If you have ever stood at a rectangular griddle with your back to your guests, flipping pancakes while everyone else is chatting behind you, you already understand the problem the EVO griddle was built to solve. EVO is not just another outdoor griddle. It is a circular flat top designed from the ground up to be the centerpiece of a social outdoor kitchen, and once you see it in action, it is easy to understand why so many homeowners fall in love with it.
Most griddles are rectangular, which forces the cook to stand facing a wall while everyone else waits on the other side. EVO flips that setup around, literally. Its round cooking surface lets people gather all the way around it, so you are cooking with your guests instead of turning your back on them. That social, interactive cooking experience is really what EVO was built for: a place where the meal and the get-together happen at the same time and in the same spot.
Is breakfast your favorite meal? On an EVO, you can cook eggs, hash browns, and a side of bacon all at once, with no juggling separate pans and no waiting for stovetop space to open up. If you are a French toast person, the options are pretty much endless. You can cook multiple slices at a time, get the edges perfectly caramelized, and still have room left over for toppings and sides.
Lunch works the same way. Throw the burgers and hot dogs on, grill up some fresh onions, and toast the buns, all in one go. Everything finishes together, so nothing sits around getting cold while something else catches up.
When dinner rolls around, just bring your ingredients out to the EVO. Sear a steak, saute peppers and onions right alongside it, and build steak sandwiches the whole family will want seconds of. It is the kind of griddle that adapts to whatever you are cooking, whatever time of day it is.
When you are shopping for an EVO griddle, you have a few solid options depending on how you want it to live in your outdoor kitchen.
If you are looking for a built-in unit, you can choose between the Affinity 30 and the Affinity 25. The Affinity 30 is a bit larger, both in weight and cooking surface, with a 30 inch cooking diameter. The Affinity 25 weighs a little less and offers a slightly smaller cooking surface at about 25 inches in diameter.
If a built-in is not what you are after, there is good news: EVO also makes a professional wheeled cart version. It is not locked into one spot, so you can move it wherever you like, whether that means rolling it closer to the patio table or tucking it away when it is not in use. This freestanding version has a generous 30 inch cooking diameter, giving you the same cooking capacity with a lot more flexibility in placement.
Every EVO griddle comes equipped with dual gas burners that are independently controlled, giving you edge to edge, even heat across the whole surface. That balance is a big part of what makes cooking multiple dishes at once so easy.
A standout feature is the inner and outer control knobs. These are adjustable and regulate temperature across two circular heat zones, so heat is spread evenly across the entire surface. That means you can keep finished food warm around the edges while high heat cooking continues right in the middle, which is exactly how you pull off a big breakfast or a multi-course dinner without anything going cold.
Up top, you will find an adjustable vent to manage steam, along with a stainless steel lid to keep things covered when needed. Toward the bottom, there is a battery-powered, one-touch ignition system to get you cooking quickly, along with removable spillover trays that make cleanup simple.
Speaking of cleanup, it really is easy. Use the scraper to get the heavy stuff off the surface, then push everything into the grease tray that surrounds the cooking area and right into the empty slots. Scrubbing pads are there if you need a little extra help, but for the most part, you will want to treat the EVO like cast iron: a light wipe of oil after cleaning keeps the surface seasoned and ready for next time.
If entertaining and hosting are a big part of your lifestyle, the EVO’s circular design turns cooking into the main event instead of something that happens off to the side. Guests can gather around the griddle itself instead of standing behind the cook, which changes the whole feel of an outdoor gathering.
It is also a great fit if you already have, or are planning, a traditional grill and want a second cooking station that can handle just about everything, from breakfast to full family dinners. The options and capabilities feel practically endless, whether you are cooking for two or for a backyard full of guests.
At the end of the day, cooking breakfast, lunch, and dinner with the people you care about is what the EVO griddle is really all about.
Curious about how an EVO griddle could fit into your outdoor kitchen? At Atherton Appliance & Kitchens, we showcase EVO griddles in live kitchen settings, so you can see the round cooking surface, the dual burners, and the build quality firsthand.
Stop by our showroom or schedule a consultation to explore the Affinity 30, the Affinity 25, and the freestanding cart version, and see why the EVO griddle could be the centerpiece your outdoor kitchen has been missing.
Watch our video: What Is an EVO Griddle (And Why You’ll Love Cooking On It)
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