What Size Griddle Do You Need? The Honest Guide
Two years ago, I bought a 22" Blackstone for my trailer. Six months later, I sold it and bought the 36". The marketing says a 22" is perfect for a family of four, and maybe it is if you're cooking four burgers and calling it a night. But I'm here to tell you that "family of four" math is a bit optimistic, and the honest answer to what size griddle you need depends on how you actually cook, not how many people you're feeding.
I'm Chef Dom, and I've spent the last decade on flat tops, first in a diner pushing out 400 breakfasts a morning, and now in my backyard and food trailer. My 70-pound lab mix Bruno supervises every cookout from his spot exactly three feet from the heat. I've owned a Lodge cast iron that I drag to campsites, a Made In carbon steel that lives on my stovetop, and I've cooked on just about everything in between. This guide is the one I wish I'd read before I wasted money on the wrong size.
Here's the short version.
| Product | Price | Why it won | Why it lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstone 36" | $300-ish | Cooks a full breakfast service and a tailgate of 20 without breaking a sweat | Grease trap overflows if you don't babysit it |
| Blackstone 22" | $150-ish | Perfect for weeknights and small families | You'll outgrow it the first time you entertain |
| Camp Chef 28" | $400+ | Built like a tank, better frame than Blackstone | Pricey, and the extra cost doesn't buy you more cooking surface |
| Pit Boss 22" | $130-ish | Budget play that won't fall apart on you | Not going to blow you away, but it works |
| Lodge Cast Iron Reversible | $40 | Indestructible, outlives everything | 40+ pounds of iron that's a pain to move and store |
How I Test
I don't run lab tests. I run a 100 smash burger test, a full breakfast service, and the seasoning test, which is just me using the griddle normally for 60 days and seeing if it rusts when I slack off. I've owned a Blackstone 36" for four years, a 22" for six months before I gave it to my brother-in-law (he still brings up the windy cookout every year), and I've cooked on a Camp Chef that a buddy swears by. This is all lived experience, plus what I've seen buyers report on Amazon when a product fails.
The Size Question
Everyone asks if a 22" or 36" is better for a family of four. The honest answer is that a 22" is fine for four people, but it's not fine for four people plus a side of pancakes plus the bacon you're cooking first. The 36" isn't about feeding more people. It's about cooking in batches instead of sequentially. On my 22", I'd cook the bacon, move it to a plate, cook the eggs, move them, then cook the pancakes. By the time the pancakes hit the griddle, the eggs are cold. On the 36", everything hits the surface at once and comes off at the same time. That's the real difference.
Blackstone 36"
The grease trap is a joke. I'll say it right up front because every buyer on Amazon says it, and I've lived it. A verified purchase from March 2024 put it this way: "The grease trap is too small, it overflows every time you cook bacon." That's not an exaggeration. I've learned to scrape more often and empty the trap mid-cook, usually right after the bacon comes off. It's a design flaw, and it's the one thing I'd change about this griddle.
But here's why I've owned mine for four years and haven't looked back. The heat distribution is the best I've used on a standalone unit. No cold spots. The back left corner cooks as hot as the center, which matters when you're running a breakfast service of 12 eggs, a pound of bacon, and a stack of pancakes. The 36" surface is 720 square inches, and it all works.
The frame paint flakes off. That's another thing buyers report, and I've seen it on mine. It's cosmetic, not functional, but it's worth knowing before you spend $300. The wind kills the flames, too. I rigged a wind guard out of aluminum foil for a family reunion, and my brother-in-law still brings it up. Buy a proper wind guard before your first cookout.
If you entertain, if you tailgate, if you've ever cooked for more than four people, get the 36". The 22" will leave you wishing you had more surface, and that's a more expensive mistake than buying big the first time.
[Check price on Amazon]
Blackstone 22"
I owned the 22" for six months, and it was fine. It's a good griddle. It heats evenly, the price is right at around $150, and it's the right size for a couple or a small family. But I sold it to my brother-in-law after I tried to cook for eight people and spent an hour and a half working in batches. The burgers were done, then the buns, then the toppings. By the time I sat down, my food was cold.
The 22" gives you 339 square inches of cooking surface. That's enough for four smash burgers at once, or maybe six if you're using thin patties. It's not enough for a full breakfast service. If you're cooking for two or three people, it's plenty. If you ever host, even occasionally, go bigger.
