Today the brand new Solo Stove Steelfire griddle goes under the microscope, and we’re going to answer the question of whether it’s better than a Blackstone for your backyard.
Buttermilk pancake recipe:
Full written review:
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48 Comments
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The cart appears to be wobbling quite a bit when you were cleaning. Is that the case?
Can you tell me the height from the ground to the cook surface please?
Great video! Just ordered mine. I wonder if wind effects the cooking performance of the Solo Steel. Does anyone know?
I lost more than $100 per minute watching this video. My solo griddle with cart is on the way at $1,298 after tax, from a 12:32 video. 😢
OR
I saved almost $2 per minute watching this video because I got to use the $20 off coupon code 😅
It’s all about framing I guess.
Excellent content, you’ve earned yourself a subscriber
David so from your experience most griddles rust? I’m in the process of buying a Weber 28 inch rust resistant griddle. Do you think history says Webber griddles rust?
David, Thank you for the great video. I think that this is my next griddle. I have a custom table setup for my griddle and charcoal grill (Camp Chef FTG400 and Weber Kettle 22, respectively). I have been looking for a table-top griddle with a lid, grease management in the front, recessed griddle surface for windy-day cooks, and stainless would be nice (though not a personal requirement for me). I've looked at the Slate, the Elite 4B, bigger Camp-Chef models, Flatrock, etc, and they all tick some boxes but not all of them. I think that this SoloStove model is as close to perfect as I am going to get, unless I stretch my budget to options from LeGriddle & EVO.
There is no reason this should cost this much, much like their fire pits they are way over priced for what they are.
Great video! Thank you so much for the information. I just ordered the griddle and use your discount code. I appreciate it. I’m gonna use it for an outdoor kitchen so I’m just gonna use the grill unit. I wanna be able to protect it from the elements and I noticed on the website, they sell a steel fire Shelter. I can’t tell from the description or from the images if it is intended to serve as a storage case or simply a cover. My preference is a cover so I don’t have to remove it from our kitchen every time I use it. Do you have any inside on this product or a product that I could use to cover this griddle so it’s safe to keep outside.
What’s the best griddle on market or ur favorite 2025
Could I possibly get that gluten free pancake recipe?
In my opinion, if you can spend this much on a fancy, fancy cell phone that's only going to last a couple of years or so before it starts to slow down, you can spend this much on a griddle that's not going to die in a couple of years like a cell phone.
Hi David and thanks so much for you channel and all that you do
I have a question about the cleaner you used to clean the solo grill
I recently purchased a rec tech dual fire 1200 which is made most mostly of stainless steel. It’s a great piece of equipment, and I love it however, the stainless steel exterior the scholar immediately upon the heat.
Do you think that the barkeepers friend cream that you use would be effective on that as well?
Wow, a 1.6% discount.
Just saw this griddle today and your video was the one that I was looking for because you absolutely do the BEST most comprehensive videos
Not only is this a 304 cooking surface but it’s tri-ply with an aluminum core. Similar pro stainless cookware. I think the price is justified.
Just started this video. And wanted to say thank you. As I’m looking to get a griddle by year end and this might be at the top of my list
It looks nice but is about 3 years too late for me. In the southeastern US, I'm not standing over a 500 degree griddle when it is 100 degrees outside. I have moved on to sous vide, propane torches, pellet smokers and a Weber gas grill with the ability to add a griddle surface if I need it. Not to mention the GOAT, a Weber kettle with Grill Grates. My Pit Boss griddle is slowly rusting away.
SoloStove missed the boat on this one, and I have a decked out Bonfire.
I believe the lid is a functional one, not just a cover. Do you know if this is available with a natural gas hook up? Cheers!
I own a Weber slate and it’s rust resistant. Came out before this
So it is a sponsored video as you did not buy this with your own money to review. The only way it is not sponsored is if you purchased this to review with your own money. And you have promocodes so you are getting kickbacks for sales.
I see no advantage over cold rolled for a flat top grill. A simple cover and a few minutes clean up and oil prevents any rust. Great video!
How did you get things to NOT stick? Stainless steel cannot be seasoned. Did you have to use butter or oil for things like eggs, pancakes, etc?
Really interesting product. Do you think this could get hot enough to do a pizza? If this could be a combo pizza oven (of sorts) slash grill, I'd be in for that price.
I live in the swamps of Florida and I’m tired of rust on my griddles no matter how much oil I leave on them. I’m going to buy this very soon. Great video.👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Personally – I was all excited to get a separate outdoor griddle when I was in the market for a gas grill as well, but I ultimately decided to get the Napoleon griddle insert and drop that into my new gas grill. I've been extremely happy with it – means I have the flexibility for either a grill or a griddle without an extra appliance, and the griddle stays in almost all the time. It is heavy, so being able to swap in and out likely doesn't work for everyone, but it works great for me.
