To find out which flat-top grill was best (and to have an excuse to eat a lot of smashed burgers), we selected four models, priced from about $170 to around $350. The article credits the rise to the popularity of smashed burgers, a type of burger that is pressed flat as it cooks to give it crispy, lacy edges.

A 2018 article by Popular Science found that grill manufacturers have seen between a 150 and 600 percent increase in sales of flat-top models. In recent years, flat-top grills have surged in popularity. And since flat-top grills have multiple burners, they also have multiple heat zones, which, in theory, allows for searing burgers in one zone while toasting burger buns in another.

Instead, they’re meant for cooking foods that are typically cooked on a griddle-pancakes and fried eggs-as well as foods that are typically grilled but are flattop-friendly-steak, burgers, and sliced vegetables. But unlike gas or charcoal grills, flat-top grills can’t be used for barbecuing or smoking foods. Like traditional gas grills, flat-top grills are propane powered, have multiple heat zones, and are designed exclusively for outdoor use. A flat-top grill is a scaled-down version of this diner appliance that replaces a grill’s grates with a flat sheet of carbon steel. Peek into the kitchen at any busy diner and you’ll likely see a short-order cook standing in front of a flat-top griddle, employing every inch of its wide, flat cooking surface to churn out batch after batch of fried eggs, pancakes, bacon, grilled cheese sandwiches, burgers, and more.

Flat top grille