Sunday, May 15, 2016

The Oster Griddle and Why I Love It - A Review

Oster Griddle via Amazon
The biggest reason we have a Griddle in the house is to make pancakes.

For decades home-made pancakes have been a staple in our home and when we're in-between grills, pancake breakfasts usually hit the skids.

Well, we've been in the 'in-between' stage for about a year or more, so just recently I decided a new Griddle was in order.

What's nice about a Griddle is the convenience for breakfast! My fourth son is now 16, still in high-school, and I make it a habit to prepare him a decent breakfast before school. That breakfast usually ranges between:
  • Free-Range Eggs, Spinach & Kale fried in Coconut Oil and Sliced Oranges, or
  • A Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Sliced Oranges or Bananas
What Do I Love about The Oster Griddle?

We've had a Griddle in our home for decades, and I do have a good amount of experience determing whether a grill passes the 'pancake' making test.

When I tried the Oster Griddle for the first time, I knew instantly, by how the pancakes browned, whether I had a winner ... and yes, according to my pancake making judgement, this grill is a winner.

Here are the points about the Oster Griddle that I appreciate:
  • It's ceramic non-stick coating is fantastic for non-stick performance. For the first batch of pancakes, I always put a bit of butter on the grill (even with a non-stick griddle) just to be safe. But with this grill, although I haven't tried it, I believe the butter was unnecessary. However, for the other three batches of pancakes, I did not add any butter whatsoever and the pancakes didn't stick at all!
  • The size of the grill is nice - I was able to make six good sized pancakes at a time.
  • The surface is scratch resistant and less likely to peel or flake. I haven't had ours long enough to give it the scratch test, but based on the durability of the surface, I can believe it.
  • The ceramic coating is free of PTFE & PFOA chemicals.
  • Food cooks evenly
  • It does cook faster and thus I imagine that will save energy over time
  • It looks nice on my counter and it's a snap to clean
I plan to use it frequently for breakfasts and it's situated conveniently beside the Vitamax and Coffee Machine (the two other appliances that get the most use).

Using our Oster Griddle for Grilled Cheese
Photo by Funkthishouse.com
Enjoy My Pancake Recipe:

Well, it's not really mine, it was my Mom's and before Mom, Grandmothers :)
  • 1 Cup of Flour
  • 3 Teaspoons of Baking Powder
  • 2 Tablespoons of Sugar (Optional)
  • 3/4 Teaspoon of Salt (Optional)
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Cup of Milk
  • 2 Tablespoons of Melted Butter or Oil
  • 1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
Mix all of the ingredients together (manually). Don't over mix it of course. Let the Mixed Batter sit for five or ten minutes or even longer if needed. Then, using a ladle, scoop onto your grill ... greased with a little bit of butter if you like.

On the Oster Grill, the temperature between 265 and 300 degrees seemed to work fine for me.

The secret to good, fluffy pancakes is to only flip them once.

You'll know the first side is cooked when there are 'bubble-holes' peeking through the uncooked side. However, you can usually tell by the smell, or just take a little peek to be sure they're the color of golden brown that you like.

Flip them over, let the other side cook for a few minutes or less, and they're done.

Because we are so many in our family, and everyone has there own preference for the fixings they like inside their pancakes, I'll add the items to each pancake on the uncooked side one at a time, while the one side is cooking. Tip: When you add the food item to the uncooked side, gently spread some of the batter from that uncooked side over the food item - that way when you flip it over, you'll have batter cooking on the grill instead of the chocolate chips, blueberries or whatever you added hitting the grill directly (which could burn).

Popular flavor additions in our home are chocolate chips, fresh raspberries, strawberries or blueberries. This morning it was chocolate chip pancakes and blueberry pancakes.

So yes, I recommend this grill, we love it!





Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”


12 comments:

  1. What a really neat griddle and an excellent review! Our family loves pancakes too and I can easily understand how this griddle would make your life, and preparing breakfast, easier. Now I want pancakes, and I just might have to try the recipe you shared too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Cynthia, if you try the recipe - the vanilla extract is an addition by me (not from mom or grandma) - it seems to make the difference :)

      Delete
  2. What a terrific review of the Oster Griddle. And your pancakes sound yummy, both the recipe and your description. You could just make a plain batch for me, please. I like them with maple syrup and (real) butter! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Coming right up Pat :) - just made a few grilled cheese and posted the photo - love this grill

      Delete
  3. I want to eat breakfast at your house, Barbara! No surprise that I do love a good kitchen gadget or appliance and this one certainly sounds like it qualifies. The non-stick ceramic coating sounds like a great upgrade from old-style griddles and, indeed, it's pretty even in the picture. Love knowing that it's easy to clean, too. I'm very tempted... For now, it's going on my wish list. Thanks for the tried and true review!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Susan, if ever you decide on a grill, this one is a good choice :)

      Delete
  4. I've never had a griddle, but maybe I could really use one of these...hummm. Thanks for a great review.

    ReplyDelete
  5. A good grill is a necessity for good pancakes. Since we went gluten free I have made any in ages because, let's face it, when you have pancakes they just aren't the same without butter and syrup on top and bacon or sausage on the side. We now have very skinny breakfasts. We don't even have grilled sandwiches since we sent on this diet. I could have really used this before we moved here and I still cooked sometimes. It sounds like a winner.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Barbara I hear you. I'm on a very restrictive diet (not really a diet, just a lifestyle change). I enjoy cooking all this stuff for the boys - I'm gluten free for the most part (occasional treats) but eat mostly a Mediterranean diet now (fish, lots of veggies, fruit, good nuts) - Love to cook all the other foods for my family though - I find I don't miss it if I can at least get to smell it, lol! Especially pancakes and grilled cheese

    ReplyDelete
  7. Well this certainly beats my 2 pancakes at a time. This would be great when our son and his family visit, as I always have about 10 people that I'm trying to make breakfast for. Thanks for the homemade recipe for pancakes, I'll put that to good use.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hear yah about the two pancakes at a time business - before we sprung for a new grill that's what we had to do as well lol

      Delete

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