How I Review Griddles

Every griddle review on this site is written to help you spend your money well — not to move whatever pays the most. This page explains exactly how I do that: what I test, which reviews are based on griddles I actually own, and how I keep the money side honest.

Who's behind these reviews

I'm Justin Werkstell. I picked up my first 36-inch Blackstone in September 2020 as an already-serious backyard cook, and the flat-top took over the patio from there. I cook on griddles constantly — weeknight dinners, weekend breakfasts for the family, and the occasional cook for a crowd. That day-to-day use is the foundation for everything I write. More on me over on the about page.

Right now I own and cook on three Blackstones, and each covers a different job:

• A 36-inch Original — my primary griddle at home, and the one that's seen the most cooks.
• A Adventure Ready 22" — the portable one that goes camping and tailgating.
• A 17" E-Series electric — for cooking indoors when the weather won't cooperate.

Hands-on vs. research-based reviews

Here's the honest part most sites skip. I have not personally owned every griddle I write about — nobody has a garage that big. So I run two kinds of reviews, and I'm upfront about which is which:

Hands-on reviews are of griddles I own and cook on. They're written in the first person, they carry my own photos, and they include a rating that reflects real use. The three Blackstones above are hands-on reviews.

Research-based reviews cover griddles I haven't personally used. For those I dig into the specs, the design decisions, long-term owner feedback, and how the griddle stacks up against models I have cooked on — and I say plainly that the review is research-based rather than pretending I spent a summer with it. I'd rather give you honest analysis than fake a story about flipping burgers on something I've never touched.

What I will never do is invent hands-on experience or a rating I didn't earn. That line is the whole reason a review is worth reading.

What I evaluate in every griddle

Whether hands-on or research-based, every griddle gets held to the same checklist — the things that actually decide whether you'll be happy with it a year in:

• Cooking surface — usable square inches, the steel or coating, and how it seasons and holds up over time.
• Heat & performance — total BTUs, burner count and configuration, how many independent heat zones you get, how evenly it cooks, and how hot it actually runs.
• Build quality & durability — the frame, hardware, ignition, and how it survives real outdoor use.
• Grease management — where the grease goes and how annoying it is to clean.
• Assembly & portability — how hard it is to put together, how heavy it is, and whether it can actually travel.
• Value — what you get for the price, and what it undercuts or gets undercut by.

How ratings work

Ratings run on a simple 1-to-5 scale and reflect the whole picture — performance, build, and value together, not just how nice the griddle is in isolation. A great griddle at a fair price rates higher than a slightly better one that costs twice as much. On hands-on reviews the score comes straight from living with the thing. Where a griddle has a real weakness, I say so in the cons and it costs the score — a review with no drawbacks isn't a review, it's an ad.

How Griddle Sizzle makes money

This site earns affiliate commissions: when you buy through some of the links here — mostly Amazon and Blackstone — I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. That's what keeps the lights on. It does not buy a better review. I recommend against products right in these reviews, point out cons on griddles I'm linking, and send you to the cheaper option when it's the smarter buy. Full details on the affiliate disclosure page.

Updates, corrections, and getting in touch

Griddles change — model numbers get revised, features move around, prices shift — so I update reviews as that happens and note when a review was last refreshed. If you think I've gotten something wrong, or you've had a very different experience with a griddle I've covered, I want to hear it. Drop me a note or find me in the Facebook group. Then go read the full griddle reviews.