Challenge: find me an induction capable griddle

[danna]

The new induction cooktop is on order and of course I'm almost through with my "buying opportunity" spree, weeks in advance of actually going to induction. I have the new stockpot, nonstick omlette pan, and one replacement sauce pan (all LC). But I'm not sure about how to take advantage of the new bridge element. It will bridge two 7 " burners, making around 15" of cooking space. I don't need a grill, I grill outdoors, I just want a non-stick griddle for making lots of pancakes at once.

So far, LC says not to use theirs on glass (i suspect the bottom must not be even), All Clad has made theirs of aluminum. The only thing else I can find is Lodge. I'm really not very good with maintainng the non-stick properties of the antique Lodge pan I have, so I'm not too thrilled w/ that idea.

Can you help?Thanks!

[Caroline1]

My cast iron reversible griddle/grill works great on my induction burner. Lots of room for pancakes or steaks, depending on which side is up! I do adore cast iron on induction!

[denacarlson]

Do you have a smooth surface induction cooktop? The first time I set the cast iron griddle/grill on mine I got scratches, then I read it says not to use on smooth cooktop surfaces.... :( Do you have to put something inbetween to protect? I have read on here to use silpat sheet - I will have to get a larger one to try it - just didn't know if you had other experience that worked as well?

[Caroline1]

I'm not trying to be a smart ass, but I simply don't slide cast iron grills or pans around on any of my ceramic cooktops, both radiant electric and induction. I'm not an especially careful person, but I just went and checked and no scratches on either one. You must have set your griddle down at just the exact angle required to produce a scratch. Sorry!

[danna]

I don't have a griddle yet, but I use cast iron pans on my new induction, as I did on my old electric glass top, and never got a scratch...that i noticed. Are they very fine scratches? I suppose I really don't care about scratches.

Caroline, no stickage on your cask iron griddle? I considered the one from lodge or lc, but I really wanted a non-stick coating. I have a hard enough time keeping soap off my cast iron skillet, I really didn't want to have to go there for my griddle. I don't ever "grill" meat indoors.

[Caroline1]

Well cured cast iron IS the original non-stick! The trick is to NEVER use detergent on cast iron; it eats away the impregnated oils and fats that create the non-stick surface. If I get "crusty" things on my cast iron, or anything that needs to be scrubbed away, I just use simple table salt in the round blue box. It has very sharp edges and will scrub away anything. I use it dry and rub with a paper towel. Comes out clean as a whistle! Then brush it out well, reseal with a thin coating of oil before storage. There's no problem with germs, even though it is never heated or boiled during cleaning, because you preheat the pan before using, and ain't nothin' gonna survive that! Some of my cast iron is over a half century old and doing just fine with this kind of care. NEVER use a detergent! It will kill your cast iron. And no, nothing sticks. This morning I did a nice crusty rice and egg fritatta that came out of the pan just fine with a nice thick crust on it. But I think next time, maybe a bleu cheese or feta instead of cheddar. But it was good.

[BobB]

No need for silpat, plain old paper towels work great - plus they catch drips and spills while you're cooking.

[MGS01]

Danna, I am eager to hear if the latest suggestion worked out. I can tell you one not to try: Fagor. I just unpacked mine, induction cooktop installation was completed today. It says induction ready and they have two generous rectangular sizes, 17.5" and 23", BUT, they are not designed to span two elements. The 23" griddle has a 10" round disk in the center. The center of the griddle has to sit on the center of an element, with both sides sticking off. I have a 36", 5 burner cooktop. With the griddle on the large center element, it hangs off enough to block part of all five elements. Put it on the second largest and the ends either stick off the side of the cooktop, with the center controls partially blocked, or hangs off the front of the counter. Has anybody else used this griddle successfully? I'm ready to repackage it and return it tomorrow.

[paulj]

I can see that problem in the 'Jerry Johnson' images on the Amazon page for the 23" griddle

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001AEXCUU/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B001AEXCVY&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=05KYT10HP1BJ5KJVWKRH

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I...

Looks like they are using that same circular steel insert that they use on smaller pans. In theory they could use 2 such inserts, but that would tie to a particular burner spacing.

But being aluminum it may still have more even heat than a steel griddle that spans 2 burners.

[tanuki soup]

I have that griddle and am not particularly fond of it. The main reason is that I bought it mainly for making fried eggs, but found it is higher at the center than at the edges, so the eggs all run to the (relatively cold) sides and corners. ITOH, it works fine for grilled cheese sandwiches. I've tossed it into the closet and now use the induction-capable 12" square Vollrath griddle I mentioned earlier in this thread.

[paulj]

I have a couple of induction capable aluminum skillets that have that raised-center problem. I don't know if it has something to do with the steel insert in the base or not. But it is most apparent when frying eggs. For most other things it isn't a issue. And better that than dishing in the other direction which makes the pan wobble.

[danna]

I decided not to get one of the comals after I read the Amazon reviews. They said the pans were sharp edged, heated unevenly, the handles got blazing hot, and the pancakes stuck anyway. So I'm still searching.

[paulj]

If my expectations were different I could see myself making those complaints about the cheap comals that I have.
- the steel has simply been cut from plate, and rim turned up. Little to no finishing
- the handle is just a small loop that will get as hot as the pan. I always use a hot pad. It's more useful for hanging the pan than for picking it up. For lifting and tilting, the long handle of a crepe pan is much better. Indian chapatti grills also have better handles. But the small handle means that a 10" comal fits in my toaster oven (for use as a baking sheet).
- being plain steel, and not very thick, heat will depend on the heat source.
- being plain steel, sticking is a matter of seasoning. For tortillas a light greasing, hot pan, and repeated use are enough to prevent sticking. Pancakes are pickier, and probably require an intentional seasoning, and dedicated use. But I have a dedicated crepe pan for that. Still the comal that I use as a baking sheet does not stick any worse than other baking sheets.

