I've a gas stovetop and want to make portable a griddle- ?stainless,
steel, cast, to lay on top of the burners when I want to make giant
amounts of fried food. I thought I'd get approx 1/4 inch thick
material and weld handles on the sides. Do not want a lip. Obviously
my main concern is food safety. Also concerned about warping with heat
applied and cracking. My stove came with a nice cast aluminum griddle
but its too small- only covers 2 burners. Don't care if it's heavy.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Dale

wrote in message
...
I've a gas stovetop and want to make portable a griddle- ?stainless,
steel, cast, to lay on top of the burners when I want to make giant
amounts of fried food. I thought I'd get approx 1/4 inch thick
material and weld handles on the sides. Do not want a lip. Obviously
my main concern is food safety. Also concerned about warping with heat
applied and cracking. My stove came with a nice cast aluminum griddle
but its too small- only covers 2 burners. Don't care if it's heavy.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Dale

I have a commercial stove with a 24" steel grill sheet. It is about an inch
thick and HEAVY... A friend of mine has an outdoor grill that is about a
quarter of an inch thick and it warps like crazy...

Jerry

On Feb 23, 2:16*pm, wrote:
I've a gas stovetop and want to make portable a griddle- ?stainless,
steel, cast, *to lay on top of the burners when I want to make giant
amounts of fried food. I thought I'd get approx 1/4 inch thick
material and weld handles on the sides. Do not want a lip. Obviously
my main concern is food safety. Also concerned about warping with heat
applied and cracking. My stove came with a nice cast aluminum griddle
but its too small- only covers 2 burners. Don't care if it's heavy.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Dale

There are grades of stainless that warp less than others. Don't know
what they are; I'd have to ask a welder.

I think I'd just get a piece of 3/8" aluminum plate, rivet some suitable
handles on the sides. The advantage of the aluminum is that it has very
high heat conductivity, the entire plate will be at the (almost) same temp.

A stainless plate would need to be very thick to avoid warping:
stainless is a fairly poor heat conductor, the areas over the burners
will expand while the outside edge stays much cooler. That will make the
center dish up/down, not fun for fried food prep.

wrote:
I've a gas stovetop and want to make portable a griddle- ?stainless,
steel, cast, to lay on top of the burners when I want to make giant
amounts of fried food. I thought I'd get approx 1/4 inch thick
material and weld handles on the sides. Do not want a lip. Obviously
my main concern is food safety. Also concerned about warping with heat
applied and cracking. My stove came with a nice cast aluminum griddle
but its too small- only covers 2 burners. Don't care if it's heavy.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Dale

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:47:09 -0600, RoyJ
wrote:

I think I'd just get a piece of 3/8" aluminum plate, rivet some suitable
handles on the sides. The advantage of the aluminum is that it has very
high heat conductivity, the entire plate will be at the (almost) same temp.

A stainless plate would need to be very thick to avoid warping:
stainless is a fairly poor heat conductor, the areas over the burners
will expand while the outside edge stays much cooler. That will make the
center dish up/down, not fun for fried food prep.

I agree, the conductivity of aluminum makes it a better choice than
stainless. I'd suggest using a 1/2" or 5/8" AL plate for more heat
storage and better distribution. Cast iron would also work well and
should not warp.

Now if you could find a 3/8" plate of copper...

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 12:51:22 -0600, Jim Levie
wrote:

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:47:09 -0600, RoyJ
wrote:

I think I'd just get a piece of 3/8" aluminum plate, rivet some suitable
handles on the sides. The advantage of the aluminum is that it has very
high heat conductivity, the entire plate will be at the (almost) same temp.

A stainless plate would need to be very thick to avoid warping:
stainless is a fairly poor heat conductor, the areas over the burners
will expand while the outside edge stays much cooler. That will make the
center dish up/down, not fun for fried food prep.

I agree, the conductivity of aluminum makes it a better choice than
stainless. I'd suggest using a 1/2" or 5/8" AL plate for more heat
storage and better distribution. Cast iron would also work well and
should not warp.

Now if you could find a 3/8" plate of copper...

My former supervisor's portable (on a tandem axle trailer) barbeque
pit had a 1/2" thick sheet of inconel clad steel on top the approx.
30" square firebox. That worked pretty good if you get lucky at the
salvage yard. He'd cook breakfast for the entire barbeque crew, then
cook the beans and sauce on top.

Pete Keillor

wrote:

Do not want a lip.


Where is that grease going? Fire is in my thoughts.

Wes

You've a point Wes- no lip on the griddle would invite trouble. Thanks
for all the responses folks. Would 6061 be a good choice? Thinking 1/2
inch plate and weld flange around the perimeter to act as a lip/
stiffener/handle attachment point.

