Gas griddles are quite popular these days and many people I know have one or want one. However, I have yet to see someone with a Vevor flat-top griddle. And I think that’s a mistake!
The Vevor 36-inch flat-top grill is very comparable to the leading brand names but at a much better price. I think it is the best-value flat-top in this size category.
It offers a cooking surface large enough to feed my family of 6 all at once AND the space-saving ability to fold up the side shelves and legs.
At The Grilling Dad, we’re pretty high on other Vevor products (meat slicers anyone?) and this one didn’t disappoint either. Let’s dive in.
Pros:
- Large cooking surface
- Ability to fold shelves and legs for storage and transport
- Price, compared to leading brand names
Cons:
- Screws are provided instead of an axle
- Temperature can differ between right and left sides
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Vevor Flat-Top Grill Overview and Features
Grilling Area
You can cook a LOT on this flat-top grill. The grill plate is made of hot-rolled stainless steel and measures 36″ x 19.5″. That provides 702 square inches of cooking space. As you can see in the picture below, I made enough pancakes for the entire family to eat at the same time! A small miracle!
The large area requires more than one or two burners. There are four burners, and they produce 60,000 BTUs. Starting from cold (around 40°), it heated to over 330° in a little under 10 minutes on Low. Pretty quick! It also gets HOT if you let it. The highest temp reading I’ve had yet was over 650° as a test (you don’t want to cook anything that high).
Having four burners is nice because you can create 2 different “cook zones” easily by setting the left two and right two at different temperatures.
Fold-ability and Storage
The Vevor griddle can fold up and be moved around on a set of large rear wheels. This is an awesome feature that I haven’t experienced on other large flat-tops. It makes the size seem less cumbersome when storing and adds some mobility.
The fold-out side tables are very handy and are another big space saver. They are perfect for storing utensils, plates, and seasonings during the cook. I had to be careful, though, not to put plastic closer to the grill plate as heat escapes on the sides.
Other Features
Two of the wheels lock, ensuring that it won’t move around on you while cooking.
There is a drip tray to catch grease and food crumbs. I didn’t notice a slant to the griddle (which I suppose is a good thing), so the grease doesn’t exactly run into it.
The price sits under $300 normally. Which for a griddle this large is a very reasonable amount. The more popular brands will run you north of $400.
Biggest Drawbacks of the Vevor Flat-Top Grill
I don’t have many issues with the Vevor griddle. My biggest complaint is that the screws for the tires should be replaced with a heavier axle as the weight is almost too much for the screws to bear.
Otherwise, these are more minor items that you will find with most griddles this size:
- It weighs quite a bit, just shy of 100 pounds. So it’s not the easiest thing to use for tailgating or camping.
- There aren’t any wind guards on the sides or back. This makes maintaining stable cooking temperatures difficult on really windy days.
- The temperature fluctuated from one side to the other. The left was about 15-30 degrees hotter than the right even when the burners were set at the same temperature. You can see how this made a difference in the coloration after seasoning in the picture above. Once I knew this was happening, it wasn’t an issue. Like any grill, I just had to find where the warm spot was!
My Favorite Feature
My favorite feature is the ability to fold up for space-saving or easier transport. Every other griddle I’ve used is a space hog. The 36-inchers are big to begin with but are often amplified by side handles or shelves. I REALLY appreciated how the Vevor folds up, both the shelves and the legs. I’ve found it much more manageable to store in the garage. I was able to fold and stow everything in under 4 minutes. And that included some time to screw the wing nuts back into place so I didn’t lose them.
What should you cook on the griddle?
What should you cook on the Vevor flat-top griddle? There is a wide variety of options to cook. Personally, I love making breakfast (eggs, hashbrowns, sausage, veggies) or fajitas. Denver-style omelets, smash burgers, and cheesesteaks are also great as well! You can even cook steak on a griddle…
Assembly and Seasoning
I was able to fully assemble the griddle in under 20 minutes. The pictures in the directions were a little hard to see and the extra bolts threw me off. Otherwise, it was easy!
Since the grill plate is stainless steel, seasoning it works the exact same as a cast-iron pan. Here are the steps I went through:
- Heated for about 15 minutes on medium-high.
- Squirted vegetable oil on the grill plate and rubbed over the entire surface and sides with paper towels and tongs.
- Let the oil smoke off, which took about 5-10 minutes. DO THIS OUTSIDE. “Smoke off” means that it gets smokey!
- Repeated steps 2 and 3 until the cooking surface was nice and dark. In total, I applied oil 5 or 6 times.
Pros:
- Large cooking surface
- Ability to fold shelves and legs for storage and transport
- Price, compared to leading brand names
Cons:
- Screws are provided instead of an axle
- Temperature can differ between right and left sides
How sturdy would you say it is? Does it wobble when you apply pressure doing smash burgers?
It’s surprisingly sturdy for not being the “main” brand. The shelf stabilizes it well. And the grate is heavy.
We have a YT video doing smash burgers on the same griddle: https://youtu.be/poehRxfsDy8. No wobble in sight.