Presto 07073 XL Tilt-N-fold Electric Griddle, Black

Unlike many people I’ve never owned a griddle like this although I should have. As a foodie and a person who has kitchen appliances and gadgets everywhere (our family used to own a cookware store) this one seems so obvious. Suddenly I decided to do it, and as luck would have it there was a like new one for a substantial savings. I said why not. Here is what I learned.IS IT TOO LARGEIt’s hard to visualize what an electric griddle will look like on your countertop and I was concerned it would be way too big. But no, in reality part of what makes it just right is the shape, it’s more square than rectangular which is actually a much better shape for lining up 6 average size pancakes and having enough room to also so a half dozen eggs. Even if you don’t cook that large this thing is not really that big, there’s no fluff or excess, just two easy to grab stay cool handles if you need to move it away while it’s still warm. And there’s no fussy assembly, the legs simply fold out and click into position then back flat for storage. I absolutely like that the legs suspend the hot surface far above my countertop, unlike most other brands, so I can’t see how it would ever be possible to scorch even laminate counters.GREAT FEATURESThe cooking surface isn’t smooth Teflon like most griddles, it is a slightly pebbled ceramic top that makes it easy to flip pancakes, eggs, etc and it’s super easy to clean, you take the entire thing to your sink or dishwasher (minus the controller of course). And other than the controller there is no assembly required you just pop it in and out.THINGS TO IMPROVEI agree with those who say that the grease cup should have been made larger on this model than their smaller version, what were they thinking, of course a larger griddle will produce more grease to capture. I do not agree that the click in fit is a bad thing and that if you pull it out you’re likely to spill hot grease. I learned at age five not to play with a hot stove or the contents on it. Never pull a tray of hot grease out until it has cooled down. Which makes the tight fit a good thing so it doesn’t slide out on its own. I also agree with the idea of having some place to clip the probe into for storage, if it gets damaged you’re likelihood of finding another are pretty slim. And my own feeling are that something purposely designed to fold its legs so often probably should have been made out of cast aluminum not plastic. One peeve of mine is calling it foldable, when I first saw the ad I thought it folded in half for storage. It is an incorrect use of the word, the griddle does not fold, it tilts to let grease flow into the reservoir.COOKING WITH ITThere are so many opinions here but what really counts is what its like cooking on it. Before giving my opinion as an experienced cook here a note on something really important, or is it? That has to do with facts and myths about does the heating element cover the entire surface of the griddle. When cavemen cooked over an open fire did it heat their entire griddle evenly? When granny cooked breakfast over an old gas stove did hers? Is that something to even be concerned about. I think the misconception comes in by people talking about the shape and location of the heating grids. Fact – there is no electric kitchen griddle made in this price range in which the entire top is a heating element. All of them use a probe (which is the only thing that heats up, the elements under the griddle are NOT electrified). That probe distributes heat from its tip through the elements under the surface which in turn heat up the entire surface. Showing off with a fancy infrared heat imaging camera “proving” that the elements are hotter than the main surface only prove that the elements are what are getting hot from transferring from the tip of the probe. Given time to heat up the entire top surface of any griddle is cookable and if you pour pancake batter on one area and it’s not ready to cook yet only means you haven’t given it enough time for the heat to spread, it takes time on any griddle, even back in prehistoric times.CLEANING UPAfter it cools you grab the handles and walk it over to your sink or dishwasher. What could be easier.YES NO MAYBEUnless you want spend several hundred dollars for a commercial griddle most of the ones you will find in this range are made of the cheapest plastic. My first impression of this one is that this is the way Presto used to make cookware back in my grandmother’s day. It is definitely heavy and well made and you get what you pay for. After reading all of the stories from customers who were dissatisfied with other brands for one reason or another I chose Presto and there absolutely is a difference in quality.

This griddle replaces a regular sized Presto griddle that we've had for several years. I can get an extra row of pancakes on this thing, that are all roughly 5" in diameter. We mainly use our griddle for pancakes, nothing else. The folding legs and tilt feature are nice, but the way the legs fold makes the griddle a bit wobbly. It's plenty stable, just not the same as a regular griddle. One caveat is that our old griddle is the "cool touch" model with a plastic frame around the hot bits. This one doesn't have that, which is fine, as it maximizes the griddle space and make it easier to store, but just remember that there is very hot aluminum where your hands can brush against it. Other than the above, this is a very nice griddle.

We just ripped out our countertops and needed a temporary cooking solution. This is a very nice griddle and it was a best buy winner in one article so that's why we got it.Pros1. It heats evenly and quickly2. The nonstick surface is excellent3. The dimensions are deeper and less wide than many, which is a good thing because it's better suited to a countertop that way4. The folding legs are performing as advertised. Unlike other reviewers, we do not have a problem with stabilityCons1. There are some sharp edges where the grill surface curves up around the edge of the cooking space2. The knob is very poorly placed. You have to reach over the hot cooking surface to adjust the heat or turn it off. This is really a big design flaw and I'm surprised they didn't figure out this was a bit dangerous during product testing3. The grease tray does not lock into place. Another reviewer mentioned this and I dismissed it because she was the only one. But indeed, she was absolutely right. What happened to her is she was carrying it to another spot and the tray fell out and broke. I was doing the same thing. Fortunately, my tray didn't break and there was no grease in it, but that would have been a nightmare.I like it. We're keeping the item and those caveats in mind.

Have used several times and always get good results. Temp distribution not 100% even across the surface but even so it cooks well. Otherwise I would have given 5 stars. They recommend hand washing but I put mine in the dishwasher top rack (I wouldn't put in the bottom rack - maybe too hot). May leave a few dishwasher spots on the handles but not a big deal for me. Be sure to use silicone utensils on Teflon surface. You can use metal but it may damage the surface over time. I also like the folding side handles which stores the slimmest space. Overall I'm happy with it.

Easy to use. Easy to clean. Great performance with the nonstick material and temperature control making cooking a breeze with the meat cooked to the person's liking and tasting great.Protip, cook on low to prevent overcooking and burning.Amazing value for such a generous nonstick cooking surface, and temperature control. Fed 4 adults easily.If you cook with any substantially sugary marinade, make sure to clean immediately to keep the nonstick surface pristine for the next time.

This is a great product. Despite what others have stated, I found the folding legs to be quite sturdy. I measured the temperature over the entire surface with an infrared thermometer and it was very evenly distributed.