A Zoijurushi Griddle review (not sponsored)
Could you possibly put a link to the pan you used for the French toast? I have been looking for a new griddle, and I like that yours has sides and isn’t just flat. Do you have any pros/cons about this particular one? Thanks for any information!
-Debby
Sure! The one I used to have did not have sides; I used it for many years, but it developed a fatal problem where the plug/temperature control thingy goes in, and it could not be fixed.
So after that one died, I did some reading and found that people really seem to like this Zoijurushi griddle.
(This is not sponsored; I've owned this griddle for a little while now, and it was an Amazon purchase.)
It is not a cheap griddle by any stretch of the imagination (around $130 at the time of this post), but I don't mind paying more for good kitchen equipment.
Here's my thought process when it comes to kitchen equipment:
1. Paying more upfront can be cheaper in the long run
I've said this a million times, but here we are again: I do not mind paying more upfront for a piece of kitchen equipment if I think it's going to last a long time. That's why I bought a Vitamix instead of continuing to buy cheap blenders that break every couple of years.
Yes, it's more upfront, but over time, the more expensive item ends up being cheaper.
Of course, sometimes I've paid more for something and it still hasn't lasted.
But overall, this method has served me well.
2. If you keep a minimalist kitchen, you can afford to spend more on what you DO buy
I have been cooking in a pretty small kitchen since 2005, so I've erred on the side of having fewer kitchen items.
(Funny enough, my current little 1950s rancher rental actually has more cabinet space than my split foyer did! I feel rich in cabinets at the moment.)
Also, I own very few unitaskers; most of what I have can be used to cook tons of different foods (unlike that angel food cake pan above!)
A minimalist kitchen is perfect if you lack space, but there's another benefit: if you operate this way, then you can afford to buy the really good versions of whatever cookware/appliances you purchase.
Buy less, and you can spend more on what you buy.
3. Almost any kitchen item that helps you cook at home will save you money
Laura Vanderkam has a grocery rule that goes something like, "I can buy anything I want at the grocery store." Her thought is that almost anything at the grocery store is going to be cheaper than eating out (and that is true!)
By the same token, if a piece of kitchen equipment is going to make it easier to cook at home (and thus increase the chances of you doing so!), it's worth the money.
If you spent just $35 on a takeout meal, it would only take four of those occasions to surpass the cost of the griddle. For some odd reason, though, we tend to look at the takeout as normal, and the $130 griddle as abnormally expensive.
Obviously, there are limits to this rule; you can't just keep buying kitchen equipment forever while justifying it as a money-saving purchase.
But a wise purchase of a multi-tasker can definitely be a thrifty choice if you use it to cook at home.
All that said, if you really do not want to spend $130 on a griddle and you don't mind a sideless grill, I have seen a lot of good reviews of this Presto griddle too, and it's about half the price.
What I cook on my griddle
Someone asked in the comments what the point of a griddle is vs. a stovetop pan, so I'm adding this section in! If you are feeding more than a few people, and you're cooking things that need a lot of surface area, then a griddle is super useful.
For instance, making pancakes for 5 or more people is much more efficient with a big cooking surface.
I used my griddle a lot more when I had six people at my table, but even with three of us, it still makes sense sometimes. You can't fit even three grilled cheese sandwiches in a round skillet.
So, things I cook on my griddle when I'm feeding multiple people:
- French toast
- pancakes
- grilled sandwiches, such as grilled cheese
- fried cornmeal mush
- Swedish pancakes (like crepes, but easier)
- bacon
Pros and Cons of the Zoijurushi Griddle
Pros
- heating is even
- the nonstick surface is very effective
- the nonstick surface makes cleanup very easy
- the pieces of the griddle come apart for easy cleaning
- the cooking surface section has no electrical components, so you can thoroughly wash it
Cons
- there's no grease drainage hole*
- the texture of the pan does leave an impression on the food (not a big deal to me, but maybe it would be to someone else)
- it comes with a metal spatula, which is kind of dumb. Why would you use that on a nonstick surface?? I just use it for other purposes.
*no drainage hole is an advantage when it comes to making Swedish pancakes. I had to plug the hole with a wooden spoon on my old griddle. Remember?
Obviously, I hope my Zoijurushi griddle will last for many years, but I've only had it for a few years and so I can't comment on its longevity.
