Camp Chef FTG600 Flat Top Propane Grill and Griddle with Side Shelves

I got this in early June and wanted to give it a thorough try-out before adding a review. Here goes:I thought I would like it (I do) but didn't know just how much it would really get used. Over the summer, it's been used almost every day at least once. Weekends usually twice a day. I use it only for the griddle; I prefer grilling over charcoal.As a griddle, it is a pleasure to use.I store it in the Camp Chef cover. It takes about a minute to pull the cover off, install the gas cylinder and side tables, move it into cooking position on my deck, and light the burners. It doesn't take much longer to clean up. After getting the griddle back up to high temperature for cleaning, the active work of squirting, scraping and wiping down takes just a couple of minutes. After cool down, removing the gas tank and side tables (which fit nicely on top of the griddle for storage) and putting the cover on takes another a minute.One good thing is that the whole meal gets cooked on the one large surface. This really saves a lot of pot and pan washing time on the clean-up end of a meal. It also means that the heat of cooking is all outdoors rather than in the kitchen.The range of dishes that can be prepared is unlimited, and the large surface provides a lot of flexibility in adjusting quantities to match the number of folk who will be eating. I generally prepare an extra portion or two to be frozen and used for lunch when I'm working. The money I've saved by preparing daily lunches and not buying lunch at local restaurants has more than paid for my Camp Chef Flat Top Grill.The four burners give you options for controlling the heat zones and conserving fuel.It's big and heavy, and would not be my first choice to carry around for use as a camping griddle. But it has become my go-to appliance for meal prep at home.Almost 3 years now since I wrote this review. Gets more use than the kitchen stove. Still rate it 5 stars, having never had any issues at all with it. Still use the same cover. It shows some age but is still robust as far as being a protective cover.

Background: I've had this flat top for a month now and do 99% of my cooking on it. I have it set up next to my kitchen balcony which allows me to cook outside in most weather conditions and allows me to keep my kitchen clean for the most part due to a natural gas hook-up that I have outside. I purchased the Natural Gas Kit Hose (NGKIT) and converted the flat top to only intake natural gas. Please note that once you make the conversion then you cannot convert it back to propane unless you get new orifices. I had to drill all 4 orifices with a #45 drill bit to ensure that sufficient gas will be funneled through to the flat top. This process took a couple hours and will take more if you don't have the proper tools.Actual Cooking: This flat top is a game changer for cooking. The grill heats up very fast and heats up evenly across all 4 burners. It also has traditional grill grates beneath which makes this a 2 in 1 grill. You can cook a plethora of items ranging from tacos, cheese steaks, quesadillas, eggs, pancakes, hash browns, fried rice, assortment of Chinese dishes (beef and broccoli, Mongolian Beef, Garlic Chicken with Veggies, etc), and basically anything that could be cooked in a typical cast iron pan or skillet. It heats up bread, tortillas, and buns in a matter of seconds. The flat top itself can accommodate a lot of food at once and can cook for up to 50 people per hour at max capacity. The ability to cook multiple items on the flat top at once is especially helpful for cleaning as you won't need to have multiple cooking pans or skillets to clean up afterwards. Anyone that has the ability to use this as their main cook top should do so.Cleaning/Maintenance: The grease catcher on this flat top is pretty decent. It is located on the bottom left hand side and all the oil/grease gets caught without anything dripping elsewhere. I usually wipe the grease catcher's orifice down with a paper towel to ensure it does not get clogged up over time. Other flat-top grills have either grease catchers that drip onto the leg of the grill or have them in the back of the flat top which is a little inconvenient getting to. As for cleaning after every use, I use a stainless steel scrapper/chopper to wipe the grill clean after I am done cooking. I scrape everything down into the grease catcher. For saucy foods or foods that might stick to the flat top, I use water when the grill is still hot to scrape it off and send it to the grease catcher. Afterwards, I put a little bit of oil onto the flat top and spread it all over using paper towels to maintain the seasoning before putting the cover on. Total clean-up time and re-seasoning takes roughly 3 minutes.Final Verdict: If you have the capability to cook on this full-time, then I recommend doing so. You will save your kitchen and house from excess grease and smell. It can cook most items relatively fast and easy once you get accustomed to cooking on a flat top. The only thing it can't do is cook sauces or bake items. I even recommend it to folks who don't eat typical greasy foods. This requires very little oil and can use all sorts of cooking oil. All of my food dishes have been cooked well and I constantly have people asking about this flat top. Clean up is a breeze and will save you from needing to clean skillets and pans. This is an essential cookware that every household should have.

I've wanted a blackstone for a few years since I started seeing them in Lowes. I watched some videos and read reviews and decided on this Camp Chef instead. I can't compare it to the blackstone, but I'm very happy with the Camp Chef. It was easy to assemble and worked great. Burners all lit properly, all seemed to be an even flame. I got a few pounds of pork fat at the butcher and cut it up in little strips. Put it on the hot grill to render the fat. Then let the griddle cool completely and did it two more times. Made nice, crispy snacks for the dogs and seasoned the griddle.We had a party the next day and cooked 50 burgers and 48 hotdogs on the griddle. Nothing stuck, not even a little bit, and I didn't even put oil on the griddle first. It was nice to have the hotdog area a little cooler than the hamburger area. I had my gas grill set up next to the griddle to do some bbq chicken and keep the burgers and hotdogs warm until everything was done. Frozen burger patties directly onto the griddle, cooked perfectly in a few minutes.My only criticism (a minor nit-pick) is one that I read in some reviews prior to purchase... and that is the short pipe that the grease goes down. It doesn't reach INTO the grease pan liner, it's a bit above it and can allow some grease to miss the pan. I just took a small stone and put it under the right side of the liner so it was up 1/2" higher. Worked perfectly. No need for a complicated fix.From the videos that I watched, every griddle manufacturer's products have pros and cons. The Camp Chef didn't disappoint me.