This griddle is heavy 3/16" steel. It functions much like a good carbon steel fry pan, such as an expensive De Buyer professional skillet FANTASTIC cooking properties and easy care. Ignore the 3-star reviewer who says the griddle needs cleaning with soap and water apparently they do not understand how a steel griddle works. It rarely needs any cleaning, but when it does just heat some hot water on it (or pour hot water) and scrub gently with a brush or scotch brite gentle "blue" pad (no soap please, or you may ruin the non-stick properties and thus require re-seasoning of the surface). Steel wool or more aggressive pads will remove the seasoning. Scrape off any stuck on bits with a steel spatula no worries regarding scratching, another great feature! I keep a blue scotch brite in my griddle bag with all soap removed from it. Between uses you will want to clean any potentially rancid oil off of the surface using the same technique.
I took this camping recently and right out of the box it functioned flawlessy. It comes pre-seasoned, but to make sure I had no sticking on the first use I just heated up some oil, let the griddle cool, wiped it off with a folded paper towel, then reheated it (this step was probably not even necessary out of the box it probably would work fine). I then cooked typical breakfast fare (pancakes and fried eggs) completely non-stick. I also like to keep a spray can of high-heat canola oil nearby if I am worried about sticking just spray a tiny amount of the high heat canola oil and wipe it over the griddle with a paper towel, leaving just a tiny layer of oil on the surface (just like you would with pancakes).
Great for making toast or grilled sandwiches when camping. Also works wonderfully as a "wok" for a stir fry. And of course for typical burgers, bacon, etc. it is great. Seriously a steel griddle is the most useful cooking device known to man. You may even want to use it on your gas range at home.
On a camp chef stove the front of the griddle stays much less hot so you have a low heat zone which is very useful. On the larger size griddles (SG90 or SG100), if you have one burner going only you can use the other side for a huge warmer to keep items warm until all the food is cooked.
The steel "flame tamer" made by camp chef should also be purchased to help evenly distribute the heat from a camp chef stove.
Useful accessories to take along:
Laser thermometer to check the surface temp on the griddle. With experience you can hold your hand over it and count.
Small bubble level to help level the griddle when camping.
Bag to carry the griddle and keep it clean for storage (camp chef makes one).
High heat canola spray can for seasoning and storage (camp chef recommends Crisco but high heat canola in a spray can is much easier to apply). Butter typically has salt so should not be used for storage.
Flame Tamer mentioned above.
Scotch brite blue scrubber mentioned above (with all soap rinsed out). I prefer the blue scotch brite to a stiff brush.
Large steel turner 8x3 (spatula) with offset handle, the kind they sell at restaurant supply stores, and perhaps another similar but smaller size 2x4 steel spatula. You'll be amazed how great if feels to use a large steel spatula. Don't even think about using those horrid plastic spatulas with this steel griddle it would be sort of like buying a Ferrari and then never taking it over 25 mph.
If there are any CON's it would be the thermal mass. It takes a little more time to heat up and cool down (and more energy which might bother some greenies). But the thermal mass is what gives it nice cooking properties, so this is not really a con. Inexperienced users will turn up the heat too much only to find a few minutes later that the griddle is too hot, then get impatient and turn it down too much, and in a few minutes it is too cold, etc. Related to thermal mass is the weight issue the griddle is heavy and the ladies will probably want the guys to set it up and tote it around.
Another potential con is that it might have been 1/4" steel, to resist warping. Commercial griddles I believe are made in 1/4". But there are trade off's with the increased weight and thermal mass. If you are careful with it I don't think you will have any issue with warping. I have had none so far.
I own both the SG30 and the SG90, which are identical except for size (one burner and two burner, respectively).
I predict you won't regret buying this griddle. The only folks who won't like it IMO are those misinformed people who think cookware should be "shiny" and "clean". BTW, a bit of info for the shiny and clean faction only heat sterilizes a cooking surface, not soap. And, as is well known in wok cookery, the seasoning adds "wok hey" and improves flavor.
Super-heavy construction, and preseasoned to boot. This is as close to a commercial griddle surface as you'll ever take outdoors camping.
Did I mention heavy? It's 29 freaking pounds! Gobs of thermal mass...I took it out to a big picnic of foodies, and we ran a bacon tasting (15-20 pounds of multiple bacon brands, cooked under cast-iron bacon presses) with superb results.
Not mentioned in the product description: the grease gutter incorporates a drain hole, and the product includes a wire cage to hang a steel can from as a grease catch. Nice.
Buy Camp Chef Professional Steel Griddle Now
This griddle is heavy 3/16" steel. It functions much like a good carbon steel fry pan, such as an expensive De Buyer professional skillet FANTASTIC cooking properties and easy care. Ignore the 3-star reviewer who says the griddle needs cleaning with soap and water apparently they do not understand how a steel griddle works. It rarely needs any cleaning, but when it does just heat some hot water on it (or pour hot water) and scrub gently with a brush or scotch brite gentle "blue" pad (no soap please, or you may ruin the non-stick properties and thus require re-seasoning of the surface). Steel wool or more aggressive pads will remove the seasoning. Scrape off any stuck on bits with a steel spatula no worries regarding scratching, another great feature! I keep a blue scotch brite in my griddle bag with all soap removed from it. Between uses you will want to clean any potentially rancid oil off of the surface using the same technique.
