Cuisinart 360˚ XL Griddle Review
Let’s dive into my experience 360° of Griddle Cooking Versatility!
If you’re a dedicated griller like me, you know that grilling is not just about cooking outside. It’s a lifestyle, and it’s a way to gather people around your table or in your backyard, whether they’re friends, family, or co-workers. It’s always nice to have all these people around, and to see them enjoying themselves over the great food you cooked for them is a wonderful sight. The downside of having so many people to eat is…. dishes. I hate having to leave the party to go clean pots and pans, or leaving them behind to be washed after the guests are gone. If you’ve ever cooked on a griddle, you’ll know what I’m talking about, and if you’re about to invest in one, then you’re about to find out! If you’re still on the fence about whether to get your own griddle, I hope you’ll find that final persuasive nudge you’ve been waiting for in this review of the Cuisinart 360 XL Griddle Outdoor Cooking Station.
Overview
This griddle is the largest of the Cuisinart 360 line, hence the name 360 XL Griddle Outdoor Cooking Station. More precisely, it has a diameter of 30 inches, which gives a circular cooking surface of around 700 square inches. It comes with 3 independent burners for a total of 45,000 BTUs. The griddle is mounted on a rolling cart, with a door on the front to access the propane tank hidden underneath. The cart has two folding tables on each side with a paper towel holder underneath one table. It also comes with a large dome lid with opening vent traps. There’s also a 360-degree grease pan all around the griddle, and a grease trap that collects the dripping from the pan.
Griddles are my discovery of the summer. They are versatile and fun to use. If you are looking to purchase one, you can compare features and prices for a range of different options, but you can’t really get a feel for what they’re like to cook with. Luckily for you, I had the chance to test out the Cuisinart 360 XL Outdoor Cooking Station over the last few months. Let me try to explain to you why I’m such a huge fan of this fantastic griddle.
Assembly
The Cuisinart 360 XL assembly was one of the easiest that I’ve ever done. The main piece to put together is the wheel cart. Once this part is all sorted, the pre-assembled main piece (which is the burner unit that comes with the electrical components, the burners, and the controllers) has to be fixed on the cart. The fact that this part is pre-assembled saves you a lot of hassle and precious time. Finally, you just need a few more minutes to install the side tables, the propane tank holder, and the paper towel holder. All told, it took me about 45 minutes to put everything together. The only thing I’d suggest is to get your hands on an angled screwdriver, because the screw holes underneath the burners are quite tight, and they’re difficult to reach with a standard screwdriver.
Seasoning
Just like any cast-iron surface, if you want to start off well, you’ll first need a good seasoning. Apply a thin layer of oil on the surface, and sweep it with a paper towel. Turn the three burners up to high to burn the oil. When the surface turns dark and smooth all over the 360° plate, you’ll be ready to start griddling! I ended up seasoning the Cuisinart 360 XL Griddle Outdoor Cooking Station three times in total, before being ready to cook on it. The whole seasoning process took me about 30 minutes to complete.
Cooking
In our family, we love cooking breakfast on a griddle because you can cook just about everything at the same time. Bacon, eggs, roasted potatoes, pancakes – the large cooking surface of the 360 XL will let you prepare all of this simultaneously! For sunny side up eggs, I used the dome cover. I also tried some western omelets with a ton of grilled veggies and meat.
For a bacon fan like myself, the flat surface is fantastic for cooking perfect straight crispy bacon, all evenly cooked, which is impossible to get on a traditional grill.
I’ve griddled on the Cuisinart’s 360 Griddle in the past, but with the 360 XL, they’ve really upped their game. The possibilities are endless for a big, satisfying meal, and you can have it all ready at the same time. For example, I tested some shrimp tacos the other night, and I crusted my tortillas with some cheese directly on the griddle, while cooking the shrimps and sautéeing some veggies. The three-burner makes things easier if you need to keep some part of your meal on a low heat, while cooking something else at high in another zone.
I’m the kind of guy who loves a meal with a subtle smoky flavor, so for this occasion, I tried smoking some filets mignon directly on the griddle. The result was just like I expected, a kiss of smoke for flavorful meat. As a side dish, I also steamed some veggies and roasted some potatoes.
To test the griddle’s searing capacity, I made some shrimp and scallop kebabs, and some steaks. For better results, I turned all the three burners on high to get the maximum BTUs. The result was just perfect.
The Cuisinart 360 XL is different from any other griddle on the market because of its circular cooking plate. At our cabin, we love sharing a meal with friends or family, and this is the ideal shape for everyone to be able to cook their own food around the griddle. You can even remove the side tables easily to make more space for everyone. Just wheel it to where you want your gathering to happen, and wheel it back to store it away when everyone is done.
The other feature I absolutely love about this griddle is the cleaning. It is important to clean your griddle plate thoroughly every time and oil it frequently, and this grease pan is circular all around the cooking plate. This means it’s so much easier to clean than the kind where you have to push all the grease in a tiny little hole. Once this is done, you just need to wipe the grease in the pan with a paper towel.
Everyone should have a griddle in their backyard because it’s just so fun to cook on. No hassle of dirty dishes, you can cook for a very large amount of people, you can cook multiple things simultaneously at different heat levels. The Cuisinart 360 XL Cooking Center just makes everything so much easier. While it has a large cooking area, the griddle itself doesn’t take much space on the patio. As a bonus, it has a pretty amazing quality-price ratio, available for only $441.87 at Walmart, which is a pretty competitive price. For all those reasons, I highly recommend the Cuisinart 360 XL Cooking Center to anyone who is tempted by the whole griddling experience.