Flat tops. Plate thickness decides how far the surface temperature falls when cold food lands on it, and independent burner control decides whether you get a hot zone and a cool one at the same time.
What actually decides this purchase
Plate thickness
A thick plate stores heat, so the surface temperature falls less when a dozen cold smash burgers land on it and comes back faster afterwards. A thin plate spikes and crashes. This is the single thing that separates a griddle that cooks well from one that frustrates you, and it is published less often than burner count.
Independently controlled burners
Two or more separately controlled zones let you hold eggs at low heat on one end while searing on the other. A griddle with one control is one temperature everywhere, which is fine for pancakes and poor for cooking a full breakfast at once.
Where the grease actually goes
Rear-drain and front-drain designs both work, and both are miserable if the catch cup is small or awkward to reach. This is the part of griddle ownership people complain about and the part no specification sheet describes.
A griddle does not do indirect heat, so it adds to a grill rather than replacing one. Work out where both are going to live before you buy the second one.
Coverage
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BLACKSTONE Original 22" Tabletop Griddle
Propane
Blackstone’s tabletop flat top. A 22 inch plate that packs into a car, which is most of what a tailgate breakfast needs.
No. A flat top gives you a surface nothing falls through, which is what breakfast, smash burgers and diced vegetables need. It cannot run an indirect zone, so it will not roast a whole chicken or hold anything at low temperature for hours. Most people who own both end up using the griddle more than they expected and still keeping the grill.
Do I have to season a griddle?
Yes, if the plate is bare carbon steel, which most are. Seasoning is thin layers of oil polymerised onto the surface by heat, and it is what stops food sticking and the plate rusting. It takes an hour before first use and a wipe of oil after each cook. Some plates now ship pre-seasoned or with a rust-resistant coating, which shortens the first step but not the habit.
Tabletop or a full cart?
Tabletop if it is going to be carried, stored in a garage, or taken camping. A cart if it lives outside and you cook for more than about four people. The cooking surface is the obvious difference, and the one people underestimate is that a cart gives you somewhere to put things down, which matters more on a griddle than on a grill because everything happens at once.
