Blackstone Grill Review - Is The Flat Top Griddle Worth It?

Blackstone Griddle with Air Fryer Reviewed

 

 

 

When it comes to kitchen gadgets, it's hard to not know someone who has an air fryer. But the new Blackstone air fryer griddle has one advantage over most air fryers.

It lives outside!

The Blackstone Air Fryer Griddle Combo is different than a normal kitchen appliance. It's an integrated system where you can both air fry and griddle cook all in the same place, outdoors.

How does an Airfryer work?

An air fryer is essentially a powerful and compact convection oven. The cooking process is similar to a normal oven, but a fan circulates hot air around your food helping it cook quicker while promoting browning.

Foods like fried chicken or air fryer fries are placed in a cooking basket where they cook to your desired doneness.

The heating element of most air fryers is electric but with the Blackstone heat comes from the same propane that fires up the griddle. 12,000 btu of heat power this air fryer giving you plenty of cooking power. 

 

 

Is air fried food healthy?

Air fried food is healthy! Or at least it can be...

The food is cooked with hot air rather than submerged in oil. Of course, if you eat tater tots at every meal eventually that could catch up with you. But clearly, foods can cook deliciously with less oil than frying.

Air frying foods can definitely be more healthy than cooking with more traditional methods. I'd be full of hot air though if I didn't warn you that pre-made, processed, and frozen foods can be sneaky and pack in unnecessary calories if you're not paying attention to the ingredients.

 

 

Typically cooking food in the air fryer does not require additional oil.

I've noticed that most breaded food already has some oil in the coating that browns nicely.

However, veggies like asparagus or Brussels sprouts do benefit from the lightest spritz of oil.

I've found that the best way to add enough olive oil to promote browning on veggies is to use a sprayer like the EVO that has been designed for that specific purpose.

What can be cooked in an air fryer?

When it comes to air fryer recipes, there are so many delicious things you can make. Meat and vegetables both benefit from the cooker's temperature range and cooking functions.

Air fryer chicken whether breaded or unbreaded is delicious and may earn you major points from dinner guests.

Since the air fryer typically cooks foods quickly, frozen foods like chicken nuggets or french fries are an obvious choice for the air-fryer. You can use the toaster oven or a pressure cooker to cook these frozen treats, but once you get a taste of them hot out of the fryer basket you may never look at other kitchen appliances the same again.

If you need some inspiration, you can also find both griddle and air fryer recipes in this post.

 

 

 

Be sure to keep plenty of ranch dressing on hand when cooking snacks like potatoes, chicken wings, or even pizza in the air fryer.

Air fryers are great for cooking pretty much anything but they don't do well with a wet batter. Cooking food with a wet batter in my test kitchen has resulted in the air fryer basket being covered in a gloppy mess that can be hard to clean. Even with a nonstick basket.

So is the Blackstone Flattop Grill Worth It?

In a word yes!

One of the most valuable commodities in the kitchen is counter space.

With the Blackstone, the air fryers built into the griddle and the whole setup lives on your patio.

There is no confusing control panel with the Blackstone griddle combo.

Blackstone's air fryers work simply.

 

 

Plug in the power plug, ignite the dedicated burner with the recently updated ignition system, and flip the switch to turn the convection oven's fan on and you're ready to cook.

Temperature controls are adjusted with a dial on the front panel of the griddle. Temperatures range from about 325F-450F - a solid range for most any recipe.

It's not just the heat source that makes Blackstone's fryer different from other products. People love the capacity that this model has.

 

 

Typically indoor home models are only good for cooking a smaller amount of food or require you to cook in batches.

But the Blackstone version has two dedicated baskets for frying and a third warming drawer. This capacity is something that's hard to find in any other brand, thanks to the way the heating element is set up.

 

 

When you combine the convenience of having a griddle that also allows you to bake things like cookies while you are griddle searing a steak, the functionality of this cooker is hard to beat.

Kids will love peeking inside the baskets and watching food brown like some kind of magic.

How easy is it to clean?

One important thing to consider when looking at any air fryer is how easy it is to clean.

The instruction booklet always makes it look better than it is. But the Blackstone cook basket and food platform is dishwasher safe.

The handle removes simply from the basket and the components, although not nonstick, come out clean from the dishwasher.

The way the cook baskets are set up, there is a removable cooking platform food sits on. This assists the cooking performance and is also a false bottom for the basket.

If you are cooking something bacon-wrapped, any rendered fats collect in the bottom of the basket, while the food stays elevated on the cooking plate. The rendered fats or oils can simply be poured onto the griddle surface and scraped into the rear grease trap for easy disposal.

 

The bottom line on the Blackstone Air Fryer Griddle Combo

The bottom line on the Blackstone AirFryer Griddle combo is that it is totally worth it.

I've cooked with a variety of similar indoor devices from other brands and this does everything you need it to do.

The main difference is that you have the ability to cook or keep food warm in the three drawers. This allows you to adjust your cook times to a specific window so that everything will finish at the same time.

 

 

One of the most important items that is often overlooked is that this product puts the consumer first.

Most outdoor cooking combo devices do a number of things... poorly!

Blackstone lets the flavor of your food tell the story. Whether you're whipping up another breakfast for dinner or just a simple snack this unit is a powerful machine that makes cooking meals fun!

The ease of operation is wonderful for families.

Anyone who has cooked dishes on a stove can cook with the Blackstone because there is no transition. Open fire grills and cookers can be intimidating but kitchen skills really do translate to the Blackstone.

 

With a 36" Blackstone flat top griddle surface, it does an amazing job at cranking out large quantities of food quickly and cooked to perfection. Temperature control for the cooking surface is adjusted with four soft-touch knobs that go to each burner. 

If you are in the market and considering making a purchase the Blackstone may be the answer for you. I am convinced we have only begun to see the popularity of this device.

I'm very lucky to own the Blackstone as one of the tools that inspire my culinary adventures. It's easy to assemble and currently my favorite grill & griddle combo available.

Update: Blackstone has recently released a 28" version of the AirFryer combo griddle. You can read more about the new 28" air fryer griddle in this analysis or check it out at WalMart, the exclusive retailer with this cooker who will actually deliver it directly to your home with free shipping!

In case you didn't know, Blackstone also has a pizza oven insert for 22" griddles. I share my thoughts on it in this article. 

The Blackstone Air Fryer Griddle Combo is currently exclusively sold at Walmart. You can check availability and pricing here. 

Now that you're excited about griddle cooking check out my favorite griddle accessories for 2020.

If you're excited to cook one of the treats of summer in the air fryer, check out how I make sweet corn on the cob in this Blackstone air fryer recipe.