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Blackstone introduces a new griddle air fryer combo

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    #16
    Pretty cool. I like the idea, I really do.

    For me, I would have quality questions before I dove in. The Blackstone is a fine griddle top, but the body, burners and the rest of the setup are pretty janky, IMHO. Whic, honestly, is fine, really, because the grease and everything else never touches the burners or the body pan under the griddle. But with an air fryer being thrown in the mix, baskets being pulled in and out etc, I am not sure how well it would hold up over time. Just my initial thoughts, maybe they are going to step up the quality and sturdiness. And nothing beats a traditional fryer, nothing. Air frying? Eh?

    Comment


    • Spinaker
      Spinaker commented
      Editing a comment
      Yeah, all they really are is a couple of convection ovens. I have tried food from various air fryers and it is good. Just like Beer can chicken is good, cause its roasted chicken. My real concern is with build quality, which I think Blackstone lacks on the body and burners. Like I said above, maybe they are going to beef it up, I hope they do.

      pkadare Huskee

    • glitchy
      glitchy commented
      Editing a comment
      We have the Ninja fold up toaster oven model and like it. Probably would have never bought one if we had a convection oven, but we don’t. Makes the best pizza rolls in like 7 minutes, power on to on your plate.

    • DavidNorcross
      DavidNorcross commented
      Editing a comment
      Spinaker I have to agree. I have the combo and was really excited about it. Their griddle tops are great, however, the side burners are just not that good, do not get hot enough and sure cannot heat oil hot enough for frying. All of this is to say I am not overly happy with my upgrade and am seriously considering going back to a 36" flat top with no bells. I love Blackstone but I fear they are getting a bit gimmicky. Just my two cents.

    #17
    So this combo will be very interesting. I've resisted an air fryer for years due to having an old house and limited storage space.

    In the past few months, I've gone from not owning one to having four of them (don't ask).

    Here is the thing with Air Fryers IMO.

    They are just compact convection ovens yes. BUT- they are insanely fun to use. They re-heat things like a dream.

    Breaded items like halibut, shrimp, actually do taste like deep-fried. I have not yet found a potato item that doesn't taste awesome either.

    However- they have one flaw.

    Capacity is typically minimal and they are a bit if a single food load at a time cooker.

    This is where the Blackstone Combo starts to get fun!

    Because the BS has two air fry drawers, and a third warming drawer, you can cook (and keep warm) more varieties of food.

    The other thing is that I often have something cooking outside and something cooking in the AF inside. Each of the foods needs some kind of micromanagement ever 5 min or so. So having the two AF baskets outside with the griddle is much more convenient than the back and forth between the kitchen and outdoor cook area.

    Comment


      #18
      Moderators: Please revoke @Attjack's posting privileges for a few weeks - he is costing me too much money

      Seriously, I'm just kidding. This looks like an awesome griddle/ air fryer combo - MCS is in high gear!

      Comment


        #19
        Well, they're on the market now, Blackstone's website says out of stock but my local Walmart has one for $592.00 according to their website - I haven't gone to look at it yet. I e-mailed Blackstone and asked if their natural gas conversion kit would work with it. Here is their reply:

        "The natural gas conversion kit is compatible with the griddle part of the air fryer, but not the air fryer part of it."

        Very disappointed about that, actually a deal breaker for me.

        Comment


        • Attjack
          Attjack commented
          Editing a comment
          Yeah, that sucks. They should fix that.

        #20
        Hey TBob4, I made the mistake the other day of thinking that the order in which I turn the propane tank on vs the burners makes no difference. I turned the burner on first before I opened the tank. It kept it from getting over 200 with the lid down. When I checked the burners, I only had a very small flame no matter how high I turned the control knobs. I discovered that I have to turn the propane tank to open before turning on the burner control knobs.

        On the other hand, now I know how to get the temp down for low and slow on the gas grill, LOL.
        Last edited by SmokingSteve; February 6, 2020, 11:30 PM. Reason: This was supposed to be an additional comment on Tbob4's comment on Page 1.

        Comment


        • Red Man
          Red Man commented
          Editing a comment
          This doesn’t seem right.

        • tbob4
          tbob4 commented
          Editing a comment
          That is funny!!! Mesa must be really hot to sustain those temps with the propane off. I once called for a tow because something was really wrong with the engine. I had stopped for a bite to eat and the car just wouldn't get into gear on the freeway. I cancelled the tow after I realized I had the emergency brake on.

        #21
        They are into combos these days
        Attached Files

        Comment


        • surfdog
          surfdog commented
          Editing a comment
          Yep, they even make a larger version of the griddle/fryer combo. Haven’t seen one in person...but then haven’t felt the need to look for one either.

        #22
        I broke down and bought the griddle-air fryer combo. So far, so good. Sorry jfmorris , I sold my Weber gasser to my buddy. His ancient 2 burner model went out and I almost recouped the cost of the great Ace Hardware opening price to buy the Blackstone. All of your advice was tremendously appreciated but I just never had the mental stability to close the lid to get the heat up. It was so counter to how I have cooked forever. Open flame = hot. Closed lid/doors = smoke.

        On the Blackstone I have made Smash burgers, fajitas, tots, fries and eggs and hash browns. The air-fryer is really nice. With a bit of oil they come up close to fried. The unit is sturdier than I thought. I did have construction concerns because Spinaker brought them up. I am only two weeks in with it, but I am very happy. It is very sturdy and heavy.

        I have a whole new learning curve now, though. With fajitas in a pan over an open flame, the marinade serves as sauce. On the big open griddle, the sauce evaporates and the meat is a bit bland. I used reserve sauce the second time at the end of the cook and viola! It is kind of fun.
        Last edited by tbob4; September 5, 2020, 12:58 PM.

