Steel, Iron or Electric? Buying Guide to the Best Plancha Grill

Plancha is the Spanish word for a flat metal plate, and cooking a la plancha means searing food directly on that plate, very hot, with little more than oil and salt. In Spain that means shrimp, squid and vegetables. In a Mexican kitchen the same word names the flat-top where fajita meat and onions sear and tortillas get their spots. The appeal is the same in both places: steady, high, even heat across a solid surface, with nothing falling through the grates.

A plancha grill can be a carbon steel plate that goes from the stove to the grill, a cast iron plate that replaces your gas grill’s grates, a steel griddle that spans a camp stove, or an electric griddle on the counter. This guide compares the ones worth buying, using each maker’s own specifications, and explains which kind suits the way you cook.

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Quick verdict: which plancha to buy

The rest of this page explains why, and how to match a plancha to your heat source.

Five planchas side by side

Our five standout picks, one for each kind of cook, with the specifications each maker or listing states. All eight planchas are reviewed in full below.

Product images from Amazon. Sizes, materials and heat sources are as stated by each maker or listing; check the listing before you buy.

How this plancha guide differs from our griddle guides

Our guides to the best cast iron griddle and the best stainless steel griddle pan already cover two pans sold under the plancha name, the Staub enameled cast iron plancha and the Demeyere stainless plancha, along with stovetop griddles in those two materials. This page is about plancha cooking itself: a plate you can get very hot and take outdoors. So it leans toward carbon steel, plates made for gas and charcoal grills, a large camp-stove plate and a stainless top, with one reversible cast iron griddle and one electric model as contrasts. None of the products here appears on those two pages.

Our picks for the best plancha grill

Eight planchas: two carbon steel plates for the stove and the grill, a round carbon steel plate for kettles and kamados, a cast iron plate for gas grills, a big steel plate for camp stoves, a stainless top for any grill, a reversible cast iron griddle and an electric griddle.

How to choose a plancha for your stove or grill

A restaurant line cook judges a flat-top by how hot it gets, how evenly, and how easy it is to scrape down between orders. At home the questions are similar, plus one more: what heat source it sits on.

1. Your heat source

Start here, because it rules things out. Made In’s carbon steel works on induction; Lodge says its carbon steel griddle is not for smooth-top stoves. Napoleon’s plate is made for gas grill grates, Made In’s round griddle for kettles and kamados, and Camp Chef’s for its own stoves. An electric griddle needs only an outlet.

2. Material

Carbon steel heats fast, takes seasoning and is lighter than cast iron of the same size; it rusts if left wet. Cast iron heats slowly but holds heat. Stainless needs no seasoning and resists rust, but sticks more. A coated electric plate releases easily but rules out metal tools. For carne asada and seafood, carbon steel is the closest to a restaurant plancha.

3. Size

Measure your grill grate or burners before you buy. A two-burner plate like the Made In or Lodge carbon steel suits a family of four; the Camp Chef’s 448 square inches suit a crowd. If you also want a separate pan for tortillas, see our guide to the best comal for tortillas.

4. Grease management

Fajita meat and chorizo render a lot of fat. The Camp Chef has a front grease trough, the GGC a grease trough, the Blackstone a rear grease system and the Napoleon drain holes. The carbon steel plates and the Lodge Pro-Grid have no channel described, so keep a metal scraper and a heatproof container close by.

5. Care

Bare carbon steel and cast iron need to be dried and oiled after washing; Made In says hand wash only, and Lodge says hand wash, dry and oil. Stainless and coated surfaces need less upkeep but do not build a seasoned surface.

Cooking on a plancha outdoors, safely

Follow your grill’s and griddle’s manuals first. These rules come from the National Fire Protection Association’s grilling safety tip sheet and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission:

• Use propane and charcoal grills only outdoors, well away from the home, deck railings, eaves and overhanging branches (NFPA).
• Never use charcoal to cook or for heat inside enclosed areas, because the carbon monoxide can kill you (CPSC).
• Keep the grill clean by removing grease and fat buildup from the grills and the trays below (NFPA). A plancha collects fat on its surface, so scrape it into the trough or a container as you cook.
• Keep children and pets at least three feet from the grill area, and never leave the grill unattended (NFPA).
• Always open a gas grill’s lid before lighting it (NFPA).

How we picked these planchas

We started from what a kitchen expects of a flat-top: high, even heat, a surface that can be scraped and seasoned, and a size that fits the heat under it. We searched Amazon in the United States for planchas and flat griddles from makers that publish their own details, checked every product’s stock with Amazon’s product data, and read the maker’s page where we could reach it (Made In for both griddles and Lodge for the carbon steel griddle); otherwise the specifications come from the brand’s own listing, and each review says when a detail is not stated. We left out products already reviewed on our cast iron and stainless griddle pages, unbranded and “Generic” listings, and products down to their last few units, which ruled out Staub’s Le Plancha and a de Buyer carbon steel griddle. We also passed over a Spanish-made reversible griddle because its listing does not state the material. We have not used these planchas for this guide, and we did not rely on any review site’s rankings.

Plancha questions, answered

What is the difference between a plancha and a griddle?

Mostly the word and the heat. Plancha is Spanish for a flat metal plate, and cooking a la plancha means searing on it at high heat; a griddle is the same idea in English, often run cooler for pancakes and eggs. Napoleon, for example, sells a cast iron griddle and calls its flat side ideal for “a-la-plancha style” high-heat searing.

Can you use a plancha on a charcoal grill?

Yes, if the plate is made for it. Made In says its round carbon steel griddle is designed for kettles and the Big Green Egg, and both Made In griddles and the Lodge carbon steel griddle are listed for grills and open fire.

Is carbon steel or cast iron better for a plancha?

Carbon steel heats and cools faster and is lighter for its size; cast iron holds heat longer once hot. Both need drying and oiling after washing. For the highest heat, Made In rates its 4 mm carbon steel as heat safe to 1200°F.

Can you cook carne asada on a plancha?

Yes. A very hot plancha gives the meat an even, dark crust across its whole surface, where grates give stripes and smoke. Many cooks use both: grates for the smoky char, plancha for onions, chiles and tortillas alongside. For serving ideas, see our guide on how to eat fajitas.

Our final word on the plancha grill

Buy the Made In Carbon Steel Griddle with Grill Press if you want one plancha for every heat source, including induction and the grill. Choose the Lodge carbon steel griddle for a lighter, made-in-the-USA plate on a gas range, the Napoleon to turn a gas grill into a plancha, and Made In’s round griddle for a kettle or kamado. For a stand-alone propane flat-top, see our guide to the best outdoor griddle.

And if you would rather leave the plancha to us tonight, see the menu or call to order.