Flat top grills have transformed outdoor cooking for home cooks. More versatile than a standard grill, easier to control than open flame, and capable of cooking everything from smash burgers and steak to pancakes and eggs, a flat top griddle earns its space in a way few other pieces of outdoor equipment do.
Blackstone dominates this category and for good reason: their flat tops are well-built, widely available, and backed by a large community of home cooks sharing recipes and techniques. But there are solid alternatives at lower price points worth considering, particularly for smaller households or limited outdoor space.
What to look for in a flat top grill
- Cooking surface size: 28 inches suits two to three people; 36 inches is better for families or anyone who cooks in batches. Bigger is not always better — a 28-inch heats more evenly and is easier to move. See the Blackstone 28-inch vs 36-inch comparison for the full size decision.
- Number of burners: Two burners let you create heat zones (one hot, one low). Four burners give maximum control for large cooks.
- BTU output: 15,000-20,000 BTU per burner is standard. Higher BTU doesn’t always mean better cooking — even heat distribution matters more.
- Lid: A lid retains heat and moisture for foods that benefit from it (chicken thighs, sandwiches). Not all models include one.
- Portability: Standalone models are larger and more powerful; tabletop models are compact and easier to transport.
Flat top grill reviews
New to flat top grilling? Start with the best flat top grill guide which compares the main options by size, burner count, and price. For a first flat top, the Blackstone 28-inch or 36-inch covers almost every use case.
For indoor cooking, the best indoor grill for Korean BBQ guide covers the five best tabletop electric grills for cooking samgyeopsal and bulgogi at home.
Reviews and size comparisons
- Blackstone 36-inch griddle review — the four-burner machine, and who the extra surface is actually for
Seasoning, cleaning and rust
A flat top is a cast iron pan the size of a table, and it behaves like one. The surface is protected by polymerised oil rather than a coating, which means it is built up over time, damaged by neglect, and rebuilt rather than replaced. Nearly every griddle complaint traces back to that layer being too thin, uneven, or gone.
The three guides below cover the whole cycle. Seasoning is the thing to get right first, because sticking and rust are both symptoms of it rather than separate problems.
- How to season a Blackstone griddle — thin coats, high smoke point, and why patience beats more oil
- How to clean a flat top grill — the quick clean after every cook, and the monthly deep clean
- Why a Blackstone griddle sticks — almost always seasoning, occasionally surface temperature
- Why a Blackstone griddle rusts — how to tell surface rust from a surface that needs stripping
Which griddle for which cook
| How you will cook on it | What that points to |
|---|---|
| Breakfast for a family, most weekends | 28-inch. Two zones is enough, and one person can move it. |
| Cooking for a crowd, regularly | 36-inch. Four burners is real zone control, not just more space. |
| Tailgating or camping | Tabletop. Check the weight, because the surface is the heavy part. |
| Smash burgers and searing | Thicker cold-rolled steel. Thin plates lose heat the moment food lands. |
| It will live outdoors uncovered | Budget for a hard cover. Rust is a storage problem before it is a steel one. |
| Korean BBQ or indoor grilling | A different machine entirely. Outdoor griddles do not come indoors. |
Flat top questions worth settling first
How often does a flat top need seasoning?
A thin coat of high smoke point oil after every cook, wiped on while the surface is still warm, is the whole maintenance routine. A full multi-coat seasoning is only needed after stripping rust or when starting a new griddle. Thin and often beats thick and occasionally, because thick coats flake.
Is a 36-inch griddle better than a 28-inch?
Only if you cook for enough people to use it. The 36-inch gives four burners and genuine heat zones, and it also gives you more surface to clean, more propane to burn and considerably more weight to move. The size comparison sets out where the line falls.
Why does food stick to a seasoned griddle?
Usually the seasoning layer is thinner or patchier than it looks, especially in the middle where most cooking happens. A cold surface is the other common cause, since food dropped onto steel that has not fully preheated bonds to it. Both are covered in the sticking guide.
Can rust be removed without ruining the griddle?
Yes, in most cases. Surface rust scrubs off with a grill stone or scouring pad down to clean steel and re-seasons normally. Deep pitting is a different matter, and the rust guide explains how to tell which one you are looking at before you start.
I'm Glenn, and I started Kitchenware Compare to cut through conflicting product reviews and help readers pick kitchen gear with confidence. I don't own or test the products I write about — these guides are built from verified-purchase reviews, manufacturer specifications, and independent testing where it exists, with the reasoning shown, not just a rating.