Every now and then something wonderful happens that shakes things up.
It could be a fundamental change to the way that that we do something.
The result is an improvement in the quality of life. Something like this can result in more joy and more capability. It is new and better. I think of things like a move to a new town or neighborhood. When we moved to the amazing town of Franklin, Tennessee it was one of those things. When we began attending Grace Center church it was a major life upgrade.
Recently two big things happened that have had major impact on my life. These things are worth writing home to momma about. They are getting a Kindle e-book reader and obtaining a flat top griddle. This story is about the latter.
We recently went to Texas to visit my wife’s mom. Her brother Galen, that loves cooking great meals for people, was there. He waxed enthusiastically about his CampChef 600 flat top griddle and how he was able to make huge quantities of really good food. He definitely had my interest.
So, I began studying flat tops. Some folks said the flat top was a legitimate gas grill replacement. The argument went that you could cook most of the same things as a gas grill and quite a few things that you can’t do on a gas grill. So, I sold my trusty stainless steel gas grill that I bought used about eight years ago for $125. I sold it for what I bought it for. It was a bit of a leap, but I did not have space for both. I sold it to a nice older gentlemen within about 20 minutes after putting it on FB marketplace. He was looking for that exact model and was happy to give me my full asking price. I started grilling on a gas grill back in my 20’s and have not been without a gas grill since then. Being without a gas grill would be something brand new for me. A totally different way of thinking about cooking outdoors.
I like to buy many things used and let someone else take the hit on depreciation. Like cars, cameras, and other quality things. You can frequently buy something nice at a used price and use it for several years, then sell it for near what you bought it for. Knowing that, I began searching Facebook Marketplace for a flat top griddle. One thing I learned is that they are in high demand and the reasonable priced used ones sell quickly. I lost out on several good deals. It took me about a month to locate a used one. It was about five minutes from the house. I scooted on over there and picked up a CampChef FTG600P for a little more than half of new price. I got it from a young couple that bought it for camping trips. They quickly found out that this one was just too big to be portable for camping. They got a smaller model and put their CampChef on FB.
I brought it home, set it up, and leveled it so that fried eggs would not run off.
Later that day I began to think about what I might cook on it. I figured that I would research that for a week or so and then take it on the maiden voyage.
One of the ubiquitous and amazing things of this period of time is the Youtube video. As you have probably experienced, this is virtually nothing that you can’t learn by watching Youtube.
It was late afternoon when I started looking on Youtube for some ideas. My seven-year-old granddaughter Abigail came and sat down on the couch to watch with me. Then my daughter in law Jennifer got drawn in. We all watched several short clips together. Then Abigail requested, “I want to watch the one about the hash brown omelets.” I cued that one up. It looked quite flavorful. The next thing you know Jennifer had got her keys and was headed to the grocery store to obtain the necessary ingredients. I had a flashback to when Jennifer and Brandon first moved to Colorado Springs and Jenn and I would watch food TV and try to reproduce the recipes at home. That night we made our first meal on the flat top. Toasted hash browns, eggs, ham, yellow and red peppers, onion, and cheese. We started the hash browns on the right side of the griddle. Then we put the ham, onions, and peppers on the other side. When the hash browns started browning up, we flipped them and added the eggs. When that looked golden, we added American cheese slices. Then we scooped the rest of the ingredients on the top and folded them over. We ended up with these giant plate filling omelets. Every one of us said, “Those are huge. There is no way I could eat the whole thing.” We were planning on leftovers for breakfast. Here is the thing: When we were done, there was not one scrap of leftovers on anyone’s plate. We had all demolished our giant creations. And I was thinking, “Why don’t they make these at restaurants?” So simple and delicious.
What makes the flat top griddle capable is the size. The CampChef 600 is almost three feet long and a foot and a half deep. We had a one foot by two-foot rectangular pile of hash browns cooking along with the peppers, onions, and ham at the same time.
There are so many things you can make: Chicken fajitas with green sauce. Thin cheesy smash burgers. Breakfast burgers. The flat top griddle makes me think about cooking differently. It is learning something new. I am naturally very curious and deeply enjoy learning new things. That is especially true about trying food ideas. I am reading Kindle recipe books, researching online and watching how to griddle videos. I am experimenting, taking notes, and being a little scientific and creative at the same time. The flat top griddle is improving my life. Food is love. And Phyllis loves a good burger. The family has had some memorable food moments. My top one was the breakfast burger. It includes a thin cheeseburger, bacon, fried egg, hash browns with diced up onion, and hollandaise sauce on a toasted brioche bun. It was the best breakfast sandwich I have ever had by a long shot. We nailed it on the first try. The ingredients are not very complex, but are very delicious together. I never would have thought about it on my own, but the kids ate one at a fancy restaurant in Florida and said, “We can re-create this at home on the flat top.”
The flat top is a life changer. It makes cooking together fun. There are lots of adventures in trying new food things. I have connected with my daughter in law and my son as we cook together. It’s a family affair when we crank up the flat top. It’s easy to cook for a large group of people. Last night we had our life group and their kids over for July 4. We made 24 thin smash burgers in about 20 minutes. And I got to cook with a dear friend and see her get the joy out of flat top cooking. It’s very true that you can make many things that you can’t do on a gas grill. So far I have not regretted replacing the gas grill with the flat top griddle and I am quite sure that I never will. This has fundamentally changed our outdoor cooking life. We can cook a lot of good food fast. It is like a small-town café in my back yard. Splendid!