Vulcan Commercial Griddles & Flat Top Grills
Vulcan commercial griddles, often called flat top grills, provide a continuous cooking surface for burgers, breakfast foods, sandwiches, vegetables, and other cookline applications. Compare width, gas or electric power, plate design, and manual or thermostatic controls.
How to Choose a Vulcan Flat Top Grill or Griddle
Choose a Vulcan griddle based on the menu, peak production, cooking-surface width, control style, and available utilities. A larger cooking surface can increase simultaneous production, but it also requires additional cookline and hood space.
Manual vs. Thermostatic Griddle Controls
Manual controls provide direct control over heat input and require the operator to actively manage cooking temperature.
Thermostatic controls are designed to maintain a selected surface temperature with less operator adjustment.
The right control type depends on cooking style, staff experience, and how much temperature consistency or direct heat control the operation requires.
Gas vs. Electric Vulcan Griddles
Compare gas and electric models based on existing utilities, installation requirements, production needs, and operating preferences.
Utility type should be considered alongside plate size, controls, cooking width, and menu rather than treated as the only selection factor.
What Size Vulcan Griddle Do I Need?
Estimate how many menu items must be cooked simultaneously during peak service and how much surface area each item occupies. Buying too little surface area can restrict production, while an oversized griddle can consume cookline and hood space that could be used for other equipment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a flat top grill the same as a griddle?
In commercial foodservice, “flat top grill” is commonly used to describe the same type of broad, flat cooking surface as a griddle.
Should I choose manual or thermostatic controls?
Manual controls provide more direct heat management, while thermostatic controls reduce the amount of active temperature adjustment required.
When are manual controls a good fit?
Manual controls can suit operations that rely on experienced cooks or high-temperature searing.
What size griddle should I purchase?
Base width on peak simultaneous production and available cookline space.
Backed by Vulcan Expertise
Roxanne Holt, Sales Manager at Vulcan, says thermostatic controls can simplify operation by maintaining temperature for the user, while manual controls require more training and active management. Holt notes that manual griddles can be a better fit when an operation needs especially high searing temperatures for thin cuts of meat or aggressive browning.