Review - Blackstone 36" Griddle with hood
This grill was sent to me for review by Blackstone. I'd seen these around and was intending to purchase a griddle at some point, so I was delighted to get one sent.
First Impressions
The griddle took a while to build, but the instructions were very straightforward, and some of the little touches were very impressive, like the bottle opener and paper towel holder. During the build I got to feel that this was a pretty sturdy grill and everything was designed with deliberation. One negative was that there was no gas regulator included, so I couldn't get straight into cooking.
Once the regulator was fitted, there's a seasoning process to go through before you begin cooking. It's pretty simple, but you need to get a few layers on before you get to cooking.
Operation
There are four independent zones on the griddle, so you can cook at different temperatures. The grill takes about ten minutes to get to temperature. There's a handy trap at the back for scraping waste into, although I advise buying some of the liners that blackstone sell to make cleanup easier and extend the life of the trap. There are accessory hooks on one of the trays, and a magnetic bar on the other, so you can keep all of your utensils and tools within reach. Despite having a hard top, I don't think this was designed for closed-lid cooking, but it's definitely handy for keeping the griddle clean after cooking. So far, I've cooked cheesesteaks, pancakes, duck, fried rice and lots of tacos. Everything has some out well and cooking is simple with plenty of real estate on the plate for mixing things.
Conclusion
This grill has been embraced by the whole family and is quickly becoming the most used piece of kit here. It's easy to produce dishes that look far more complicated than they are. The Blackstone site has plenty of recipies for inspiration, and lots of accessories, even though many of the best ones are only available from the US site at time of writing. I look forward to more of the range becoming available on the EU site over time.
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