Do you have an electric griddle? Love it? Hate it? Tell us!
P.S. If you have a question you'd like me to answer (or a product you want me to review), you can always leave a comment, or you can email me.
I have a Presto griddle that we received as a wedding gift 13 years ago and it still works great! We did have to super-glue it once after it got dropped (oops!) but otherwise have had no problems. 13 years later it still does everything it's supposed to do.
We have a tiny kitchen and the griddle takes up about half of my counter space when it's out, so when we had to replace our stove within the last year I was intrigued by the ones that have a griddle in the middle of the stove. It worked out that one with awesome reviews was also the one most on sale and it's what we got. I have really liked having the griddle on the stove!! It's slightly smaller but perfect for lunches of a few quesadillas. I use it a lot. I don't know how well the surface will hold up over time, but I'm trying to be careful and enjoy it while we have it! I believe it's around $100 to replace the griddle on our stove.
@Ruth T, I've wondered about the griddles on the stove--thanks for mentioning how much you like it. Our ancient oven keeps trucking along but someday I anticipate needing to replace it.
@Ruth T, I also like our stove top griddle! For Christmas I received a cast iron replacement for it and it is great, I use it all the time and now I do t have to worry about the non stick.
I finally broke down and purchased a griddle when I had my fourth child. Until then I didn’t see the use of one in my minimalistic kitchen.
I have the Presto one that you linked as a substitute.
Pros
-The legs fold so it stores easily with my cookie sheets
-I can cook a lot of food
-The coating has lasted three years so far without getting scratched
Cons
-The heating is not even - it is super hot by the coils and not hot in the middle and sort of hot on the outside (there is a picture of the heat distribution in an Amazon review)
But as long as you realize the heating isn’t even and shuffle your pancakes around as they cook, then it isn’t too bad. When I make Swedish pancakes on it you can see the ring of brown where the coils are, but they still taste good and no one complains. 🙂
So overall it has worked great for big breakfasts for our large family and I haven’t had any complaints other than the heat being different, which I have adjusted my cooking to.
Ps. I have a 13 year old $30 blender that I use almost every other day for smoothies and I keep saying when it dies I’ll get Vitimix, but it keeps living on and on and on. The plastic screw on bottom cracked a few years ago and I bought a replacement for $5 and it keeping on working.
Pps. I am also debating upgrading my Artisan kitchen aid to the professional since I make bread several times a week. But is a bigger bowl actually worth it or should I just keep making two batches in my smaller machine?
@Faith,
A few years back I traded *up* my artisan for a professional and I regret it... My professional is so very loud and sounds like it is grinding. We called customer service multiple times and they all act like this is normal and I am making a big deal out of it. So I am stuck with something really loud and grinding. There used to be a place local to me that did repairs but the guy is no longer in business.. I am not willing to pay the price to ship it somewhere for eval/repair. So I am stuck.. I hardly use it b/c of this issue.
ALSO- if you are trying to use it for a normal size batch of cookies/cake etc I find it is not as great.. that 1 stick of butter gets stuck up on the walls and you need to continue to stop, scrape, restart... so not as convenient for normal.
@Faith, If you're making two batches every time, it seems like it might be worth a stronger machine with a bigger bowl. There are other machines that are geared toward bread (moreso than kitchen aid is). Bosch, for example, and Ankarsrum (they're quite expensive).
I am always intrigued to read about foods and meals in other countries. Having pancakes or waffles for me is something we might have as luxurious lunch or at hotel breakfasts. I commend you for all the trouble you are taking in the morning!
For breakfast, it is very common in NL to have sliced brown bread with cheese or peanut butter, and also for lunch (easy to take with you). Actually many young children are brought up to have jam or sprinkles or chocolate spread only on their second slice, after they have finished a first savoury one*. Children have milk or tea with their bread and take fruits for their morning school break. Cereals are more common now but not encouraged by doctors because of high sugar intake. Dinner will be a cooked meal and pancakes might be cooked for lunch or dinner, but not on a weekly rotation. Takeout/Home deliveries have become more common in the last five years of so.
*The present generation of secondary school children has the reputation of throwing away their healty foods and buying fries, or of not bringing any lunch with them and buying cafeine drinks and croissants in shops during lunch. Parents, schools and doctors shudder.
