Cast iron vs stainless steel griddle
Updated: 23 October 2026
You already know you want a flat plate, and the basket is split between a heavy iron pan and a stainless sheet that looks easier to live with. Cast iron vs stainless steel griddle is that choice, for a cooker you have already measured. Iron holds heat and rusts if it stays wet. Thin stainless comes up faster, zones more readily, and can flex. Neither sentence is a winner for every Sunday. The [griddle plate comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/griddle-plate) ranks the twelve listings, with GBP shelf prices from amazon.co.uk on 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You already know you want a flat plate, and the basket is split between a heavy iron pan and a stainless sheet that looks easier to live with.
You already know you want a flat plate, and the basket is split between a heavy iron pan and a stainless sheet that looks easier to live with. Cast iron vs stainless steel griddle is that choice, for a cooker you have already measured. Iron holds heat and rusts if it stays wet. Thin stainless comes up faster, zones more readily, and can flex. Neither sentence is a winner for every Sunday. The griddle plate comparison ranks the twelve listings, with GBP shelf prices from amazon.co.uk on 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Material | Surface | Dishwasher | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Onlyfire Onlyfire Spirit cast iron | Cast iron | Reversible, flat and ridged | Not listed | 7.2 | about £59.99 | View offer |
 Onlyfire Onlyfire stainless (51 cm) | Stainless steel, 1.2 mm in the bullet | Flat, non-stick claimed | Yes | 7.4 | about £59.99 | View offer | |
| Best value |  OVERMONT OVERMONT reversible (51 cm) | Cast iron | Reversible, pre-seasoned | No | 7.0 | about £29.17 | View offer |
On this page
What the two metals actually change
Bare cast iron is a heat store. Nisbets says cast iron holds heat and needs seasoning, while thin steel heats faster and holds less. Verycook, on their own gas planchas, say stainless is ready in about 5 to 10 minutes and cast iron in about 15 to 20. That is their range, not these listings.
Rust is the iron’s bill. UK reviews of the OVERMONT and the nuovva return to orange metal when the pan is left wet. Which? tells you not to dishwasher bare iron, because the cycle strips the season. Stainless does not ask for that oil film. It can still discolour, and a thin sheet can still warp. One UK review of the Onlyfire sheet says a magnet sticks.
Spirit cast iron is 5.73 kg, the ceramic Spirit insert is 10.7 kg, and the stainless plate is 3.28 kg.
Thickness is the missing number
The Onlyfire F-BGG8201-SS-EU bullet states 1.2 mm. That is the listing figure, not a micrometer reading. UK reviews say the sheet does not hold heat unless the lid stays down. One review puts the dome at about 380 degrees Celsius and the plate at about 180. Closing the lid is the workaround those reviewers use.
OVERMONT’s details say 51.2 by 23.5 by 1.2 cm. That 1.2 cm is a pan thickness, not the 1.2 mm of the stainless bullet. The Onlyfire Spirit iron is about 1.3 cm thick. The NutriChef line says 1.5 cm; one UK review measured 2.3 cm.
The Onlyfire Spirit ceramic plate is iron with a ceramic coating, at about £91.99, not stainless steel. PFOA-free does not mean the coating is free of every PFAS. Weber part 6790 is porcelain-enamelled cast iron at £189.99, and Weber says not to immerse it. You do not season intact enamel the way you season bare iron. Those oil steps are how to season a griddle plate.
When to pick which in this set
Choose bare cast iron when you will dry it and oil it, and you want the sear to survive an open lid. In this set that is the OVERMONT at about £29.17 if you also cook on a gas hob, the nuovva at about £39.99, or the Onlyfire Spirit iron if the bullet’s Spirit list matches your barbecue. UK reviews already argue about induction on the OVERMONT and about a rim on the NutriChef.
Choose the stainless sheet when you want a wide barbecue top and you will preheat with the lid down. You accept flex and a cooler surface in the reviews, and you measure past the 47.2 cm title because the details say 51 by 32 cm. If you will not oil iron and you also will not tolerate a thin sheet, the honest answer is a coating or enamel.
Smash burgers or a wet shed
For smash burgers on a gas barbecue, iron wins when the lid is open and you have preheated properly. Stainless wins when you want the wider flat top, you will cook lid-down, and you do not want a rust job in a wet shed. If the shed is wet and you will not oil the iron, skip both bare iron and the thinnest sheet.
Common questions
Which is better for smash burgers?
Bare cast iron, if you will preheat it and you can cook with the lid open without the surface falling away. A 1.2 mm stainless sheet can do burgers if you keep the lid down. Better here means heat retention, not a taste test.
Which is easier to live with in a wet UK shed?
Stainless, if the alternative is bare iron you might put away damp. Iron rusts in those reviews when it stays wet. Stainless still needs a wipe, and a thin sheet can flex. If you will not oil iron and you also dislike thin steel, porcelain enamel such as Weber part 6790 is the third path.
Will stainless rust?
It resists the orange rust that bare iron shows after a wet wash. It can still stain, and a magnet sticking to one Onlyfire plate is a review, not a grade. A dishwasher field that says Yes is not a promise that UK reviewers ran a cycle. Scrape and dry it.
Why did a stainless plate stay cooler than the lid?
A thin sheet has little mass, so the food and the open air take heat out faster than the dome thermometer suggests. One UK review reported about 180 degrees Celsius on the plate while the dome read about 380. Preheat with the lid down. If you need the surface hot in the open, move to the iron pans.
Is enamelled iron the same care as bare iron?
No. Intact porcelain enamel is cleaned and kept dry. Weber says not to immerse part 6790. Bare iron wants a thin oil film and must not go through the dishwasher. If enamel chips, oiling the chip does not turn it back into a seasoned skillet.
What if a magnet sticks to a plate sold as stainless?
Treat it as a doubt. One UK review of the Onlyfire F-BGG8201-SS-EU says a magnet sticks. Some stainless grades are magnetic, and some cheap plate is not the grade the title implies. This comparison did not test the alloy. Use the return window while the plate is still clean.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 20 October 2026.
- Food contact materials regulations, GOV.UK (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- General Product Safety Regulations 2005: Great Britain (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Emba cast iron cookware recall 2502-0151 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Weber UK full-size griddle 6790 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Weber Spirit 2025 accessory compatibility (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Which? how to buy cast iron pans (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Which? non-stick frying pans, PFOA note (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- BBC Good Food: how to season cast iron (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Nisbets griddle buying guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
- Norwich Camping: Campingaz Camp Bistro 3 griddle (retrieved 20 October 2026)