Whether you're a weekend BBQ enthusiast or a serious outdoor cook, understanding the difference between a griddle and a grill could completely transform how you cook outdoors. Spoiler: they're not the same thing — and once you know why, you may never look at your garden cooking setup the same way again.
Table of Contents
- What Is a Grill?
- What Is a Griddle?
- Griddle vs Grill: The Key Differences
- Benefits of Cooking on a Griddle
- Benefits of Cooking on a Grill
- What Can You Cook on a Griddle?
- What Can You Cook on a Grill?
- Which Is Better for UK Gardens?
- Do You Need Both?
- FAQ
What Is a Grill?
A grill is the classic outdoor cooking appliance most of us grew up with. Whether charcoal, gas, or wood-fired, a grill works by generating heat from below and cooking food on metal grates positioned above the flame or heat source.
The gaps between the grates allow fat and juices to drip down, which can create flare-ups and that distinctive smoky, charred flavour many people love. Grills are purpose-built for high-heat cooking — think steaks, sausages, chicken thighs, and corn on the cob.
Grills come in many forms: c.lassic charcoal grills, gas barbecues, kamado-style ceramic grills, and pellet smokers. Each has its own character, but they all share the same fundamental design — open flame or radiant heat beneath a grated cooking surface.
If you're looking for a quality gas grill for your garden, the Lifestyle Dominica Gas Barbecue LFS683 is an excellent example — a premium gas BBQ built for serious outdoor cooking.
What Is a Griddle?
A griddle is a flat, solid cooking surface — typically made from thick rolled steel or cast iron — that sits over a heat source. Unlike a grill, there are no grates, no gaps, and no open flame touching your food directly.
Instead, the entire cooking surface heats up evenly and conducts that heat directly into whatever you're cooking. Think of it as a giant, outdoor frying pan — except far more capable.
Outdoor griddles are typically powered by gas burners underneath the steel plate, though electric models are also available and well-suited to covered spaces or indoor use. They range from compact tabletop units ideal for camping to large freestanding stations with multiple burner zones, side shelves, and grease management systems.
A great example for UK gardens is the Blackstone Iron Forged 28" Griddle with Hood — a full-size outdoor griddle with a hood for weather protection and a generous cooking surface suited to families.
Griddle vs Grill: The Key Differences
| Feature | Griddle | Grill |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking surface | Solid flat steel plate | Open metal grates |
| Heat source contact | Indirect (conduction) | Direct flame/radiant heat |
| Flare-ups | None | Common with fatty foods |
| Food that falls through | Nothing | Small items at risk |
| Smoke and char flavour | Minimal | Pronounced |
| Versatility | Very high | Moderate |
| Foods you can cook | Almost anything | Primarily grillable items |
| Cleaning | Generally straightforward | Can be more involved |
| Heat consistency | Even across the surface | Can vary by zone |
The single biggest distinction is the cooking surface itself. A grill's grates create a cooking environment defined by direct heat, smoke, and char. A griddle's solid plate creates an environment defined by even conduction, full-contact searing, and total versatility.
Benefits of Cooking on a Griddle
1. Cook Virtually Anything
This is the headline benefit. A griddle doesn't limit you to "grillable" foods. Eggs, pancakes, fried rice, noodles, smashburgers, stir-fries, quesadillas, halloumi, French toast — none of these work on a grill. On a griddle, they're all straightforward.
2. No Flare-Ups
Because fat and juices never drip into an open flame, you get consistent, controlled cooking without the sudden bursts of fire that can char food unevenly or create safety concerns.
3. Full-Contact Searing
When the entire surface of a burger, chicken breast, or piece of fish touches a hot steel plate simultaneously, you get a deep, even crust — the kind of result you'd expect from a restaurant kitchen. Grill grates only contact food at the raised ridges, leaving the rest to cook via radiant heat.
4. Cook Multiple Dishes at Once
A large griddle surface lets you run different foods in different zones simultaneously. Breakfast on one side, hash browns on the other. Chicken on the hot zone, vegetables on a gentler heat. It's the closest thing to having a full kitchen hob outdoors.
5. Even Heat Distribution
Quality outdoor griddles are engineered to distribute heat consistently across the entire plate. There are no cold spots caused by grate gaps, and no hot zones directly above a single burner. The result is predictable, repeatable cooking.
6. Easier Cleaning
Most outdoor griddles feature a rear or side grease channel that collects fat and debris as you cook. A quick scrape, a splash of water to lift residue, and a wipe-down is typically all that's needed. No grates to scrub, no ash to dispose of.
7. Fast Heat-Up
Gas-powered griddles reach cooking temperature quickly — often within five to ten minutes — meaning less waiting around and more time actually cooking.
Benefits of Cooking on a Grill
1. Authentic Smoky Flavour
This is where the grill wins outright. The combination of fat dripping onto hot coals or burners, combined with smoke and direct flame, creates a flavour profile that simply cannot be replicated on a flat surface. For many people, this is the entire point of outdoor cooking.
2. High-Heat Charring
Grills excel at creating charred, caramelised exteriors on meats and vegetables. That slightly blackened crust on a steak or the blistered skin on a pepper is a product of direct flame contact — something a griddle doesn't deliver.
3. Simplicity for Classic BBQ
If your outdoor cooking repertoire is primarily burgers, sausages, chicken, and the occasional vegetable skewer, a grill does the job brilliantly and without complication.
4. Charcoal and Wood Options
Gas griddles are convenient, but charcoal and wood-fired grills offer a cooking experience that goes beyond the food itself — the ritual of building a fire, managing the coals, and cooking over natural fuel has an appeal that many outdoor cooks value deeply.