I took this camping recently and right out of the box it functioned flawlessy. It comes pre-seasoned, but to make sure I had no sticking on the first use I just heated up some oil, let the griddle cool, wiped it off with a folded paper towel, then reheated it (this step was probably not even necessary out of the box it probably would work fine). I then cooked typical breakfast fare (pancakes and fried eggs) completely non-stick. I also like to keep a spray can of high-heat canola oil nearby if I am worried about sticking just spray a tiny amount of the high heat canola oil and wipe it over the griddle with a paper towel, leaving just a tiny layer of oil on the surface (just like you would with pancakes).
Great for making toast or grilled sandwiches when camping. Also works wonderfully as a "wok" for a stir fry. And of course for typical burgers, bacon, etc. it is great. Seriously a steel griddle is the most useful cooking device known to man. You may even want to use it on your gas range at home.
On a camp chef stove the front of the griddle stays much less hot so you have a low heat zone which is very useful, or if you have one burner going only you can use the other side for a huge warmer.
The steel "flame tamer" made by camp chef should also be purchased to help evenly distribute the heat from a camp chef stove.
Useful accessories to take along:
Laser thermometer to check the surface temp on the griddle. With experience you can hold your hand over it and count.
Small bubble level to help level the griddle when camping.
Bag to carry the griddle and keep it clean for storage (camp chef makes one).
High heat canola spray can for seasoning and storage (camp chef recommends Crisco but high heat canola in a spray can is much easier to apply). Butter typically has salt so should not be used for storage.
Flame Tamer mentioned above.
Scotch brite blue scrubber mentioned above (with all soap rinsed out). I prefer the blue scotch brite to a stiff brush.
Large steel turner 8x3 (spatula) with offset handle, the kind they sell at restaurant supply stores, and perhaps another similar but smaller size 2x4 steel spatula. You'll be amazed how great if feels to use a large steel spatula. Don't even think about using those horrid plastic spatulas with this steel griddle it would be sort of like buying a Ferrari and then never taking it over 25 mph.
If there are any CON's it would be the thermal mass. It takes a little more time to heat up and cool down (and more energy which might bother some greenies). But the thermal mass is what gives it nice cooking properties, so this is not really a con. Inexperienced users will turn up the heat too much only to find a few minutes later that the griddle is too hot, then get impatient and turn it down too much, and in a few minutes it is too cold, etc. Related to thermal mass is the weight issue the griddle is heavy and the ladies will probably want the guys to set it up and tote it around.
Another potential con is that it might have been 1/4" steel, to resist warping. Commercial griddles I believe are made in 1/4". But there are trade off's with the increased weight and thermal mass. If you are careful with it I don't think you will have any issue with warping. I have had none so far.
I own both the SG30 and the SG90, which are identical except for size.
I predict you won't regret buying this griddle. The only folks who won't like it IMO are those misinformed people who think cookware should be "shiny" and "clean". BTW, a bit of info for the shiny and clean faction only heat sterilizes a cooking surface, not soap. And, as is well known in wok cookery, the seasoning adds "wok hey" and improves flavor.
Read Best Reviews of Camp Chef Professional Steel Griddle Here
Don't drop this one on your foot it's heavy. Great quality, for sure. It does food perfectly and has a perfectly even heat across its surface. I did pancakes, eggs, and bacon on it this morning and the family raved about how good it was. Cleanup was a breeze Just get it hot, pour some water on it, and scrape the stuff off with a spatula. Don't hesitate to buy this thing if you have a Camp Chef stove.
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Heavy and thick steel. Works great on the campchef stove. Not necessary to use much heat to keep the griddle hot for cooking bacon, pancakes or eggs. With a three burner stove I can have one side turned off to keep items warm while cooking food on the hot side. No need to have warming plates. We carry it in our motorhome for outdoor cooking for all the other friends that come on our weekend camping trips. I am able to cook the bacon first then move it to the side and keep warm while cooking, eggs, french toast and pancakes all at the same time for 8 people.
Just purchased my donut maker a couple of days ago and love it. Definitely use a ziploc bag and notch one of the corners out to fill each donut holder (like a pastry bag). Do not try to measure the 2 T. they recommend. Fill each up but do not overfill (just below the edge about 1/4 or so from the top works). I sprayed the unit with cooking spray like "Pam" after each batch and used a wooden chopstick to remove the donut after cooking. The metal fork that comes with it could scratch the unit. The recipes that came with the instructions are okay. The spice one is the best. If using a box mix the donuts are too light and fluffy but they come out looking great with some icing and sprinkles. A simple recipe I use for plain donuts is: 1c. flour, 1t. baking powder, 1/2t. salt, 2 eggs, 2/3c. sugar, 1/4c. milk. Combine ingredients and beat 1 minute with electric mixer. Put in ziploc bag and you're ready to make donuts. I used the Vanilla Frosting recipe in the instruction booklet and added 1T. pureed strawberries to it yummy!! Frost when they are semi-warm not hot! Makes 24. My donuts cooked in 2 minutes so watch them closely. One side of donut is lighter than the other but if you're frosting it you won't notice. The unit cleans up nicely, when cool I just wipe with a towel.
