Cuisinart 360° XL Griddle Outdoor Cooking Center, 30” Round Flat Top Grill with Stainless Steel Vented Lid, Folding Prep Tables, 45,000 BTU Burners, Grease Management, Gas Grill for BBQ, Cookouts

This griddle is so versatile and so much better than a grill!Assembly took a little under 2 hours (taking my time and being methodical). All the hardware and assembly points are very well made and instructions were easy to follow.The griddle has a small footprint but has a good sized griddle surface. I managed to easily fit 13 (4 oz) smash burgers on it with room to spare. The surface heats up very fast. I seasoned the surface 4 times before my initial use and I have had no issues with food sticking. The trick is to lightly season the surface lightly after every use.A problem I see people having with this griddle design is that there is nothing to keep the food (like veggies) from falling off the surface while you are tossing the food. The food just drops into the grease trough and is easily retrievable.UPDATE:The only other issue is the small size of the 2 flip out shelves. They are large enough to fit some of your cooking tools on them, but that is about it. I would suggest having a table adjacent to the griddle to hold all the food and tools you will need.All the surfaces (besides the griddle top) is enamel coated which makes the griddle easy to clean and looking good.So far, I have made smash burgers, cheese steaks, hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, chicken, pork shops, bacon, stir fry, omelettes, pineapple, and roasted potatoes.UPDATE:I made Chicken fajitas! Having all that griddle area to cook 2 lbs of chicken thigh pieces, a huge mound of various peppers and unions, PLUS 2 serving skillets all at once! I felt like a real chef bringing 2 SIZZLING skillets of fajitas to the dinner table! Griddling requires a lot of prep space anyway.So many of these things are impossible to make on a grill.If you decide to order this griddle, I would recommend ordering the Cuisinart griddle cover as well.

I noticed that the reviews are a mix of a couple of grills which can be confusing. This one is for the larger Cuisineart 360 XL.I would always go with the larger one even if it is a bit pricey compared to its smaller cousin. I have had it for a week and love doing stir-fry and smash burgers. Less splatter on the floor and food flying off the top with the larger surface. I looked at the EVO with I found out is a little less than $4000, yikes, I'm sure it is heaven, heats evenly and lasts forever, but too rich for me. This grill works great and seems just as fun to cook on, though I wonder how many years it can last in the open.You will want to buy a cover for the unit, as the metal cover doesn't completely cover the sides of the grill top, and has a vent hole that I'm sure will leak. If you don't keep it under an awning, you will need a cover.And the unit is very wide and will not fit through most doors, so if you have a patio with a door you'll want to either decide it to be indoors or outdoors as once you bolt on the base, that's pretty much it.Pros:- Great 30" round cooking surface. Pretty thick enough to hold heat. Surprisingly good against sticking when seasoned. Larger surface also means cooking in middle helps minimize splatter when grilling, and less food flying when stir-frying.- Surface gets about 550 F and can get a little higher. Good for "smash burgers" or stir fry.- Easy to clean with water and a scraper. Use towels to wipe drip catch around the grill to the drip pan.- Comes with a big metal cover.- A left and right foldable shelves (thought wish a little larger).- 3 burner zones so you can have the center to be hot, and the sides for holding/warming if you are stir frying.Cons:- Base is a bit cheaply made. I do worry about long term rust, I suggest if you see rust to immediately use anti-rust treatment and/or paint.- There were some minor manufacturing defects and minor scratches, but fortunately no dents. There was one issue, there was a very sharp piece of metal pin-point on the sheet-metal of the drip cup (and pricked me!). I was able to remove it, but ouch!- Though it has 3 burner zones, I wished the side zones were curved rather than straight to help even out the heat to the side. With that, the heat on the top can be a bit uneven.

Every outdoor cooking appliance is a trade off between functionality and price. If money is not a concern, then the EVO griddle for $5,000 is the best for a 30" diameter round. If price is a concern, then get the Cuisinart 360 XL. Both provide over 705 sq. inches of cooking space.1. High heat output of 50,000 BTU similar to the EVO, but the 360 XL has three separate burners running vertically. Left/Right single burners and center in a "U" shape. The EVO has two concentric round burners which makes heat control easier; however, the 360 XL can be managed knowing you will have some hot/cold spots. Wind shielding isn't the greatest, but isn't bad and you can rotate it if you have straight line winds.2. The round steel griddle is heavy, but not very heavy. It could have been beefier, but that would require the rest of the frame to be sturdier.3. Grease management is excellent with the all round drip tray that drains into the grease cup. If food falls into it, just pick it up and put back on the griddle.4. Made in China and made cheaply. Don't leave it out in the rain, it will rust, and will rust if you don't keep it clean. The control knobs are made of plastic, which will break if you frequently turn them hard. Amazon shipping is also an issue, often times these grills will get beaten up in shipping. It may be worth paying $20 for inside delivery so you can inspect the package or refuse delivery.At the price point of $440 after tax, it is a better product than the standard Blackstone griddle. If the price was $500 or higher, then I would look into a better standard rectangular griddle between $500-$900 that could attain the similar heat per sq. inch. I expect to use this griddle for 3-4 years, then it will likely break down, but by then I'm sure other companies will have more price competitive round griddles.

This griddle is huge and works great. I use this more then my new grill. I am so happy I saw one of the videos produced by a influencer and purchased the Cuisinart XL 360 griddle it is awesome!