & Chargrill Buying Guide
Flat griddle or char grill, gas or electric — how to choose the right counter cooking surface.
Not sure which suits you? Call us on 03 9783 6325.
Griddles and chargrills both cook on a hot counter-top surface, but they make different food and leave different marks. Pick the surface for what you cook, the fuel for your kitchen, and the width for your volume. This guide covers all three.
Serious home cooks and outdoor-kitchen builders buy these too — a commercial gas griddle or chargrill outperforms a domestic BBQ plate and lasts.
Every figure here is from our own range.
If you'd rather talk it through, call us on 03 9783 6325.
Griddle or chargrill?
- Griddle (flat plate) — a smooth flat hotplate for eggs, pancakes, smash burgers, onions, bacon, teppanyaki and anything that needs full contact with the surface. Even heat, easy to scrape down.
- Chargrill (ribbed) — raised bars over the heat that sear char lines into steaks, chops, burgers and vegetables and let fat drain away, for that grilled/BBQ finish.
Simple: full-contact cooking and breakfast → griddle. Char marks and grilled meats → chargrill. Many kitchens run one of each side by side.
Gas or electric?
- Gas — instant, high heat and independent of a big power circuit; the default for a busy line and the only option for chargrills in our range. Needs gas and ventilation.
- Electric — simple to install (a power point), steady, and available on the smaller griddles for cafés and lighter duty.
Size — match burners/width to volume
Both come in counter-top widths by burner count. More burners = more cooking zones and more simultaneous output.
- Griddles — electric 400mm, 550mm and 720mm; gas 1 to 4 burner, ~400mm to 1050mm wide.
- Chargrills — gas 1 to 4 burner counter-top.
Pick the width for your busiest service — a single burner suits a café, three or four a busy grill line.
What to look for
- Grease management — a griddle needs a good grease trough and tray; a chargrill needs a fat drain and drip system. Both get cleaned constantly, so easy access matters.
- Even heat / independent zones — multi-burner units let you run part of the surface hot and part warm, or shut zones down off-peak.
- Heavy plate / grate — mass holds temperature when cold food hits it, so it doesn't stall.
- Ventilation — griddles and chargrills need extraction; plan the canopy, especially for gas.
Frequently asked questions
Griddle or chargrill — what's the difference?
Gas or electric?
What width do I need?
Can I use one at home?
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