We do have an electric griddle which is used for special dinners when the cook prepares/slices lots of veg and small portions of meat/fish and everyone prepares their own grilled bites and eats them with a choice of sauces. It is popularly called "gourmet" and is a lot more work to prepare and clean up than you would think.
Ohh, well, actually I rarely make pancakes, French toast, and such in the morning. It's way more common for me to choose those foods for an easy dinner, along with bacon/sausage, and orange juice (or Orange Julius).
For breakfast, I make something quicker, like one-person homemade microwave oatmeal, or fried eggs and toast.
@J NL, Pancakes or waffles in my very American house are only for Sundays. It takes too long to cook enough for my four kids to bother with them on weekday mornings. Their breakfasts are almost always some version of toast--with peanut butter or cream cheese--and eggs.
@J NL,
We're in the crew of pancakes and waffles only on weekends. I don't have time to cut things up for my little kids on schooldays! We do eat breakfast all together on schooldays but it's usually oatmeal, cereal, or (most often) eggs and toast.
@kristin @ going country,
Thanks for putting a perspective on that lol.
I have started eating instant oats for breakfast. Pour over boiling water, leave for a few minutes, eat with fruits and a few spoonfuls of yoghurt. This lasts me until noon
I only make pancakes or French toast for dinner. I can't eat sweet things in the morning. OK, Christmas morning, we have a fancy breakfast but that's it. Mostly we eat bagels (New Yorkers here) from the bagel store.
@Rose, I was raised with pancakes, crepes, and French toast being savories, both at home and at the boarding school I attended. When my husband made me pancakes and served them with maple syrup I could not eat them---too sweet and cloying for a meal. I still eat them plain or with some extra butter and crepes usually are plain or filled with a mushrooms/cream sauce.
@J NL, pancakes, waffles, and eggs are usually only eaten on Saturdays here in our home. We call it "big breakfast." During the week, my husband eats oatmeal, and I eat homemade granola. Sometimes we'll have "big breakfast" for dinner, but that is rare. When our kids were at home, everyone fixed/ate what they wanted (when they were old enough to fix their own). But they have all been on their own for a long time now!
@J NL, I really like hearing about how things are in others places! NL is Netherlands?
@Rose,
YUM, NY bagels are the absolute best.....I miss them.
I had a folding Oster griddle I used for many years while I still had a house full of people. The folding aspect made it super easy to store and the plates came out for easy cleaning, plus it had a little draining area for extra grease. It worked really great, but it did take up a lot of cabinet space. When I started purging my house last summer, it went to Goodwill. For my needs, my big non-stick skillet works great.
Yes, a griddle makes the most sense when you have to feed a bunch of people!
De-lurking to ask a basic question. Is the purpose of a griddle to have more cooking surface than a flat bottomed skillet? I've never understood this.
Yep! If you've ever tried to cook pancakes for 6+ people, you know that a stovetop skillet comes up lacking.
It's way easier to feed a crowd with a griddle.
I also find it easier to flip things without frying pan sides.
My 1950s stove (pink!) has four burners, plus a cast-iron griddle in the middle with its own dedicated larger burner. I can just unhook the cast iron to wash it. It does not have sides, though, so gotta be careful. But it is fun to use!
@Rose,
Totally jealous of your pink stove!
I have the generic apartment kitchen that I've brightened up with pink accessories.
Currently,eyeballing a pink microwave on Amazon.
@Pat Gaudreau, DOOOO IIITTTT. I used to have a seafoam microwave.
I'm also limping along with my crummy old fridge until I've saved up enough to waste a criminal amount of money on a Big Chill pink fridge. Their pink lemonade shade almost perfectly matches my old Dixie range.
@Rose, sounds amazing! When we moved here in the mid-80s, there was an old-fashioned stove/oven that we felt needed to be updated. I’m so sorry now! It had 2 ovens (1 big, 1 small, & storage for pans) Nothing like that available now. Yours sounds even better, p,us it’s pink!!
We don't have a griddle but have a 1970s GE electric frying pan my mother-in-law gave her oldest son as a wedding present. He passed it on to us, unused, in 1986 as a wedding present. It makes the best pancakes and fried chicken. For about a year in the late 1980s, we lived in a house that did not have a stove and I got very creative cooking meals in that skillet: even learned how to make little biscuits in it.
