How Do Gas Grill Griddle Inserts Compare to the Real Deal?
Our top pick gas grill, the Weber Spirit E-425, with the griddle insert. Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter
If you favor the convenience of a gas grill (and the quality of a Weber), you'll appreciate how easily these full-size inserts swap onto your grill.
The uncoated, preseasoned carbon steel Weber Rust-Resistant Griddle Insert conducts heat very well and, according to the user manual, is pretty much ready to use right out of the box (though the instructions give the option to season the insert before you start cooking, and I chose to do that).
I tested the griddle insert on a Weber Spirit E-425 gas grill, and it did a great job with everything we cooked on it. The smash burgers had a thick and even crusty sear, and our pancakes emerged fluffy and golden. Its consistent moderate heat distribution produced strips of bacon that were well rendered, nicely browned, and crispy, and the preseasoned surface released over-easy fried eggs without resistance or sticking. Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter
My colleague, senior editor Marilyn Ong, tested the griddle insert designed for our upgrade pick, the Weber Genesis E-325, and reported a similar experience. The larger version of the rust-resistant griddle, designed to fit the three-burner Genesis grills, is made from the same uncoated, preseasoned carbon steel. She also gave hers one layer of seasoning before cooking bacon, eggs, and pancakes with beautiful results.
On its own, the Spirit griddle insert is a solid accessory that delivers on the promise of converting a Weber grill into a flat top that's good for making smash burgers and big breakfasts. But compared with the outdoor propane griddles that Kathleen tested at the same time, the Weber insert doesn't get nearly as hot. In my testing, it was nearly impossible to burn any of the foods I cooked on it — even the pancakes. Marki Williams/NYT Wirecutter
Senior editor Marilyn Ong said she had a similar experience using the griddle insert with her Genesis E-325 gas grill. She recalled a time when she walked away from a griddle full of pancakes and forgot about them for a good five minutes. When she came back, they were still golden without a trace of scorching.
I don't consider this a bad thing, per se, because the heat output on a grill is calibrated for direct heat cooking. A griddle top is made up of a lot more metal than a grill grate, so the former has significantly more thermal mass and, therefore, absorbs a lot more heat than the latter. In our tests, we found that the propane griddles (like the Blackstone XL Omnivore and Traeger Flatrock) went through fuel tanks faster than the grills.
All that to say: a griddle insert placed in a gas grill won't be the same cooking experience as an outdoor propane griddle. But if you're curious about flat-top cooking and don't want to invest in a large outdoor griddle, we found that this particular Weber Spirit insert — and the one made for the Genesis — are good options if you own either of these models (or variants of the same size).
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