Griddle vs Contact Grill vs Salamander: Which Commercial Grill Do You Need?

Quick answerA griddle is a flat or ribbed hotplate you cook on directly: breakfasts, burgers, eggs, onions. A contact grill (panini press) cooks from top and bottom at once, so it is fastest for sandwiches, wraps and flat proteins. A salamander is an overhead grill for finishing: melting cheese, browning, toasting and glazing. Most cafés need a contact grill first; burger and breakfast kitchens need a griddle; a salamander is the add-on that makes plates look finished.

All three are "grills" in casual conversation, and that's where buyers go wrong. They put heat in different places, so they suit different foods. Buy the wrong one and you'll find yourself flipping paninis on a griddle or trying to melt cheese on a contact grill.

How each one cooks

Griddle: heat from below, open surface

A griddle is a thick steel plate heated from underneath. Food sits on it and is turned by hand. A smooth plate is the all-rounder for eggs, bacon, pancakes, onions and smash burgers. A ribbed plate lifts meat out of its fat and marks it with char lines. A half-and-half plate gives you both on one unit. Because the surface is open, you can run several products at once in different zones.

Contact grill: heat from top and bottom together

A contact grill has a hinged, heated lid that presses down on the food. Cooking from both sides at once roughly halves the time compared with flipping on a griddle, and needs almost no attention, which is why it is the standard café sandwich machine. A ribbed top with a flat base puts char lines on the top of a panini while browning the base evenly. Fully grooved top and bottom plates suit chicken, halloumi and vegetables.

Salamander: heat from above only

A salamander is an open-fronted overhead grill with an adjustable rack. It isn't a primary cooking tool. It finishes dishes: melting cheese on toasties and nachos, browning gratins, toasting bagels and garlic bread, and glazing. Quartz models heat up almost instantly, which suits short bursts during service.

Match the machine to your menu

Compare Keloo's range

Prices correct at time of writing.

Plate size, power and your electrics

Size to your busiest 30 minutes. A 550mm griddle comfortably runs three or four products in zones; at 730mm you can run four or five without them running into each other. For contact grills, a 305mm plate takes one panini at a time, 425mm takes two side by side, and the twin and double models let you run two batches independently.

Check your supply before you order. A standard UK 13A plug supplies up to about 3kW. Anything above that, including the 730mm griddles at 4.4kW, the 5.6kW BBQ grill and 3.6kW contact grills, needs a suitable dedicated supply, and the KEL-822 is three phase. Have a qualified electrician confirm and fit the right connection. Units at 3kW and under can run from a 13A socket, but avoid sharing that circuit with other high-draw equipment.

Frequently asked questions

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