This $19.99 ALDI Appliance I Wish I'd Bought Sooner

I've considered buying an electric griddle for most of my adult life, but I've never taken the plunge until now. Growing up, my mom would use hers to make easy work of pancakes, bacon, French toast, and grilled cheese. Her griddle was central command on the weekends since it got meals onto the table quickly and efficiently for our family of six. However, when I had kids, I reasoned that pans would suffice despite childhood evidence to the contrary.

After years of flipping pancakes across two large pans and making grilled cheese sandwiches in small batches, ALDI presented me with the griddle I've always wanted (and needed!). At just $19.99, the Ambiano Large Family-Sized Electric Griddle is less than half the price of comparable models, so I had no more excuses to pass it up.

Despite owning it for a short time, I can honestly say that I wish I'd bought it sooner! If you have more than three people in your family, its ample cooking surface and even heat distribution make it the ideal solution for quicker, easier, and more efficient meals. I might be a late bloomer, but I'll now be a griddler for life.

Why I Love ALDI's Family-Size Electric Griddle

The first thing that made me fall in love with this griddle was its generous 20.4 by 10.5-inch cooking surface. When I meal prep large batches of our favorite three-ingredient cottage cheese pancakes, I can cook eight simultaneously—a feat that would have required three pans and the dexterity of an octopus on my stovetop.

The nonstick ceramic coating is also impressive. The coating uses sol-gel technology to create a durable, high-temperature-resistant, PTFE- and PFOA-free alternative to traditional nonstick surfaces. It's known for its hardness and long-lasting performance, which I'm hopeful about but can't yet comment on from experience.

The removable drip tray catches excess grease, which means less splatter and simpler cleaning. The griddle features seven heat settings, so it can go from a gentle warm to sizzling hot. The extra-large cool-touch handles are also handy, allowing me to safely reposition it when my son wants to climb up on the counter and help me cook, and the non-slip feet keep it firmly planted on my countertop.

The most surprising feature of the $20 appliance is its three-year warranty and post-sale support phone number and email address. Most kitchen gadgets at this price point offer a year at most, so ALDI's confidence in this product speaks volumes.

How I Use ALDI's Ambiano Electric Griddle

My weekend brunch situation is now much more efficient. I can prepare a full spread of French toast and sausage patties in one fell swoop. Some of my dinner prep has also gotten significantly easier. Last night, I used it to make quickie quesadillas for the whole family. Previously, I'd be standing at the stove for 20 minutes, making them one at a time while earlier batches cooled. Now everyone gets hot, crispy quesadillas in quick succession.

Instead of my usual time-saving sheet-pan fajitas, searing the components (skirt steak, chicken, shrimp, vegetables, etc.) on the griddle will taste better. It'll likely take the same amount of time (or less), and the clean-up will be just as easy, but the griddle will produce much tastier fajitas. I'm also looking forward to seeing how the "crust" turns out when I make smash burgers on it.

I can see how helpful it will be with meal prepping, too! I can char enough bell peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms for a week's worth of lunches or dinners in one session. I can also brown some make-ahead burritos before they go into the freezer and quickly char green onions and jalapeños for my smoky whipped cottage cheese ranch dip.

Whether feeding a crowd, my family of four, or trying to simplify mealtime and meal prep, this griddle punches way above its $20 price tag. As with most things, I wish I'd listened to my mother sooner.

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