My mom fries chicken in her electric frying pan too!
@Ruby,Our 1st apartment in 1974 didn't have a stove,my hubby got very creative with an electric frying pan,even did a casserole in it.
He was the cook in the family
We don't have an electric griddle, but I bought a cast-iron griddle that extends over two burners that my husband uses for pancakes and bacon and such. It's a bit too heavy for me, but otherwise I love cast-iron over nonstick surface.
For the pancakes, we do the oven pancake version of Swedish pancakes when short on time (my mother makes the crepe version for the grandkids with sugar on top or strawberry jam), it's a comfort food where I grew up also. On every outdoor marketplace in the summer there is a crepe stand with both savory and sweet fillings, and the crepe frier is a large circular cast-iron pan on legs, often placed over open fire.
I don't own an electric griddle but I do own 2 Zojirushi items. The rice maker and the bread maker( which I only use to make the dough) and both are top notch. I think anything by Z would be a good investment.
I was curious if you make that much french toast for 2 people?
There is a cast iron griddle in the house. You put it on two burners or in the oven. I didn't buy it, a youngen exploring their cooking skills did.
There are usually three of us here, and sometimes more! Also, Zoe likes to eat leftover French toast for breakfast the next day, so I usually make a little extra.
My son has a griddle, so I've seen how convenient they are.
Years ago I had a second hand Zojirushi bread maker that survived falling out of the back of my van onto concrete and yet it continued to make great bread dough. I passed it along to Goodwill after becoming an empty-nester (and getting a kitchen aid mixer) but I suspect it is still being used somewhere.
Used crock pots are super cheap in my area but the last two I've gotten refused to cook on low. So last night I ordered a (gulp!) expensive one from Costco, an online seasonal special. I really appreciate Kristen's reminder that in the long run, paying $$$$ now will save me money by reducing the temptation of a last minute restaurant bill because I've not prepared a good home cooked meal. (Also, Costco's return policy is so good that if I don't like it, it can be returned. So it was a risk-free purchase.)
My mom always had a griddle when I was growing up and it was used often. When I moved out on my own I realized I don't really care for pancakes or french toast (I'm a savory breakfast person) so I never bought one for myself. This summer my husband found a crazy good deal on a blackstone and so flattop cooking has reentered my life. I'm intimidated by its size but bacon, hashbrowns, and fried rice have all been incredible on the flattop!
I have two Presto griddles that we've had for years, and they are both still going strong. We use the griddles to make pancakes and bacon on the weekends. The larger one does have some areas that are hotter than others but it's easy to work around for my purposes. I love that the smaller one goes into the dishwasher.
I went years without a griddle and mentioned that at a wedding shower, watching the bride to be open up one that was given her. Next Christmas, I was given an electric griddle by an extended family member who'd been at that shower and who said it was the exact one she has and that it was quite inexpensive. I can't remember the brand! The legs don't fold but it has shallow sides, a drain hole and a removable drain pan, and I haven't noticed hot spots. I'm happy with it. I've cooked homemade tortillas, pancakes, French toast, grilled sandwiches, and garlic toast on it. I sometimes make what's often called eggs in a frame on it if I have more than two eating breakfast. My grandmother called her eggs in a frame "Egyptian Eyewinkers", so that's what we all call them.
This skillet has a non-stick surface of course.
My mother used her electric skilled in place of a griddle, and she also used it to fry chicken. Everyone's mom seemed to have an electric skillet back then. I rarely see them anywhere, now.
@JD,
Yes-The electric skillet brings back great memories!
@JD, My mom too. I'm thinking hmmmm, maybe I should get one or look around for a used one. My mom's fried chicken was so good.
@JD, I inherited all my great aunt's kitchen items when she passed away and sure enough, there was an electric skillet. I had just gotten my first apartment and had absolutely no use for that skillet until I got bronchitis and didn't have a vaporizer. So I filled the skillet with water and let it steam away. I'm lucky I didn't burn down that apartment building!
@JD, I am wondering if your “Egg in a Frame” is what we refer to as “Egg on the Porch”. We stayed at a bed and breakfast once that referrrd to it as “Toad in the Hole”.
