Current Events > I want a griddle, but can't justify the cost for it.

(+) Yeah! (+)

Each time I grill for 2, I think I need to spend like $40:

• Raw protein (e.g., steak, chicken, and shrimp),
• Tremendous amount of oil/butter,
• Sauces (you need like quarter of Mr. Yoshida's sauce per cook, and a bottle of that costs $20!), and
• Propane.

And the upfront cost of getting a griddle is like $600 ($500 + $100 in accessories):
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blackstone-36-Culinary-Omnivore-Griddle-with-Hood-4-Burner-Liquid-Propane-Flat-Top-Grill/5013690483

There's a fantastic sushi and hibachi table-service buffet by our house that costs $16/person during lunch and $24/person during dinner. The $16 one even includes unlimited steak and chicken hibachi, as well as unlimited sushi. Regardless, that means for two people, it'll cost $40 w/ tip for lunch and $60 w/ tip for dinner.

I feel like I'll never come out ahead if I cook myself vs. going to this buffet for lunch... for dinner, it seems like the break even point ($600 + $40 * x < $60 * x) is 30 cooks. And that's not even including the sushi you get from the buffet!

Bah.

/blogfaqs

Electric griddles arent that pricey.

You can get a cheap ass griddle for at least 30. It ain't great but they aren't out of reach.

Bro. Wut

LonelyStoner posted...

Electric griddles arent that pricey.

Kamil posted...

You can get a cheap ass griddle for at least 30. It ain't great but they aren't out of reach.

I mean, you need the high heat and the even surface temperature to be able to cook well.

Just how much meat are you cooking that it costs so much? A standard serving of meat with a hibachi dish is 2, maybe 4 ounces at most, and you should not overdo it with the sauce. You should be filling up on veggies (broccoli, onions, zucchini, mushrooms, and carrots are pretty standard, all cheap) and rice/noodles.

IdiotMachine posted...

I mean, you need the high heat and the even surface temperature to be able to cook well.

Just grab a griddle that you can lay over your grill, then. Still, they arent that expensive.

LonelyStoner posted...

Just grab a griddle that you can lay over your grill, then. Still, they arent that expensive.

Hmm idk why I didnt think of that. Im sure someone sells a griddle pad or whatever that I can put instead of my grill grates on my propane grill.

As a griddle owner who paid about $900 for the unit itself (Pit Boss Ultimate, though if it had been out at the time Id have gotten the Traeger one as it seems to have the most even heat and other features I like), your cost estimates are ludicrous.

Oil is dirt cheap at Costco / Sams, and you get good deals on butter there as well. When I use mine, I put down a layer of avocado oil, then melt butter from a stick until I have enough.

Thats an absurd amount of sauce, so you should stop wasting sauce. You dont really need sauce for most dishes anyway.

Buying a couple propane tanks is expensive these days, but getting them refilled is dirt cheap, should cost about $20 to refill 2 or 3 tanks, and a tank might last you months depending on how often you use it.