That said – my impression of good griddle care is to avoid thermally shocking the metal – which promotes warping. You did both in this video – went from room temp directly into high heat for the warm up, and then dropping ice on the griddle on high temp going in the other direction. I'd love some guidance on the latest as it relates to how to avoid warping without being unnecessarily careful (I've avoided doing both these things and might be acting unnecessarily cautiously). Advice appreciated!
Thank you for another great review. I'd like to hear more about the lid, in most units it's more of just a dust cover. This lid looks more functional like it might hold enough heat in to say cook a pizza. I've been cooking pizzas on my grill with a 1/2 thick baking steal but looking to move a griddle setup but have been struggling to find one that fits the need without buying an additional components.
Ever since I was a kid growing up in North Carolina even in the early 80's my uncles always used a little Apple Cider Vinegar with their stainless steel scrubbers to clean grills and griddles and a little grill cleaner. No grill is going to be 100% all the time especially if you use it regularly but Vinegar will help with ease of cleaning.
I've been thinking of just buying a large outdoor burner and an oversize stainless steel pan, restaurant size. I'd probably save a lot of money compared to a stainless griddle and, having sides, I'd be able to do wet cooking like stews, soups, and rice and have a lid for steaming. There are inexpensive portable gas burners that put out a big enough flame (9 or 10"+ diameter) for big home pots, or I could get a paella burner in pretty much any size. They're not expensive compared to a griddle and usually used outdoors with large paella pans, which are just skillets with short handles. A large round griddle meant to be used on a burner, a skillet, paella pan, or straight-walled saute or rondeau would all work well over an appropriate burner and make for a flexible and affordable setup. Also lighter and more portable, for storage or even camping use.
This looks like a very good option for a conventional, off-the-shelf stainless steel griddle. There's a lot of value in what they're offering. Thanks for the video, I'm sure it will help a lot of people.
Solo nailed it on this flat top! The burner design is perfect, and the portability is a game changer. I currently use a steel made and love that too.
$1200 is too high…..the problem is Trump’s 30% tariff on the Chinese. Remember…. You pay the tariff. I’m damn sure not gonna give the government an extra 300 bucks that’s bullshit.
Will you be testing Napoleon Prestige pro stainless griddle?
Uh, the main reason that is is more expensive is that it is made by Solo Stove. They just overprice their products.
That said, as soon as they run a great sale, I am buying one. The codes you have simply are not motivation for me to purchase this.
BTW, your price comparison is NOT accurate. You showed the grills WITH the stands. That puts the Solve Stove at $1200, not $900!!!!!
Come on, man.
Cool my next griddle when i finish the outdoor kitchen. The oval shape will take some getting used too
A griddle that won't rust 😂😂😂 All you have e to do is take care of it
$899 is too expensive in my opinion. My Cuisinart 360 XL was $200 during a clearance and it cleans up really easy too.
8:59 – Wasn't mentioned, there's a disadvantage for stainless vs. regular cooktops.
There's a definite learning curve associated with stainless, particularly for people coming from a well-seasoned, regular steel flattop.
I'm netural on the cast iron vs stainless debate, I familiar with both.
But, a well-seasoned 'traditional' griddle is completely non-stick at any temperature and requires very oil… stainless cannot perform to the same level in the non-stick category.
Solid video, another thing he didn't mention that's sets it apart from the other griddles. You can cook on it with the lid closed. There are a few others like this, but for most the lid is just to cover the griddle.
All you need is oven cleaner (yellow can).
Number one challenge is the food sticking to the griddle, which is why I don't like SS. But I'm not seeing it here very much.
I work for a company that manufactures products. I’ll tell you exactly why this costs what it does. It’s made in China. When R&D started on this unit 2-3 years ago, I’ll bet money the target price was $599 for the unit only. Because it’s a brand new product, they don’t need to absorb as much of the tariff cost, and aren’t under the same pressure to, because people won’t know what it would’ve costs without tariffs in place. My company did the same thing. We had to raise prices due to tariffs, but there’s no way we could raise them the full 34%, so we absorbed about 20% of that cost, and raised prices 14-15%. New products coming have the tariff cost fully baked-in so our margins don’t suffer. That being said, the stainless steel alone is worth paying a premium for in my opinion. No doubt it’s engineered extremely well, and your tests prove it. 👍🏻
I have a stainless cooktop but cleaning it is a challenge
The price is not justified
Would love to see a category for construction, durability, and quality of materials. The cheap metal on most griddles like Blackstone is so thin and cheap, you can almost bend it by hand. Is this made with much heavier gauge steel and does it feel more premium? Could help explain the price.
This Solo unit looks like crap. The burn marks and design is just cheap looking.
$450 griddle at best. Especially if you can't reach 600 degrees. I saw some rust spots on the outside in one of the close-up shots.
I had a blackstone that I loved and I liked the fact that the sides and corners were cooler spots so I can keep things warmed up
I hope that they are gonna make a smaller version of this, because while it is great to have such a huge cooking surface.. it's sometimes too darn big!
How would this be able to compare to say a —— le griddle or a blaze griddle?