You're all invited for steak fried rice.

dale

On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:47:09 -0600, RoyJ
wrote:

I think I'd just get a piece of 3/8" aluminum plate, rivet some suitable
handles on the sides. The advantage of the aluminum is that it has very
high heat conductivity, the entire plate will be at the (almost) same temp.

A stainless plate would need to be very thick to avoid warping:
stainless is a fairly poor heat conductor, the areas over the burners
will expand while the outside edge stays much cooler. That will make the
center dish up/down, not fun for fried food prep.

wrote:
I've a gas stovetop and want to make portable a griddle- ?stainless,
steel, cast, to lay on top of the burners when I want to make giant
amounts of fried food. I thought I'd get approx 1/4 inch thick
material and weld handles on the sides. Do not want a lip. Obviously
my main concern is food safety. Also concerned about warping with heat
applied and cracking. My stove came with a nice cast aluminum griddle
but its too small- only covers 2 burners. Don't care if it's heavy.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Dale
Mother had a CI griddle for pancakes that made eight at a time - must
have been at least 12 x 24" - I don't recall it being all that heavy,
of course I haven't seen it in 35 years.
Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

If I were doing it, I'd use a bit thinner piece, hit it in a press brake
to put some 1" wide, 1/4" high lips on the side. 6061-T6 would be fine.
Keep in mind that temps in the 700F range for any extended period will
reduce the 6061 strength to 15% of original.

wrote:
You've a point Wes- no lip on the griddle would invite trouble. Thanks
for all the responses folks. Would 6061 be a good choice? Thinking 1/2
inch plate and weld flange around the perimeter to act as a lip/
stiffener/handle attachment point.

You're all invited for steak fried rice.

dale

Back in the '80s I bought a Lodge cast iron griddle. It fits neatly over 2
burners on a gas range, and works very well indeed. It is really well seasoned
and is now practically nonstick. It wasn't that expensive and they are still
sold. Before you do anything, I'd consider what you can buy inexpensively.

Grant

He already has a double griddle, needs a BIG one for BIG appetites.

But the Lodge cookware is good stuff. I have some items, need to pick up
a pan for jambalaya. Price is right: a 10" cast iron pan is less than
$10 at my local.

Grant Erwin wrote:
Back in the '80s I bought a Lodge cast iron griddle. It fits neatly over 2
burners on a gas range, and works very well indeed. It is really well
seasoned and is now practically nonstick. It wasn't that expensive and
they are still
sold. Before you do anything, I'd consider what you can buy inexpensively.

Grant

RoyJ wrote:

He already has a double griddle, needs a BIG one for BIG appetites.

But the Lodge cookware is good stuff. I have some items, need to pick up
a pan for jambalaya. Price is right: a 10" cast iron pan is less than
$10 at my local.

That's true, Roy, but if you want a No. 8 cast iron skillet (10" dia.)
you should consider buying a vintage Griswold skillet. It is much lighter
than the Lodge pan, and probably will never crack if you put cold water on
a hot pan. It will appreciate in value.

I once saw a cast iron skillet lid in a junk pile. I asked if I could have it
and the guy looked at me incredulously and said sure, if I wanted it. I bead
blasted it and seasoned it and listed it on ebay (it was a Griswold No. 12
lid) and it sold for an insane $132 and the buyer was ecstatic to get such
a deal.

No, I never went back and told the junk pile guy how much his junk went for.
That would be cruel and unusual punishment.

But no. 8 skillets go much more reasonably.

Grant

The new Lodge pans are considerably thinner and lighter than the older
ones I got years ago. Plus they are not ground on the inside, you just
get the fine grain cast iron. My 10" Dutch Oven weighs 15 pounds with a
lid, the new pan is a flyweight by comparison.

I'm not going to use it for frying, I want the stovetop to oven
capabilities with the heat characteristics of cast iron.

Grant Erwin wrote:
RoyJ wrote:

He already has a double griddle, needs a BIG one for BIG appetites.

But the Lodge cookware is good stuff. I have some items, need to pick
up a pan for jambalaya. Price is right: a 10" cast iron pan is less
than $10 at my local.

That's true, Roy, but if you want a No. 8 cast iron skillet (10" dia.)
you should consider buying a vintage Griswold skillet. It is much lighter
than the Lodge pan, and probably will never crack if you put cold water on
a hot pan. It will appreciate in value.

I once saw a cast iron skillet lid in a junk pile. I asked if I could
have it
and the guy looked at me incredulously and said sure, if I wanted it. I
bead
blasted it and seasoned it and listed it on ebay (it was a Griswold No. 12
lid) and it sold for an insane $132 and the buyer was ecstatic to get such
a deal.

No, I never went back and told the junk pile guy how much his junk went
for.
That would be cruel and unusual punishment.

But no. 8 skillets go much more reasonably.

Grant