        Comment


        • jfmorris
          jfmorris commented
          Editing a comment
          Glad you got something you like. That Blackstone seems awesome!

          That said - maybe you just haven't used gas grills before? Closed lids is the only way they get hot. Otherwise, think about it - you have strips of flame 8-10 inches apart, 6 inches below the grate. They really only build up high temp and even heat when the lid is closed. That's my experience in having gas grills since the 80's...
          Last edited by jfmorris; September 5, 2020, 09:53 PM.

        • jfmorris
          jfmorris commented
          Editing a comment
          On the sauces, I've used a skillet and sauce pans on the griddle top. Could that help? As you say, stuff does tend to evaporate. I use a LOT of soy and teriyaki sauce when doing stir fry.

          I do agree that griddles are VERY fun to cook on. And fast!

        • tbob4
          tbob4 commented
          Editing a comment
          jfmorris - you are very appreciated! I know what I was doing wrong and I just couldn't do it right. Your advice and encouragement was fantastic. In the end, I just gave up on the gas grill. The good news is that my buddy got a good deal on it and his family loves it. I have been trying to get him to sign up for AR for years. Maybe now.... Thanks, as always.

        #23
        Max Good Have you received one for a review yet? If so please consider that according to Backstone the air fryer part cannot be converted to NG even though the griddle part can be converted. To me, this is a major engineering oversite.

        Comment


        • tbob4
          tbob4 commented
          Editing a comment
          From what I read (prior to purchasing and since), this unit cannot use NG. Other Blackstone units can. I would like to hear from Max as well. Since this is my my first dedicated griddle, I looked online for sources and read the input here. What sold me was that reviewers talked about how solid this unit was compared to other Blackstone models. It certainly doesn't wobble. Using my infrared thermo, I can see where the hot and cooler zones are.

        • Max Good
          Max Good commented
          Editing a comment
          I spoke with Blackstone early last January about this model. At the time they were scrambling to meet orders from Walmart. Just checked in with them again. Stay tuned. Regarding natural gas, Blackstone's product description states, "The Blackstone AirFryer Griddle Combo is not compatible with the Blackstone Natural Gas Conversion Kit. "

        • tbob4
          tbob4 commented
          Editing a comment
          Max Good - that is awesome. Whatever your review is, just make sure it makes me feel good about my purchase! Hahahahahaha.

        #24
        Thanks for the reply Max Good I e-mailed them about the natural gas conversion issue back in February and they replied

        "The natural gas conversion kit is compatible with the griddle part of the air fryer, but not the air fryer part of it."

        I think they should have designed the air fryer to be able to convert to natural gas like the griddle. I really want one of these and that is the only reason I haven't bought one. I have natural gas where my outdoor cooking area is located therefore I don't want to bother with propane tanks. Not sure how big of a market there is for an NG version but I bet I'm not the only one who would buy an NG fueled one.
        Last edited by 58limited; September 6, 2020, 12:20 PM.

        Comment


        • tbob4
          tbob4 commented
          Editing a comment
          You are not the only one who wants it. The videos I saw during my research indicated that some people think (or are hoping) that it will be included as part of next year's line-up. I just did another breakfast on it. It is really nice.

        #25
        I think they should have designed the air fryer to be able to convert to natural gas like the griddle.

        Remember this is the first version of the AF and there is NO other natural gas air fryer on the market. Blackstone like other companies evolves and learn from initial offerings. As much as propane may be an inconvenience for you, natural gas is a dealbreaker for me.

        Comment


        • tbob4
          tbob4 commented
          Editing a comment
          I have used mine once or twice a week since I bought it. The only issue I have had is that the first burner does not like starting with the ignition switch. I really hope that the NG conversion comes for folks in the next generation. I love the unit. Now, if I could just learn to cook hash browns like I do in a pan.....

        • Steve R.
          Steve R. commented
          Editing a comment
          @tbob, it's funny you mention that about the first burner. I have the same issue with the third burner. It eventually lights, but there is that moment where I almost shut it off.

        • allsid
          allsid commented
          Editing a comment
          burner sparkers are notorious for not being aligned with the burners on griddles for whatever reason. Peek at that and it may help. It looks like a paper clip that sparks when pushed close to your burner-

        #26
        I received an update e-mail from Blackstone last week:

        "Hello,

        Thank you for contacting Blackstone Products!

        I am so sorry for the delay in response. We have had an increase in emails and calls. We are answering them as quickly as possible and truly appreciate your patience.

        We are working on one. However a time frame has not been established at this. if you would like to provide an email or phone number i can let you know when we have a kit available. "

        So there is hope that a conversion kit will be available soon. I'll buy a Combo and conversion kit ASAP when it is released.

        Comment


        • tbob4
          tbob4 commented
          Editing a comment
          Hopefully soon for you! I really cannot get over how much I use this thing. I looked above and realized I have only had it a month and yet it feels like it has been much longer. Breakfast every weekend on it and lots of burgers fries/tots/poppers during the week.

        #27
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        Two month update - this Blackstone with the air fryer has been awesome. This is my pulled pork made into a chimichanga in the air fryer. Obviously, I got a bit carried away with sipping my beer and could have turned the temp down on the fryer. While the tortilla looks a bit dark, it did not taste burned, at all. I buttered both sides of the tortilla (and brushed on a bit of salsa). I quickly heated both sides on the griddle for pliability. I put it in the air fryer for 15 minutes after stuffing and rolling. While the food photos are not quite worthy of the "show us what you are cooking" thread, I felt that they were a good representation of some of the versatility I have found with this unit. I have had nothing but good luck with it. Still learning times and temps in the fryer.

        Comment


        • surfdog
          surfdog commented
          Editing a comment
          Um...yeah...I could ruin both of those. LOL Looks great.

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