Modern kitchens come with built-in ovens, so you don’t have to juggle multiple appliances to get dinner on the table.
But there’s another option for cooking when space is tight: the electric griddle.
I’m covering the portable options here. Induction griddles, ceramic griddles, and those basic electric hot plates you might remember from camping trips or college dorms.
Mobile griddle
Every kitchen has a stovetop, sure. But who says it has to be built-in like most kitchens? What are the real pros and cons here?
A 2015 study found that people spend about five and a half hours a week cooking on average (not counting those who can’t or won’t cook at all).
Germans ranked fourth from the bottom in that comparison. Why do you need a built-in stove and oven combo? Turns out 30% of people cook “just for fun.”
That’s one more reason to get a portable cooker you can take outside or to a friend’s place when you need extra cooking space.
Mobile griddle
5 situations where a mobile griddle actually helps
Late night cooking with friends
Cooking with friends is popular right now. But smaller kitchens don’t have enough burner space for everyone to help with meal prep. A portable induction griddle fixes this problem.
When multiple people want to cook together, this kind of griddle works perfectly. It opens up new possibilities in the kitchen that make group cooking way more fun.
They’re cheap to buy and easy to transport. You can bring one to a friend’s house and suddenly you can make much more elaborate meals together.
Too many guests
You know how this goes: you’re hosting a party and tons of people are coming. You want to cook something good. But most German kitchens only have four burners, which creates serious bottlenecks. If you have an extra portable griddle (induction or electric), you’re in much better shape.
The extra burner space extends your normal kitchen and fits more pots and pans. When you’re making huge portions that need multiple pots, this option is perfect. You can cook everything at once so all your guests eat together. Makes a real difference for the party atmosphere.
Camping
Camping is a cheap way to take a vacation and see new places. The food situation often suffers though, since you can’t always cook for yourself. But when your RV or camper doesn’t have a kitchen, you can easily add one.
A portable cooktop is a practical way to keep cooking while you’re traveling.
These things take up almost no space since you can stash them in any corner. But you can still make simple meals without having to eat at restaurants every night. This extra option makes the whole vacation more relaxing.
Student apartments and tiny kitchens
If your student place is cramped and you eat out most of the time anyway, a portable induction cooktop might be the smart choice. You can cook when you want to without giving up precious space. The portable cooktop sets up in seconds when you need it.
Most students don’t cook every day, so a portable unit works fine. After cooking, it disappears back into the closet just as fast as you set it up. Price-wise, it beats buying a normal stove. If you discover you love cooking, you can always upgrade to a built-in later.
At work
Construction workers eat simple food most of the time. But if you want more than a cold sandwich, you can heat up your food with a portable cooktop. Bring some ingredients from home and turn them into a hot meal during lunch break.
A hot lunch works wonders on cold days and gives you energy for the afternoon shift. Portable cooktops aren’t expensive either. They’re totally sufficient for making good food, and a hot lunch becomes the best part of a hard workday.
There are many uses for an electric griddle, and with a decent cooking spray, it’s one of the healthiest cooking tools around. For more information about electric griddles and finding the best one in 2019, check out Appliance Authority.