# Should I get a griddle or a charbroiler?

Quick answer by Norpex (Cooking equipment). Updated 2026-09-25.
Canonical: https://norpex.ca/answers/griddle-vs-charbroiler

Get a griddle if you cook eggs, pancakes, smash burgers, sandwiches or anything small that needs a flat, even surface. Get a charbroiler if you want grill marks and a flame-grilled flavour on steaks, burgers, chicken and vegetables. Many kitchens with a varied menu run both side by side, because they do different jobs.

## Details

A griddle cooks by contact with a steel plate, sometimes chrome-finished. Thicker plates hold heat better when you load cold product, and thermostatic controls hold a set temperature, which suits busy lines, while manual controls simply set the flame or element.

A charbroiler cooks over gas burners with radiants, lava rock or ceramic briquettes, or over electric elements, below a grate, so fat drips onto the heat and flares, which gives the grilled flavour. It produces more smoke and grease vapour than a griddle and needs regular grate and radiant cleaning.

Both normally sit under a hood with fire suppression. A salamander or cheese melter is a third option when you need top-down heat for finishing rather than a cooking surface.

## Read more

- [Griddle vs Charbroiler: Flat-Top, Grill or Salamander for Your Menu](https://norpex.ca/guides/griddle-vs-charbroiler)

## Shop the catalogue

- [Griddles](https://norpex.ca/products/griddles)
- [Charbroilers](https://norpex.ca/products/charbroilers-grills-and-broilers)