Presto 07045 Family-Size Cool-Touch Tilt'N Drain Electric Griddle

Presto 07045 Family-Size Cool-Touch Tilt'N Drain Electric Griddle

Good, but could be better.
I purchased this griddle intending to use it to cook pancakes, bacon, and to heat torillas.
First of all, the aluminum surface of the griddle is not as thick as I was expecting. I haven't measured it, but I'd estimate it's between 1/8" and 3/16" thick across most of the surface. As such, it does warp under high heat. It was set on top of my smooth top range (range was off and cold, of course!) and when I turned it past 450 degrees, I found that one of the 4 legs would be off the surface. There is a raised lip around the outer edge which would prevent liquids (pancake batter, beaten egg, etc) from spilling off. This is useful and well executed.
Previous reviews noted that your pancakes can come out "striped" due to the heating element. I underestimated this. Though made of aluminum, there definitely are vast differences in heat from one area of the griddle to another. I think this griddle would perform much better if the heating element covered more of the surface of...

Big with nice tilt feature
Having gone through several electric griddles over the years this one is the pick of the litter. The tilt feature is nice to keep your bacon from deep frying in its own grease and makes clean up easier. The size is great since you can actually feed a crowd (thats why you bought it right?). There are some hot spots as usual with this type of item but nothing real serious. I would recommend this item if you want to cook up a pound of bacon at a time, a mess of pancakes or 6 grilled cheese sandwiches.

Big Disappointment
I ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS GRIDDLE. We bought oversize to make more pancakes and thought the cool-touch edge was a great idea. The Tilt'N Drain sounds great, but a mere bump of the cool-touch edge and the griddle falls into the drain position. Not what you're looking for when pouring pancakes. First of all, it still only accommodates five normal size pancakes (four corners and one in the middle). The surface is not level, and all the pancakes run towards the center giving them a distinctive oval shape. The biggest disappointment is the heating element. I purposely pour the center one first, and the one closest to the heating source last. Despite my efforts the one closest to the heating element source turns dark brown in no time flat, and the one in the center is barely ready to flip. End result...I'm shopping for a new griddle.

Exclusive tilt and drain feature. Efficient square shape holds more pancakes, eggs and sandwiches. Cool touch base surrounds grilling surface on the front and both sides. Easy to clean and store.

• 1500-watt nonstick electric griddle with efficient "square" shape
• Tilt'nDrain function for adjusting grilling surface from level to tilted
• Control Master heat control maintains proper cooking temperatures automatically
• Cool-touch base surrounds grilling surface for safety; dishwasher-safe
• Measures 19-2/5 by 15-4/5 by 3-8/9 inches; 1-year limited warranty