5. Lower Entry Cost
Basic charcoal grills are among the most affordable outdoor cooking options available, making them accessible for those just starting out with garden cooking.
What Can You Cook on a Griddle?
The list is genuinely extensive:
- Breakfast: Eggs (fried, scrambled, omelettes), bacon, sausages, pancakes, French toast, hash browns
- Burgers: Smashburgers in particular — the flat surface is essential for achieving the thin, crispy-edged patty
- Meat and fish: Steaks, chicken breasts, salmon fillets, prawns, kebabs
- Asian-inspired dishes: Fried rice, noodles, stir-fries, dumplings
- Vegetables: Courgette, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, corn
- Wraps and flatbreads: Quesadillas, fajitas, tortillas, flatbreads
- Cheese: Halloumi, grilled brie, cheese toasties
- Snacks and sides: Garlic bread, nachos, loaded fries
The key insight is that a griddle effectively replaces your hob outdoors. Anything you'd cook in a frying pan, wok, or skillet can be cooked on a griddle — often for more people, more quickly, and with less washing up.
What Can You Cook on a Grill?
Grills are at their best with:
- Steaks and chops: Beef, lamb, and pork benefit enormously from direct flame and char
- Sausages and burgers: The classic BBQ staples
- Chicken: Thighs and drumsticks particularly, where the skin can crisp and char
- Whole fish: Cooked directly on the grate or in a fish basket
- Vegetables: Corn, peppers, courgette, and aubergine all grill well
- Skewers and kebabs: Meat and vegetable combinations over direct heat
- Smoked meats: Low-and-slow cooking on a covered grill or smoker produces exceptional results
Where grills struggle is with anything small enough to fall through the grates, anything liquid or semi-liquid, and anything that requires a flat surface to cook properly.
Which Is Better for UK Gardens?
The honest answer is: it depends on how you cook.
If you primarily want that classic BBQ experience — charred sausages, smoky ribs, the smell of charcoal on a summer evening — a grill is the right tool. It's what most people picture when they think of a garden barbecue, and it does that job exceptionally well.
If you want to cook a wider variety of food outdoors, feed a family with different tastes, or replicate the kind of results you'd get from a restaurant kitchen, a griddle is the more versatile choice. It's particularly well-suited to UK conditions when paired with a hood or cover, which protects the cooking surface from rain and wind — both of which are facts of life in British gardens.
For families, the griddle's ability to cook multiple different foods simultaneously is a significant practical advantage. One person can have eggs, another can have pancakes, and the sausages can be going at the same time — all on the same surface, all ready together.
Do You Need Both?
Many serious outdoor cooks end up with both a griddle and a grill — and for good reason. They complement each other rather than compete.
Use the grill for occasions where smoke and char are the point: a Sunday afternoon barbecue, slow-smoked brisket, or a whole chicken over indirect heat. Use the griddle for everything else: weekday dinners, breakfasts, anything that requires a flat surface, and any meal where you need to cook multiple components at once.
If you're starting from scratch and can only choose one, consider your cooking habits honestly. If 80% of your outdoor cooking is classic BBQ fare, start with a grill. If you want to cook outdoors more frequently and more varied meals, a griddle will serve you better across the year.
FAQ
What is the main difference between a griddle and a grill?
A grill uses open metal grates above a heat source, allowing fat to drip into the flame and creating smoke and char. A griddle uses a solid, flat steel plate that heats evenly and cooks food through direct contact — more like a large outdoor frying pan. The difference determines what you can cook and the flavour profile you'll achieve.
Can you get a smoky flavour from a griddle?
Not in the same way as a grill. Griddles produce minimal smoke because fat doesn't drip into an open flame. If smoky, charred flavour is important to you, a grill or smoker is the better choice. Some griddle cooks use wood chips in a small smoker box alongside their griddle to add some smokiness, but it's not the same experience.
Is a griddle easier to clean than a grill?
Generally, yes. Most outdoor griddles have a grease management system — typically a rear channel and a removable grease tray — that makes cleanup straightforward. Scrape, splash with water, wipe down. Grills, particularly charcoal models, require ash disposal and more thorough grate cleaning.
Can you cook a steak on a griddle?
Absolutely. A griddle produces excellent steaks thanks to full-contact searing across the entire surface of the meat. You won't get grill marks, but you will get a deep, even crust. Many chefs prefer this method for the consistency it delivers.
Are outdoor griddles suitable for UK weather?
Yes, particularly models with hoods and covers. A hood protects the cooking surface from rain and helps retain heat in windy conditions. Many outdoor griddles are designed with wind-guarded burners for exactly this reason. Electric models are also available for covered outdoor spaces or indoor use.
What size griddle do I need?
This depends on how many people you're typically cooking for. A compact tabletop griddle (around 17 inches) suits two to four people and is ideal for camping or small patios. A mid-size unit (28 inches) handles four to six people comfortably. A full-size freestanding griddle (36 inches or more) is suited to larger families or those who entertain regularly.
Can a griddle replace a BBQ grill entirely?
For most everyday cooking, yes. A griddle can cook everything a grill can cook (with the exception of charcoal-smoked flavour) and significantly more besides. Whether it replaces your grill entirely depends on how much you value that smoky, charred BBQ flavour — if it's central to your outdoor cooking, keep the grill. If it's a nice-to-have rather than a must-have, a griddle alone will serve you very well.
Is a gas griddle or electric griddle better?
Gas griddles heat up faster, reach higher temperatures, and are better suited to open outdoor spaces. Electric griddles are more convenient for covered areas, balconies, or indoor use where gas isn't practical. For most UK garden setups, gas is the more capable option; electric is the more flexible one.
Ready to explore outdoor griddles and gas barbecues for your garden? Browse our full collection at GardenHearth.