One thing I'll say for the 22" is that it's a great starter griddle. It's cheap enough that you're not out much money if you decide flat top cooking isn't for you, and it's a good way to learn the seasoning ritual without a huge investment. My brother-in-law still uses his. He just cooks for four, not eight.
[Check price on Amazon]
Camp Chef 28"
I don't own a Camp Chef, but my buddy who runs a food truck swears by his. I've cooked on it a half dozen times, and the build quality is noticeably better than the Blackstone. The frame is sturdier, the grease management is better, and it feels like it'll last longer. Buyers on Amazon consistently say the same thing: Camp Chef feels more solid than Blackstone.
The catch is the price. You're looking at $400 or more for a 28" model, and you don't get more cooking surface than a Blackstone 36". You get better build quality and a better grease trap. If you're the kind of person who wants to buy once and never think about it again, the Camp Chef is the smarter buy. If you're on a budget, the Blackstone gets you 90% of the way there for $100 less.
I'll also note that Camp Chef offers a flat top griddle attachment for their grill systems, which is a different product entirely. That one fits over a camp stove and runs about $100. It's a solid option if you already own a Camp Chef grill, but it's not a standalone unit.
[Check price on Amazon]
Pit Boss 22"
Pit Boss is the budget play, and I respect it for what it is. A 22" model runs around $130, and it's a solid value. The build quality is decent, the heat distribution is acceptable, and it won't fall apart on you. It's not going to blow you away, but it works.
The one thing I'll say is that the pre-seasoning on Pit Boss griddles is average at best. I've seen buyers report rust within weeks if they don't re-season immediately, which is the same pattern you see with most budget griddles. Plan to strip it and re-season it before your first cook. The factory coating is a head start, not a finish line.
If you're on a strict budget and you need a griddle, the Pit Boss is worth a look. If you can stretch to a Blackstone 22", you'll get better heat distribution and a slightly better grease trap. But the Pit Boss won't embarrass you.
[Check price on Amazon]
Lodge Cast Iron Reversible
This is the one I drag to campsites, and it's a different beast entirely. It's a stovetop griddle, not a standalone unit, and it weighs over 40 pounds. The weight is a pain, the learning curve is real, and you have to manage the seasoning carefully. But it'll outlive you. I've had mine for six years, and it's never rusted, never warped, never failed.
The Lodge is a reversible griddle, flat on one side and ridged on the other. The flat side is where you'll do smash burgers and breakfast. The ridged side is fine for steaks, but it's harder to clean and doesn't give you the same crust. I mostly use the flat side.
At around $40, this is the cheapest way to learn flat top cooking. It fits over two burners on a standard stove, and it's induction compatible. The thermal mass means it holds heat better than any thin steel griddle, but it also takes longer to heat up. Give it 10 minutes to get hot before you start cooking.
If you're in an apartment or you don't have outdoor space, this is the right call. It's not a replacement for a standalone griddle, but it's a solid entry point.
[Check price on Amazon]
What About the Made In Carbon Steel?
I mentioned the Made In carbon steel griddle earlier because it's the one I use on my stovetop now. It runs $100 to $200, and it's the last griddle you'll buy. The steel takes a seasoning like nothing else I've used, and it's lighter than the Lodge at around 20 pounds. It's crafted in Sweden, it's induction compatible, and it's expensive. I don't track prices day to day, so I won't pretend to know next week's, but it's worth every penny if you cook indoors regularly.
The Seasoning Ritual
Whatever size you buy, the seasoning is the thing that matters. I've seasoned a cheap griddle three times and still watched it rust. I spent 20 minutes scrubbing with steel wool and re-seasoning. Never again. The ritual is simple: scrape, wipe, oil, repeat. After every cook, scrape off the burnt-on bits, wipe it down with a paper towel, and lay down a thin coat of oil. I use canola for everyday and grapeseed when I'm building a fresh seasoning from scratch. Flaxseed creates a beautiful hard seasoning that flakes if you look at it wrong. Don't overthink it. Any oil with a high smoke point works.
The Bottom Line
Buy the 36" if you entertain, if you've ever cooked for more than four people, or if you're tired of eating cold food while you work in batches. Buy the 22" if it's just weeknights and you're not hosting. And if you're cooking indoors, get the Made In and never look back. The right size isn't about the number of people you feed. It's about whether you want to cook everything at once or in shifts. I know which one I choose.