Presto 07037 Jumbo Cool Touch Electric Griddle, Black

We are first time users, and loving this product. We just received this product from Amazon last night, and we right away starting using it early the next morning. The set up process was very quick. There are three parts to this item: the griddle unit, heat control unit, and slide-out drip tray plus the instructions booklet. The recommended temperature heat settings for a variety of foods (and their cooking time) are conveniently printed on the instructions booklet. All you have to do to get going is wash the griddle in soapy water and season it with your choice of cooking oil. We prep the night before to make things go smoothly in the morning. Morning time we used the griddle to prepare three fruit-filled pancakes (7"-8" inch), four sunny-side-up eggs, and 2 slices of bacon in ten minutes flat. It took less than four minutes to preheat to 300 degrees, the recommended temp for fried eggs/ bacon, and just under another extra minute to preheat for pancake temperature (350 degrees). The eggs took about 5 minutes to cook (to our taste), bacon 7 mins; pancakes 3 mins. The food cooked to perfection, especially the pancakes, perfectly evenly browned and fluffy. If the griddle is preheated at the correct temperature for pancakes, the pancake batter will not overrun all over the place. So you do not need to buy the advertised rings as an extra to contain the pancake batter. You will however need plastic cooking utensils (metal is not recommended). The greasier the food; the greater the smoke, so you may want to place this in a well ventilated area if you are going to be cooking quantities of greasy things like bacon, pork chops, etc. I am planning on making a copy of the recommended temperature heat settings for the different foods, have it laminated, and placed in a convenient location for my family's easy quick reference when using this griddle.

I've had Presto Griddles for years. Last one finish came off after year or so so out it went. The side draining arms wouldn't stay shut after 6 months or so and it wasn't my first choice for a replacement. Looked at all models and selected this one. Not as large as former one but biggest complaint is you have to put towel under it so it doesn't slide all over the place on my counter top. Grease draining container is flimsy compared to other model. Griddle does the trick but it just ok.

Size: I had my old GE model for eons and was pretty attached to it, especially it's very large 21.5" x 10.5" cooking surface. I like being able to cook up to eight eggs, pieces of french toast, or pancakes at once. Though this griddle offers a slightly smaller cooking surface and it requires a little more spacing accuracy to do so, I can still manage 8 items at once, so I'm happy about that. Even with this capability, it manages to fit nicely on the shelf under my cabinet and even takes up less space than my old model. It also weighs considerably less making it easier to pull in and out of the cabinet as well. Build: It does not feel as sturdy as my old griddle and it moves around on the counter a little too easily. This isn't necessarily a mark against it's quality as I think it's made and put together well. It's just really light weight and there are no grips on the feet. But, neither of those things are deal breakers, just slightly annoying. I do think I'm going to look into getting some rubber pads for the feet to keep it more stationary as I feel the ease of movement on the counter could be a danger if it's bumped too hard while it's loaded with bacon grease. The actual act of bumping the sides of the griddle is harmless due to the cool touch feature though. At first, I thought the drip tray was "cooler" than my old one. It's long and thin vs my old chunky looking drip tray. But, this tray drives me crazy every time I put the griddle away. I store it on a shelf in the bottom cabinets in my kitchen and I end up tilting up the back end of it when I go to put it in there and the drip tray, because it's so wide but has no depth, falls out every time! That is irritating! I know I will soon start remembering to take the drip tray out, place the griddle on the shelf, and then put the drip tray back in. However, I've done that once so far, and it's a pain in the butt trying to get the tray in the griddle when it's on a shelf in a cabinet under the counter. Bottom line, I prefer a drip tray that stays in its place a little more firmly and doesn't slide out so easily. Plug and temp control are what you would expect. I do wish this griddle was offered with the power on the left simply because of the way my kitchen and work area is situated, but I'll live with using an extension cord. I had to on my old one as well, so I'm used to it. Cooking: The surface feels great. I didn't realize how bad my old one had gotten until I got this one. It also seems a little different from the old non-stick surfaces. I can't explain what that difference is, but it just seems more slick. That said, I thought I could cook some eggs on it without any butter or oil. They stuck. However, that was just the first time. After cooking bacon on it once, I haven't had any issue with eggs sticking. I think maybe it just needed to get used and washed once, broken in if you will. It heats up slower than my old griddle, but it's not long enough that it's egregious or anything. I feel the cook time is longer than my old griddle as well. But again, there's not enough of a difference to be egregious. If anything, cooking my bacon a little slower makes it come out a little more evenly cooked, so that could be considered a positive feature. I do notice that it gets a little bit hotter in the areas directly under the heating element. These "hot spots" aren't nearly as hot as my old griddle's hot spots though, so the difference is minor in my view. Your mileage may vary on that though depending on your previous griddle experiences and preferences. A couple of additional notes about heating surfaces in general: I know people complain about uneven heating surfaces, but I actually prefer them because my husband and I like our bacon done differently, his less cooked, and mine really well done, and an uneven heating surface works to my advantage for that. I also use it to my advantage when cooking a lot of eggs at once and want all of them cooked and ready at about the same time. I just place the eggs on the griddle according to temp area, coolest to hottest. They all get done at about the same time. It's an excellent method that works well if you're doing a big breakfast. I also rarely ever had to change the temp on my old griddle because I just used the temperature differences in the surface as needed. Guess what I'm saying is that whether or not an unevenly heated surface area is a good or bad thing is based on perception and preference. For me, this griddle heats a little too evenly. For others, that may not be the case. Overall, I've given it 4 stars because I'm far more happy with it than I expected to be. I was so attached to my old griddle that I was afraid I wouldn't be happy with any new model. But, though there are a few minor issues, it's checking all the important boxes. I've got almost the same amount of cooking area, my food is cooking more evenly, it stores in the space I need it to, and has a nice slick surface. What more can I ask for in a griddle at this price point? That said, I believe it's a good value for the money and would recommend it to others.

What a great bargain and a useful purchase! It works perfectly, is easy to clean, and can handle a lot of food. I just finished working on an annual multiple all-day, all-night college student event to raise scholarship money, and we're always looking for inexpensive and creative ways to keep them fed. We've used a charcoal grill for years, but this time I added this griddle. It was a big hit. At night it was cold outside, but all I needed was 5 loaves of bread, a tub of soft butter, some garlic powder, a huge package of cheese slices and I was set. This griddle made a ton of perfect grilled cheese sandwiches without causing a mess. (Note: using real butter and garlic powder allows you to use the cheapest bread and cheese and still have them taste great). In the morning, it was fried eggs, pre-cooked bacon strips, cheese and kaiser rolls for incredible egg-on-a-roll breakfasts (with just some cooking spray). Fun to use. Great food. Great bargain.

I got this for my boyfriend for his birthday (he's a great cook!) and we can't stop using it! It is very easy... very efficient... and very easy to clean. Cooks evenly, gets nice and hot... and there is a TON of space to cook several different kinds of foods at once. We love it to death. I would buy this item again. My *ONLY* complaint is that it is VERY long and therefore a little tough to store. But... I don't think I'd trade in that length for something more compact because I love being able to cook so many different items at once. *LOVE IT*. 5 stars.

Serving well for my requirements