I don't have a griddle but did have an electric frying pan growing up. That thing was awesome; we used it for latkes and huge batches of kasha and shells.
I'm an infrequent baker (except for bread) so I try to avoid buying bakeware. I can make galette or cookies on a plain sheet tray; squares, brownies, cakes, and fruit crisp in ceramic/glass baking dishes. I've stopped making pie, bundt cake, or cupcakes. On the rare occasion that I need a large cake pan for a party, I just buy a foil one at the grocery store and leave it with the host to recycle once they finish the cake.
But I'm a really frequent cook, so we have good knives and are slowly accumulating mid-range pots and pans. I splashed out (with wedding-gift money) for a good food processor and I LOVE it. Cuisinart 14 cup.
Totally agree that judiciously buying kitchenware helps make cooking at home easier. We just bought a new non-stick ceramic pan to replace our aging teflon one to support our frequent scrambled-egg dinners.
Also lol I just illustrated the principle about buying ingredients being cheaper than takeout. I was a bit grumpy about having to buy lentils for dinner at the expensive grocery store across the street, rather than the discount one that's far away...but the cost difference is two dollars. Buying a takeout pizza because I didn't make dinner at all is much more expensive!
I didn’t realize you could cook so many things on a griddle! I grew up with the griddle just used for pancakes. I use it for pancakes and tortillas. Since I don’t use it very often, I have a basic Oyster model. My only issue with it is keeping it clean. I get stains that I’m guessing are from the nonstick spray.
We have a very large electric griddle that we really only use when we have a lot of guests at family get togethers. We actually keep it in a box in a closet. Surprising if we break it out more than once a year. We almost sold it when we moved, but decided to move it in case we need it.
Thanks for the review! My griddle died a while back after 12 years for service. I do need to replace it however, as we are a family of 6, soon to be 7, and pancakes take forever on the stove. I often ask for kitchen gadgets for Christmas.
I bought an electric griddle kicking and screaming. I didn't need it, didn't have a place to store it. But, my two burner cast iron griddle was hard to evenly heat on my gas stove as the BTUs are different for every burner. We now use it at least a couple times a month. Pancakes, naan, several grilled sandwiches at once. I bought and Aldi special during early pandemic days and have been happy with it so far. As far as storage,my peninsula has a spot between two cabinets that is open. it lives in the box at the back of the space behind my bulk. Flour and a stool
Zojirushi seems to be a great brand in general. I remember once seeing someone open their lunch thermos and the soup inside was literally still bubbling. Amazing.
I can't justify the need for a griddle at our house. I don't have enough instances when I need to get a larger quantity of food done at the same time. We just have two kids. I had a cast iron griddle top on my last stove that used to come in handy for things like quesadillas and grilled cheese but I found that it didn't heat evenly since it sat on top of two burners and because it was cast iron. Great at retaining heat; not so great at doing it evenly. I can see it being useful if you have frequent larger crowds, though!
Thank you for reviews like this. I'm not in the market for a griddle but other equipment reviews have been very helpful in making purchase decisions.
I have a Griddler by Cuisinart & love it. It folds for storage, but has non-stick plates on both sides. Sometimes I use only 1 side, sometimes both. The plates also flip to a grill side, have a lip on both surfaces, & a grease run-off spout with catch tray underneath. Also has adjustable temp controls. I use it for pancakes (I always make a full batch for the 2 of us & freeze the leftovers), grilled sandwiches, meats & paninis. The non-stick plates are also dishwasher safe. A quality kitchen investment imho.
We were gifted an inexpensive Rival brand griddle oh, maybe 15 years ago? We use it once or twice a week and still works very well. I use cooking spray on it as I don't think the nonstick aspect is as good as it was when it was new, but other than that, it's great. I don't think griddles are optimal for small households but wow, they made a huge difference in getting breakfast quickly on the table if you have a mid- to large-sized household. We frequently use it for brunch after church on Sundays (everyone, including me, is hangry at that time of day). I also use it for naan, quesadillas, and grilled sandwiches.
It's totally worth it to buy nice kitchen equipment in my opinion. In my experience, those things are so much more pleasant to use and usually (but not always) last longer.
