Is Smithey’s 18-inch Cast Iron Double Burner Griddle Perfect for Your Kitchen?

I know how to cook, but I don’t know if I’ve ever truly enjoyed it. I think a lot of what stops me from having a good time when cooking is the need to use multiple pans and the big mess that results (and if you don’t use multiple pans, you have to wait for one thing to finish before you can cook the next — it’s just too much!) That’s why I think this cast iron Double Burner Griddle by Smithey solves a lot of those problems.

In fact, after having made my first meal with it last week, I’ve used it at least once a day, sometimes more. I’ve never cooked this much in my life, which says a lot in and of itself.

I acquired the griddle by looking through pages and pages of cookware until something stood out to me. When I saw the griddle, I intuitively knew I would have an overly positive experience with it, so I requested this as a review unit, and I’m so glad I did.

Smithey Double Burner Griddle

$295.00 from Smithey

Cooking Breakfast with the Smithey Double Burner Griddle

Anyone thinking about buying a griddle is probably thinking first and foremost about breakfast. How does the Smithey go about cooking breakfast? That’s the very first question I asked myself when the unit arrived.

Most of my cooking experience at home has been on stainless steels pans, so anything would be an improvement upon that (except a normal nonstick pan). However, I did cook breakfast on my friend’s HexClad a few times, and that was an amazing experience — yet, I think that this experience tops it.

While a HexClad has a unique nonstick experience and even heat distribution, you’re still limited by the dimensions of the pan, and I think that’s one of my biggest gripes with cooking. With the Smithey Double Burner Griddle, you have a whopping 189 square inches of cooking space. It’s like being granted half of your stove to cook with all in one place.

I tried it on my friend’s gas stove to start with, and it did not disappoint:

After buttering the pan where the eggs were placed, I started cooking some fresh eggs, breakfast sausages, bacon, and heirloom tomatoes. Then, as the eggs began to cook, I added some Dubliner cheddar on top of them, and seasoned them with pepper. After the eggs and bacon cooked, I began to toast some of the Pan de Cristal buns I’d picked up.

Let me tell you, these breakfast sandwiches came out amazing!

Of note: When I was in the middle of cooking, I looked underneath the pan and saw that only one side of my friend’s stove was working, so it was interesting to see how well the Smithey Double Burner Griddle was able to evenly heat everything, even when it was only working with 50% of the heat it should have had.

Cooking Breakfast on an Electric Stove

I was hungry again when I got home, so I cooked up some more eggs, bacon, and sausage on my electric stove from the 70s.

Cooking on an electric stove allowed me to really see how the distribution of the heat worked, as I have two burners that both work properly. It did a really great job.

Cooking Steak or Dinner on the Smithey Double Burner Griddle

I cooked a few more breakfast meals in the interim, then yesterday, I really wondered what it would be like to cook a steak on it. I’m intimidated by cooking steak on cast iron: Every single set of instructions I’ve seen about making steaks on cast iron has said to make the cast iron as hot as possible, toss the steak on it, then flip it. I HATE doing that — it makes smoke go everywhere and sets the fire alarm off! Sometimes someone in the building will run over to my place and examine what kind of fire is going on. It’s just not something I ever want to do anymore.

While I was thinking about this, I also wondered if I could recreate the types of flavors I get at my favorite Korean BBQ place, Pigya, by cooking some soybeans and kimchi. My friend also mentioned that cooking vegetables would be good on the griddle as well, so I picked up a few endives and cherry tomatoes to see how that would turn out. I tested out some potatoes, too.

While I was cooking, I felt I might’ve got a little too ambitious — I mean, look at how much stuff I was cooking at once! Would this even turn out okay?

Luckily, all was well at the end. However, I probably should’ve started the potatoes earlier, because that took me until I had finished the meal to finish cooking. If I had boiled them earlier, I think that would’ve worked better. Still, here’s the end result:

Everything turned out so well and everything was so evenly cooked. My dry aged T-bone steak came out to a perfect medium-well temperature with a nice sear. My endives came out crisp and tasted great when I shaved Peceretto al Tarfuto onto them. The cherry tomatoes popped with flavor in my mouth. The onions were nice and flavorful. The kimchi and soybeans, while really good, did not come out the same as Pigya, though: I think if I were to buy a whole kimchi napa cabbage with the big leaves that are drenched in juices, I could recreate it, though. The kimchi I made wasn’t that great in comparison, but phenomenal for something I cooked at home.

How the Smithey Double Burner Griddle Saves and Costs You Time

From a cooking standpoint, you wouldn’t believe how much time you can save by cooking all in one place, especially if you have to make meals for two or more people at once. The time savings you get from this are just unbelievable, especially if people want to eat at the same time. Cooking on multiple pans just makes some people have cold food, or people eating at different times, which is no fun. I also like how the channels on the side of the griddle are able to capture the excess grease and oil.

However, this time saving does come with a cost. When it comes time to clean up the Smithey Double Burner Griddle, you have to take your time to clean it properly. Not to mention, it may have difficulty fitting in all sinks. This was my least favorite part of the process and while it took a lot more time to clean than my stainless steel pan, I did put more care into it, because I know this piece will last me for the rest of my life.

Bonus Steak Recipe that Will Impress Your Friends and Family

• Prime dry aged T-bone steak, with no-salt seasoning from Costco, black pepper, light salt, tarragon, chives, and garlic rubbed into it. Once finished, grate on Pecorreto al Tartufo to take your steak to the next level.
• Grill endives and shave Pecorreto al Tartufo onto them.
• Grill up some cherry tomatoes, garlic, and onion as well.
• Make a salad with arugula, micro greens, grated Pecorreto al Tartufo, raspberries, and almonds.

Smithey Double Burner Griddle

$295.00 from Smithey

In My Expert Opinion

Is the 18-inch Cast Iron Smithey Double Burner Griddle worth it? Absolutely. I’m going to be cooking with this every day. I could see myself buying this for my friends who love to cook and having them enjoying this for the rest of their lives. Yes, it’s expensive, but my mom buys a new set of pans every few years, so if you add up $30 here and $30 there, it would easily surpass the $295 price tag. Make sure to get your own Smithey griddle. You won’t regret it!