A crepe griddle may be more in use in professional kitchens than it is in homes, unless you happen to really love perfect crepes. At home, people may use crepe pans or electric griddles to make the occasional crepe. In restaurants, especially those specializing in crepes, crepe griddles may be employed instead because they have many features that can turn out perfect crepes almost all of the time.
You can find crepe griddle styles that hook up to gas lines or that are electric. There are even portable ones that will operate on propane. The griddles have a round flat top, usually made of cast iron or stainless steel and they’re heated by a flame or electric heating unit located underneath the top portion. They offer extremely even heating so that crepes are perfectly cooked. They can also be used to cook things like pancakes. Some have a single burner top and others offer two burners and two surfaces to increase speed of crepe production.
As mentioned, most crepe griddles are intended for professional use, and prices tend to reflect this. You can easily pay at least half a thousand US Dollars (USD) to well over a thousand USD for professional models. There are a few crepe griddles that are offered for use in the home, and most of these are electric powered.
A home use crepe griddle will still cost over $100 USD, but may be well worth it if you make crepes on a frequent basis. If you’re looking for deals on a crepe griddle, you may want to keep your eyes open for these machines offered on places like eBay or craigslist. They’re the type of kitchen appliance that people purchase, use a few times, and then forget about, so it’s quite possible to find used ones.
Some brands for use at home, like those made by Krampouz®, offer you multiple surfaces. A few styles allow you to cook four crepes at a time. Home use models usually can be stored when not in use and they come with a few extras like spatulas to help spread crepes to the desired thinness. Some even have ladles that allow you to precisely measure crepe batter so size remains perfect.
An alternative to the crepe griddle is a crepe pan. These can come in several sizes and are usually made of conductive metal that can help keep crepes cooking evenly. Instead of taking up space on a counter, they’re used on your stovetop. Some people find pans challenging to use because the sides of the pan make flipping the crepe difficult. Another option is to buy round griddles that don’t have sides and can be used on the stovetop too.
