Presto 22-Inch Electric Griddle: Our Hands-On Review and Verdict

The Presto 22-inch is a roomy, forgiving, budget-friendly griddle that earns its counter space on any morning when you are feeding more than four people. The ceramic surface releases food easily, and the price keeps it an easy yes for a busy household. The tradeoffs are a coating that needs gentle care and a large footprint that takes up considerable counter space.

07061 vs 07062: What Differs

In practice, pick whichever is cheaper on the day. Buy the 07062 if you cook a lot of bacon and want the roomier tray.

We cooked the way a busy family cooks: pancakes and French toast for a crowd, bacon and eggs side by side, and hash browns and sausage for the stragglers. We scored heat evenness, capacity, cleanup, storage, and how comfortable it felt to have kids near it.

The verdicts below draw on those findings; when we cannot substantiate a number, such as preheat time or cooking area, we say so.

Heat follows the ring of the element, so the edges run hotter and the middle cooler. That is the one flaw to know before you buy. The fix is simple: load the center with food that wants gentler heat, and keep the quick-browning items toward the outside.

Preheat Time and Hot Spots

Presto does not publish a preheat time, so give it a few minutes and test the surface before the first pancake. Once hot, it handled a mixed load well. We laid bacon on the side nearest the grease drawer and poured pancakes on the far side, and both cooked at the same time. A full 16 oz pack of bacon cooked evenly while the drip pan held all the grease, so breakfast came off one surface in one pass.

Dial Accuracy

The Control Master dial is a guide, not a promise. Check the surface with a laser thermometer to confirm what the dial says. A quick reading saves you from burnt or undercooked pancakes, especially on the first batch.

Beyond the heat ring, the finely textured surface leaves a faint dotted pattern on pancakes and French toast. It is harmless. The smooth-sliding ceramic also lets you nudge pancakes around to use every inch, which helps when the edge cooks faster than the middle.

Presto states the coating is PFAS-free, though we found no separate PFOA statement. If you want background on the term, here is what PFAS chemicals are.

The ceramic is the part to baby. After five to seven years of regular use, a previous Presto's nonstick faded to needing spray for eggs. Use silicone tools, hand wash, and the coating should last well.

Eight pancakes fit at a time, and making enough for five kids took about 20 minutes. Presto does not publish the cooking-area figure, so we skip a square-inch number and judge by pancakes instead.

For a family of seven, that means two rounds rather than five. It also cooks eggs, hash browns, sausage, and bacon without oil, so a whole breakfast can come off one surface.

Cleanup is where this griddle wins its place in our kitchen. Taking the handles off makes the plate easy to wash fully in the sink, and the base is cast aluminum that Presto says is fully immersible once the heat control is removed. The ceramic wipes clean easily.

The slide-out drip tray holds all the grease from a full pack of bacon. It is large, but the loose fit can let it shift. The plastic retaining wings are brittle and chip if the tray drops, so set it down gently and do not carry it full.

Presto advises hand washing, so skip the dishwasher and keep metal scouring pads away from the surface.

Once the plate is clean and dry, storage is the next question. With the handles off, the base stores in most standard 18-inch kitchen cabinets, though it fills almost the full depth of a standard cabinet. The handles, tray, and cord fit in a gallon zipper bag, which keeps small parts from wandering.

At 22 inches, it is big for a small counter. The unit may not sit perfectly flat and can wobble slightly, so give it a level stretch of counter space.

Since this griddle lives at the table, a few safety rules matter more than they would on a stovetop.

Because the griddle sits on the table, kids can cook alongside you; keep little ones back from the hot edges and the cord.

If you want a bigger, heavier outdoor-style surface in an electric format, our Blackstone E-Series 22-inch electric griddle review covers a pricier option. For a smaller, more premium indoor option, see our Zojirushi Gourmet Sizzler electric griddle review.

Presto also sells the 07072 Slimline, a separate 22-inch model that costs more. We have not found a published reason to choose it over the ceramic 07061 or 07062 for pancake-and-bacon breakfasts.

Buy it if you feed four or more people, cook breakfast for a crowd, or want a table-top option that kids can use with you. It suits anyone who values easy cleanup and a low price over precision heat.

Skip it if your counter or cabinet space is tight, if you need perfectly even heat from edge to edge, or if you plan to use metal tools or run it through the dishwasher.

Both models sit in the budget tier, so pick the 07062 over the 07061 only if it costs the same or less and you want the roomier grease tray. A one-year limited warranty covers either.