We Flipped Dozens of Burgers and Pancakes to Find the Best Electric Griddles

• Hamilton Beach Professional Cast Iron Indoor Electric Grill and Griddle: If you don't want a nonstick griddle, consider this cast iron option from Hamilton Beach. It browned burgers well, though it left stains behind that were hard to remove. It's preseasoned but still requires oil for the first few uses (just like a cast iron skillet) so there is a bit of a learning curve. The grill plate is removable.
• Presto XL 07073 Electric Tilt-N-Fold Griddle: This griddle has a unique feature: The legs fold in and the drip tray locks in place for compact storage. It can slip into a cabinet or drawer like a cutting board or sheet pan. It has a large surface area for cooking, though it did not brown as well as our top picks. The Tilt-N-Fold function is designed to help move grease down toward the drip tray, but our tester didn't find this function particularly helpful.
• Presto 07061 22-inch Electric Griddle With Removable Handles: Like the Tilt-N-Fold from Presto, this one is also designed for compact storage. The handles are completely removable, which allows the griddle base to fit in most standard kitchen cabinets. It performed just as well as the Tilt-N-Fold and has a larger cooking surface (22 inches versus the Tilt-N-Fold's 19 inches).

✔️ Size: Cooking for an army? Go for a larger griddle with plenty of surface area for frying up pancakes, bacon and eggs simultaneously. Be sure to check each model's cooking surface area, not just its total size. Tight on space? Consider something smaller. Our top picks range in size from 17" x 12" to 22" x 12." It's also a good idea to consider whether your griddle will sit out on the counter or be stowed away.

✔️ Cooking surface: Our favorite griddles were either ceramic nonstick or cast aluminum. Both surfaces are incredibly smooth, but our tester noticed that cast aluminum is slightly smoother. She observed that oil droplets stayed on the surface of the cast aluminum grill plate and didn't sink in at all. Even though both types of surfaces were slick without much grip, our tester had no problem flipping pancakes or burgers. You can also find cast iron griddles, which require more of a learning curve to avoid sticking.

✔️ Ease of cleaning: Nonstick and cast aluminum pans are easier to clean than cast iron. Our tester barely had to scrub to get grease and other food scraps off the surface. Most griddles come equipped with a drip tray for collecting excess oil. Although our overall pick doesn't have one, our tester still found it easy to clean because of the nonstick surface. Most griddles are also not dishwasher safe, so you'll want to be sure you can fit your griddle in your sink (without the plug) for cleaning.

An electric grill mimics a traditional outdoor grill but is heated by electricity rather than gas or charcoal. There are both outdoor and indoor electric grills. It typically has a ridged cooking surface that allows for charred grill marks, ideal for meat, veggies and other classic grilled foods.

In contrast, an electric griddle offers a flat, smooth cooking surface perfect for pancakes, eggs and more. Electric griddles are often used indoors — though we love outdoor griddles if your space and budget allow it — and fit right on your countertop. The flat surface is excellent for getting an even sear (rather than grill marks) on foods.

• Breakfast: Churn out bacon, breakfast sausage, eggs, hash browns and perfectly golden-brown, fluffy pancakes for a crowd.
• Lunch: The wide surface area makes it easy to flip grilled cheese, paninis and quesadillas.
• Dinner: Get an even sear on burgers, steaks, chicken and veggies. Cook sliced marinated meats for Korean barbecue. Fish is also a great choice because it won’t stick to a griddle’s slick surface.

Before cleaning, unplug the griddle and allow it to cool completely. Discard any excess grease and scrape off leftover food particles with a rubber spatula. Some griddles have removable plates but most don't. For those that don't, avoid submerging them in water. Use a sponge and warm, soapy water to clean the griddle pan (avoid abrasive materials as they may damage the nonstick coating). Rinse off the soap with water and dry thoroughly with a towel to prevent rusting or damage. Use a damp cloth to clean grease splatter or food off the base of the unit.

Samantha MacAvoy is the assistant food editor in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, where she has tested and reviewed hundreds of products across kitchen and culinary categories such as kitchen torches, cutting boards and single-serve coffee makers. For this story, she collected the electric griddles and used Martinez's testing data and supplementary research to write this story.

Tina Martinez is the food producer in the Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen. She has over 10 years of culinary experience, including recipe development and food styling for print, digital and television platforms. She tested nine electric griddles for this story and recorded her findings in detail.

Nicole Papantoniou is the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute's Kitchen Appliances and Innovation Lab, where she has overseen content and testing related to kitchen and cooking appliances, tools and gear since 2019. She helped develop the methodology for testing electric griddles and consulted on the testing process from start to finish.