This is the upgraded 2021 version of our older 17″ Blackstone.
Like most homes these days, we have both an indoor and an outdoor kitchen.
After more than 20 years with our trusty old Weber grill, we have recently switched to a Blackstone griddle, which we bought in November 2020 – and we couldn’t be happier.
The Blackstone Griddle has more cooking space than our Weber – 260 square inches as opposed to only 189 square inches. That is a huge increase.
The 17″ is ideal for two-to-three people, but if you are four or more we suggest looking at the the 22″ version.
Since we bought it, we’ve taken this griddle round the block. We’re cooking more outside now because it is neater and the heat distribution is fantastic. We find it heats evenly in the center of the grill.
For the Mexican food and Asian rice dishes we love – the griddle works beautifully.
For example, Huevos Rancheros. We are able to put a pot on the grill and heat up the beans, then move the pot into a cooler corner to keep the beans warm. We put a small copper cup in the corner to warm up our salsa verde to douse the eggs. While those two pots are in the corners, we baste 4 eggs at once while warming 4 corn tortillas. Everything is served at the perfect temperature. FANTASTIC!
We love fried rice. Everything is prepared at once in separate areas on the griddle – the rice, the veggies, the meat or tofu.

Oh! And the french toast … the. best. EVER!

The burners below the top are never exposed, so they remain clean. The griddle itself takes only a few moments to clean and prepare for the next meal.
The Blackstone Griddle was just what we needed to make all of this pandemic cooking more fun, full of discovery and even more delicious.

No, you can’t have our griddle. We’re keeping this thing. Get your own.

Here is what we put the Blackstone on when in use: Portable Kitchen

We store or Blackstone inside a Rubbermaid 37 gallon tote box. with plenty of room to spare for tools, fire extinguisher, covers, and thermometer.
Here is our process to clean it after every use:
- Let the griddle cool down after cooking. It is safer!
- Scrape the surface with a metal scraper, removing all visible particles.
- Wipe the surface with a dry paper towel picking up all the scraped debris.
- Sprinkle some water on the surface
- Add some water to a paper towel folded into a rectangle, place it on the surface, and then place the scraper on top of it and clean the surface, bearing down hard. Flip the paper towel as needed.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5.
- For stuck on food, we warm up the griddle, pour some water onto the surface and repeat steps 4 and 5. We also can use a Blackstone Scouring Pad for real stubborn food. (seldom happens)
- Rinse off the water with paper towels.
- Dry it gently with a paper towel.
- Coat flat surface, and the inside and outside edges, with a layer of oil.
- Clean out the oil and debris from inside the built-in grease catcher.
- Cover the griddle.