I work in a government office and there is no petty cash for extras so unless someone is offloading appliances, we have to pitch in for things like toasters and microwaves. Our office manager used to buy the cheapest $8-$10 toasters that usually wouldn't last 6 months and then solicit donations for the next one. I use the toaster frequently and pitched in for a lot of crappy toasters, so another employee and I went in together on a quality 4 slice toaster (because, bagel day). The office manager was kind of annoyed we went rogue (office politics, lol) but the new toaster outlasted the office manager and is still going strong.
Buying a griddle is not something that has crossed my mind. I don't think I would regularly need a large cooking surface in order to make it worthwhile to purchase a griddle. However, it probably would fit into the category of "once you have it you use it all the time". I just have three I cook for.
"Unitasker" is a great word. I have said for years that I don't allow One-Function-Stuff in my kitchen (except for the popcorn popper). Now I have a new word—thanks!
Aha, I didn’t connect the dots before now but we actually use electrical griddles quite a bit here in Norway too. But here they are round to make the traditional “lefse”, soft flatbread that are served with brown goat cheese or a mix made of butter, sugar and cinnamon.
We use ours mostly for pancakes, both thin and thick but I’m planning to try to make tortillas when I get a hold of corn flour.
Ohh, my mom has made lefse multiple times!
Thank you so much for the answers to my questions. I'm still on the fence about what I'll do, but this is helpful!
I agree completely with you, Kristen. Good kitchen tools are not cheap and save in the long run, financially and also in terms of time. A good tool makes a task easier, often quicker, and often is easier to clean. I use a heavy cast aluminum grill that fits over two burners on my range. It is wonderful for pancakes, french toast, quesadillas, naan, tortillas, crepes, bacon, sausage, hash browns, fried rice--and there are only two of us most of the time. I plan leftovers that are delicious reheated, or frozen. The nonstick surface is easy to clean; I do not use sprayed oil, but a little vegetable oil and a brush. The weight keeps it from sliding around, and the aluminum seems to spread the heat well so it is uniformly hot. When not in use it lives with my cookie sheets.
There is another issue at play here. Many commenters have remembered our mothers' electric skillets. I think it was an early convenience appliance that saved heating up the stove top, or provided another cooking option if four burners were already in use. Every few years there are fads for appliances, especially in the U.S., heavily advertised and promoted. I have a dreadful cookbook that tried to adapt every imaginable recipe to use the food processor, for example. The only way to stay sane in this environment--I am attracted to kitchen stuff like a fool to gold--is to wait a while, and consider how often or how much I really need this new option. Is there room on the counter? Is it bulky to store? Hard to clean? Does it save time and/or money? Is its strength a kind of food I shouldn't be eating anyway (cakes, desserts, candies)? Is it worth the cost of long term storage if I would only use it occasionally? The same generation that bought electric skillets bought blenders. My old blender is smaller and easier to set up and put away and clean than my food processor, so I have been using the blender more often lately.
If you like to read cookbooks as I do, the advice of great cooks is hardly ever involved with accessories. It is involved with knife skills, and basic equipment like heavy bottom pots and pans, and techniques for different kinds of foods. Also, time and attentiveness in the kitchen, garden, and market. Good quality ingredients help you make better quality dishes! When I was a poor student I thought the cooking shows used gorgeous pans for show purposes, until I was able to replace one of my old thin aluminum pans. It made all the difference in improving my cooking results, and was easier to clean. Turns out many of the best cooking tools are also beautiful, and worth the investment they require. The only really good pans I ever found cheap were rusty cast iron ones, that could be refinished. For decent knives and most pans, saving up to buy new is more sensible in the long run.
Sorry to go on so long. I agree with Kristen, careful investment pays off, and the "unitaskers" (my favorite new word) hardly ever do. However, I am trying to decide whether to buy a pressure canner. It would save me time and expand the range of what I can preserve at home, for quality rather than strictly to save pennies. We like good chutney, for example, which is expensive to buy but not hard to make, and can. We also love jams, which are also expensive, and many of the commercial ones are not very good. Any other foodies here who do canning?
@Kristina, don’t buy new! Estate sales or online, or thrift shops!
I just bought this griddle on your recommendation! After making pancakes for 7 teenagers after a sleepover, it seems like a wonderful purchase! I am excited to take it for a spin this weekend!