Calphalon Nonstick 11-inch Square Griddle

By : | Comments Off on Calphalon Nonstick 11-inch Square Griddle | On : July 7, 2014 | Category : Product Review

Calphalon Griddle

If you love making French Toast, pancakes, grilled sandwiches, quesadillas, toasted buns and more a good quality griddle is an ideal times saver. The the United States, single burner stove top griddles are generally 10 to 11 inches square. This provides about 90 to 110 inches of cooking surface. You’d need a 14 to 16 inch diameter skillet for the equivalent flat area.

You Get What You Pay For

Inexpensive griddles have smaller cooking surface, are made from thinner metal, and have a good but but very durable non-stick surface.

I’ve owned two griddles. The first, a low cost griddle lasted about 5 years with light use and the second is the Calphalon nonstick 11-inch square griddle which I purchased about 2 years ago to replace my worn out griddle. Calphalon makes two 11-inch square griddles designated as Simply Caphalon retailing for $29.99 USD (as of July 6, 2014) and Calphalon Contemporry which retails for $39,99.

I bought the contemporary for its heavier weight of 2 pounds 12 ounces (1240 g). Aluminum is a good conductor, but looses heat quickly. Thicker aluminum detains heat better. Some purchasers find the griddle is too heavy for them.

If your budget is limited or you prefer a lighter weight griddle, consider the lower cost Simply Calphalon griddle.

On a gas stove or cooktop’s 12,500 BTU burner set to medium, the Calphalon Contemporry griddle reaches 350°F in about 4 minutes.

As Seen On My YouTube Videos

I used the Calphalon contemporary griddle for my YouTube French Toast and Buttermilk Pancakes videos. The griddle requires no cooking spray and cleans in seconds using warm, soapy water.

Toasting Buns

Toasters are ideal for toasting sliced bread and you can use a toaster oven to toast a split bun, but if you want restaurant quality toasted buns grilled with a little butter a skillet or griddle works best. Toasting provides crunch and softens buns giving them fresh baked texture. You can use butter for added flavor or just plop the two halves on a preheated griddle. Toasting buns and English muffins can take 5 to 8 minutes depending on griddle temperature, about the same amount of time as a toaster oven.

Perfect for Pancakes

You don’t need a griddle to make great pancakes. Any large skillet will do. The advantage of using a griddle is it’s low lip quiche makes flipping a snap. There is no need  angling a spatula to work it underneath pancakes to turn them over. Without the high sidewall, you can easily flip pancakes and French toasteven when they are almost touching.

Buttermilk Pancakes

Buttermilk Pancakes

Do You Need a Griddle?

If French toast, pancakes, grilled sandwiches, etc. are not your cup of tea or you make them rarely; the answer is no. You can get by with a large skillet. I use my griddle about twice a week. It resides on my stove top. I’ve gotten a lot of use out of my Calphalon griddle in the past two years and it looks and works like new. It paid for itself within the first month of use.

Cleaning and Durability

The Calphalon nonstick 11-inch square griddle is easy to clean. Residue easily come off using warm, soapy water. When toasting bread, I wipe it off using a towel after it has cooled down. I have never run it threw the dishwasher.

The non-stick surface shows no signs of wear after 2 years using plastic utensils designed for non-stick surfaces.

Highly Recommended

I will update this post should anything of significance occur or when I retire the griddle.

Buon Appetito!

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