Which would use less energy, a griddle on top of 220 volt stove or an electric griddle?
By Ginny from Evarts, KY
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I think the stand-alone griddle is probably your more energy efficient appliance. I've used electric frying pans for years because making a dish with that actually did turn out to be less costly than heating up one burner on the cooktop.
We used only the electric frying pan for a month. Didn't turn the cooktop on once, and watched the meter and subsequent electric bill. The next month we used just the cooktop, and again checked the meter and bill.
The electric frying pan saved us about ten dollars. During the month we used only the electric frying pan, we used the electric kettle to boil water, and the microwave (1100W) to cook veg and other dishes.
It was really surprising to see that ten dollar difference. We thought it would be the other way around, frankly. I think you'd find the same results with the electric griddle.
An electric griddle would be better because you unplug it each time you get finished using it to cook with. Even appliances that are turned off use some electricity as long as they are still plugged into the wall.
Blessings, Robyn
Standard household current in the U.S. is 120 volts; big electrical appliances like stoves and dryers are on a "double circuit," that's 240 volts. The amount of electrical power an appliance uses is measured in watts, not volts.
Even if you compared the wattages of the two appliances, (it should be printed on them somewhere), that wouldn't tell you which one uses more power to cook a particular food. The wattage shown on the appliance is going to be the maximum amount of electricity it can use at once, and your stove can obviously use more electricity than your griddle, so that's no help.
My gut instinct is that the electric griddle is more efficient than a stovetop griddle. Just like an electric kettle, an electric griddle has the heating element in direct contact with your food (or water). Using a kettle or a griddle on a stovetop, first the heating element of the stove has to get hot, then it has to heat the pot or pan your food is in, THEN the food can get hot.
A lot of electrical appliances draw power when you're not using them. Not all of them do, though. Anything with a clock (like a microwave or cable box), or items plugged into an adapter (like a computer or printer) will draw power when it's not on. A lamp doesn't. Not all electric stoves do.
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