[danna]

yeah, i get the impression that this is a product that works great for its intended purpose, but maybe not so perfect for what I (and other) wish it were.

[paulj]

Mexican comal (tortilla griddle) comes in ovals that should span 2 burners. The normal material is carbon steel, which will work fine on induction.
http://www.amazon.com/Campeon-Comal-Large-Oval-43/dp/B004444XL0/ref=pd_sim_sbs_k_1

Most are unseasoned like DeBuyer carbon steel pans, though the IMUSA models may have a nonstick coating. I have several sizes of the rounds ones, and find that they season just like the French pans (though tortilla making is not very conducive to developing a seasoning - too much dry heat).

http://www.amazon.com/Imusa-Oval-Coma...

[danna]

thanks! I think we may have a (provisional) winner here! ;-)

[denacarlson]

Hello! I have been searching for the same thing! Any luck with your (provisional) winner?? :)

[danna]

sorry, I haven't bought one yet. My Mom was convinced she had something to give me that would work, she brought it over last night, and of course, it's aluminum, just like i told her I thought it was. She finds it inconcievable that aluminum could be anything heavier than foil. ;-)

I will post back when I finally get one.

[djh]

Demeyere makes some nice pieces ... not cheap, but either of these would fill the bill --

http://www.demeyere.be/default.asp?CID=4175&SLID=1
http://www.demeyere.be/default.asp?CID=4176&SLID=1

this one too, though not sure if its induction-compatible
http://www.demeyere.be/default.asp?CI...

[danna]

beautiful cookware! but I don't see anything about a non-stick coating. Am I missing something?

[Fahzz]

Allclad d5 square griddle pan. It's stainless and induction friendly (confirmed). Four pieces of French toast at once so probably two or three pancakes at a time.
The bonus is that you can use it for a lot of other things, and I'm kind of amazed how good this thing works. I think you have to actually try to burn something on it, and you can get away with a lot less butter/oil.Le Creuset used to make a square griddle (discontinued) but I dropped it and it broke (which also amazed me)and I've been looking to replace it for years. Problem solved.Hope it solves yours.
It is BIG with the handle, so you'll need some space to store it.

[danna]

thanks, but all I could find was square...I'm looking for a large rectangular griddle to use w/ two burners. Plus, it doesn't appear to be non-stick. am I looking at the wrong thing?

[tanuki soup]

I have a 12" Vollrath induction-capable aluminum nonstick griddle that works quite well on my induction cooktop. You could always get two of them and use them side by side.

[AsperGirl]

I haven't picked one up yet, but I'm planning on getting a cast iron reversible grill/griddle to use on my bridge induction elements. I'd just put a silpat or other cushion between the griddle and glass. The griddle can't get hotter than the silpat tolerates, since the induction element would turn off before it got that hot, and you don't have to have the cookware in contact with the induction burner for the energy transfer to work. I forget what the specs are for my unit, but you can have the cookware at least a couple of centimeters above the burner, and it will still work.

[GH1618]

This might work:

http://www.dvorsons.com/ChefKing/Grid...

[Chemicalkinetics]

Look great. It looks like it is a steel (not stainless) griddle. I wonder if the original poster, danna, will have trouble with the seasoning process. If not, then it should works.

[GH1618]

Another site which sells it describes these as induction-capable, but also states that they can scratch glass cooktops.

[BobB]

But this is an induction cooktop, which means you can simply lay down some paper towels, set the pan/griddle on them, and start cooking scratch-free. That's what we do with our extensive Le Creuset collection on our induction range.

[paulj]

I discovered that I could warm a tortilla this way - by placing it between cooktop and pan!

[danna]

How can you tell that the steel composition is correct for induction? It appears that some stainless is magnetic and some is not. Could you say it's true that ALL steel is magnetic if it's NOT stainless?

Yeah, and you're right...I'm unsure weather I can make it perform as a non-stick, but for $39...it wouldn't kill me to find out. Thanks GH.

[GH1618]

The Chef King griddles are described on some sites as stainless, but clearly they are not. I have seen one source describe them as induction capable, which sounds right. If you get one from a source that says it is, they should stand behind it.

[Chemicalkinetics]

You are correct that some stainless steel is more easily magnetized than others. That is true. For carbon steel (not stainless), I think all the common ones in the markets can be magnetizied. I won't go as far as saying "all" steel can be magnetizied. I am sure you can put in some elements to prevent it. However, all the simply carbon steel should be magnetizied. You really have to go out of your way to make it not magnetizied.

[GTM]

I don't know how you feel about cast iron cookware, its weight, and about storing in somewhere. I love my very cheap generic cast iron 2 burner griddle, which has ridges on one side, and is smooth on the other. That should fit your 15 inches handsomely and cook pancakes, steak, numerous species of kebabs from different cultures, bacon, Indian chapati & various paratha on the hob, naans & pita in the oven.

It can be stored inside the oven, semi-permanently, where it becomes a great temperature modulator, a baking stone for breads, a pizza stone [best if you put a wire pizza pan over it]. You can grill eggplant for hummus & rollatini [a whole bunch of slices] on it in the oven, bake vadouvan base with ease [see NY Times & Fat Free Vegan], bruschetta, and many fun things like super garlic bread with toasty undersides. Baked toast is a great treat too,