Griddle - Built In or Stove Top, that is the question...

[Food911]

Hey All-- Just stumbled upon this great looking forum and figured someone would be able to shed some light on this.

I'm planning an entire gut rehab of my kitchen and have to decide if I want the griddle built into the stove top or if I want to just put one of those add on griddles on top of the gas burners. I'm getting a Wolf and the salesperson said if I get the built in griddle I must go with the overhead exhaust and not the under the cook top exhaust like I wanted. I want the cook top on the island and my ceilings are too low to have a huge exhaust coming out of the ceiling in the middle of the room.

So my question is, are the add on griddles okay to work with or are the built in ones much much better? I'm thinking the built in ones would be preferable but is it a world of difference?

 

[kitchenelf]

I think it truly depends on how often you think you will use a built-in griddle. If it's a few times a year I wouldn't do it and I'd have what I originally wanted.

If everyone regards you as a short-order cook at your house then I say go for it!

 

[Uncle Bob]

I want the cook top on the island and my ceilings are too low to have a huge exhaust coming out of the ceiling in the middle of the room.

Welcome to DC!! IMO you will need an overhead exaust system with either a built-in or a stove top.... especially the built-in. You could however use a stove top add on for low heat items like pancakes for instance!


Have fun & Welcome again!!

 

[funyuns]

Have you seen the new Dacor rangetops? They come with a griddle accessory that dwarfs any built-in griddle and you could use a downdraft ventilation system with it as well. The Wolf is a phenomenal rangetop, but just thought I'd throw an option out there.

 

[Food911]

Thanks for the welcomes and responses, I really appreciate it.

I actually think I'd use the griddle quite a bit so the thought of lugging it on and off for cleaning already sounds like a pain in the butt. I'm going to check out the Dacor. I'm also looking into AGA. A friend of mine has one and loves it but I'm not sure if you can get a traditional griddle with that one. This is harder than buying a car and almost as expensive! Oy.

 

[Food911]

Hey Funyuns -- Do you have the Dacor? Is that add on griddle pretty light?

 

[funyuns]

Food 911, no I don't personally have the Dacor, but I do work in appliances and see it everyday. It's 14" wide and about 20" deep. I'm not sure how much it weighs, but move it around quite bit and it doesn't feel heavy to me. It's made of cast aluminum, not cast iron, so that helps keep its weight down. Even if you use it a lot, you could just leave it on and still have 4 burners (including the SimmerSear burners) to use everyday. If you go see it, take it over to a Viking or Wolf griddle and compare the sizes. One downfall is that some people don't like cooking on non-stick coated surfaces.

 

[gagnerants]

I'd say get a griddle with a grill on the other side and get it as cast iron if you prefer.

 

[LadyCook61]

I think it truly depends on how often you think you will use a built-in griddle. If it's a few times a year I wouldn't do it and I'd have what I originally wanted.

If everyone regards you as a short-order cook at your house then I say go for it!

Ditto what she said .