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Weber launched their new products for 2024 this week, including a new griddle, Slate. While the griddle they released last year was a basic, but good, entry into the griddle market, Slate is more purpose-built. We had been tracking Slate’s release, so we’re excited to see it announced.
Pre-Seasoned Griddle
The main feature of the new griddle is the griddle plate is pre-seasoned carbon steel, so it’s ready to use right out of the box. That means no Googling how to season your griddle and then spending time doing it, you can just cook right away.
It also means that the griddle top is rust resistant from its pre-seasoned properties. In other griddle tops, rust develop if they’re not properly, and continually seasoned.
Model Comparison
There are three different models in the Slate line. All feature the pre-seasoned griddle plate, have a good looking hinged hard cover, and advertised 500°F edge-to-edge heat. They have front grease management, and also all have four casters on the bottom of the griddle body to easily move it around.
- Slate 30″ Rust-Resistant Griddle – Retails for $649 (check price) and has three burners across a 30″ griddle surface. It has a side shelf on the left and right for prep and storage.
- Slate 30″ Rust-Resistant Griddle with extendable side table – Retails for $799 (check price) and has three main upgrades from the other 30″ model. It has an extendable side table that folds out from the right side shelf to add even more prep space. For additional storage it comes with two WeberWorks storage bins on the bottom shelf. It also has an added surface temperature gauge.
- Slate 36″ Rust-Resistant Griddle – Retails for $999 (check price) and is a four burner model with a 36″ griddle plate. It swaps the WeberWorks storage bins out from the lower model for an enclosed cabinet design. It carries over the extendable side table and the temperature gauge from the lower model.
If I were choosing, and it matched my budget, I’d go with the 36″ model. The main reason that I’d pick it though is because of the added size. When cooking on a griddle, especially for breakfast, I feel like bigger is better.
Temperature Gauge
One of the big upgrades on the two higher priced models is the addition of a temperature gauge. It’s a digital display that shows the surface temp of the griddle. This is nice to have so you know when it’s heated-up, or to see if the temperature is creeping higher as you cook. The only downside is there’s only one display, so that’s not too helpful for zoned cooking.