Griddles have long been a staple in kitchens from the Deep South to the Northeast.  While cooking on a griddle originally consisted of using a flat stone or brick slab, today’s are of course more advanced, more precise, and deliver reliable results.  Gen 2 griddles, for example, consist of evenly-spaced burners on a gas griddle that is manually controlled.  Gen2 griddles are great for cooking foods of all kinds, and make it easy to serve customers quick and delicious meals around the clock.  Here are a few of our favorite griddle recipes to make on Gen2 griddles.

Old-Fashion Buttermilk Pancakes
Griddle-cooked pancakes are a Southern classic.  Southerners have cooked up just about everything on a griddle, but pancakes are among the most classic Southern breakfasts.  The trick to the best old-fashioned buttermilk pancakes is, of course, to use real buttermilk.  True Southern pancakes often have lard or shortening in them, so if you want to err on the side of healthiness, there are several ingredients you can substitute.  Butter or margarine will work, but be sure to add 2 tablespoons to every cup of lard or shortening a recipe calls for.  Applesauce or prune puree are also suitable substitutes for lard or shortening.  For every cup of lard or shortening, use ½ cup of puree.  The rest are your basic pancake ingredients, so pick your favorite and fire up your Gen2 griddles.

Philly Cheesesteaks
This famous Pennsylvanian classic is made from vegetables and thinly-sliced pieces of steak, cooked on a griddle and served on a long roll with cheese.  There is much debate as to the composition of a “true” Philly cheesesteak, so choose your version carefully.  If you are not too reverent of the sacred cheesesteak, mix it up a little for those customers who prefer chicken, and offer them a chicken cheesesteak.  Loyal Philadelphians might scoff, but those looking for an alternative will thank you for the leaner suggestion.

Gourmet Burger
The hamburger is by far the most well-known component of the American fast-food meal.  However, it is easy to elevate a simple burger with a few tweaks.  Choose a theme and craft a burger to match, and you’ll have an original hit.  Looking for a little barbeque?  Hickory BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, and bacon complete the burger.  Going lighter?  A patty made of shredded chicken and sundried tomatoes cooks well on Gen2 griddles.  A spicy burger might be your basic beef topped with poblano peppers and chipotle mayo.  Get creative with your condiments, and you’ll make an entrée not soon forgotten.

Last week we brought you some delicious winter drinks, but now we’d like to turn our attention the baked goods of the holidays.  Our ovens are chock-full of holiday treats.  As you know, catering to the holidays is an important part of standing out as a business.  Baked good fresh out of your ovens signal “home for the holidays” to patrons, and provide a way to warm up on cold winter days.  Here are a few sweet and fruity as-good-as-a-bakery recipes for a menu that will keep your ovens busy and your customers happy.

Traditional ovens will work for any of these recipes, but you might try baking them in convection ovens as well for faster cook time!  Just make sure to adjust baking time as necessary.  Enjoy these tasty recipes and have a warm holiday!

Breakfast:  Berry Oven Pancakes
Take this breakfast-time favorite and re-shape it!  Use the small container of your choice, be it a 2-cup baking dish or a gratin dish.  Put a tablespoon of butter in the dish, bake for 3 minutes, then take the dish out, making sure butter fully covers the bottom of the dish, and add pancake batter.  Bake for about 13 minutes.  Spoon a berry medley or the filling of your choice into these bowl-like pancakes and serve warm.

Appetizer: Cranberry Orange Brie Crostini
A twist on the traditional crackers-and-brie combination, this creation is a great way to start a meal and celebrate the decadence of the holidays.  Just spread marmalade over baguette slices, add a thin slice of brie, and bake.  Set your oven’s timer for 4-5 minutes to melt the brie.  Take the slices out and top with dried cranberries and pistachios.  For a savory variation, replace the fruit and nuts with black forest ham, and bake under the broiler for about 3 minutes.  Ta da!  Instant hors de’oeuvres.

Dessert: Crunchy Oatmeal-Nut Apple Pie
Pie, as a holiday staple, can be found in many ovens this season, and is preferred by many over even the best cookie recipes.  Whether you choose to use a ready-made pie crust or you make one from scratch, this textured version of America’s favorite dessert will satisfy traditionalists and adventuresome foodies alike.  Simply mix whole-wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter until evenly distributed. Add orange juice concentrate for a hint of citrus, and nuts for more texture.  Simply bake an apple pie for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven, sprinkle the crunchy topping liberally over the pie’s fruit, and bake for another 20 minutes.

Having winter drinks on our ranges at home is one of the best things about wintertime, and it’s no different in restaurants.  As kids we enjoyed seeing how many miniature marshmallows we could fit into a mug of hot cocoa.  We sipped at non-alcoholic eggnog, then wondered why anyone would want to sip at eggnog.  The smell of cider filling the house meant that the holidays were fast-approaching.  The fact is, warm beverages are a tried-and-true part of the winter months.

The nature of holiday libations ranges from rich, creamy refreshments to punches that are easy on juice and heavy on wine.  More often than not, the idea behind warm winter drinks is to throw all the ingredients into a saucepan, then let them simmer until ready to serve.  They are great to have readily available, because once they require no upkeep, as long as you keep them warm.  Here are four of the best winter drinks to please your guests.

1. Wassail (Non-Alcoholic)
This kid-friendly version of the traditional hot beverage will warm children and adults alike.  Its name comes from the Old English phrase “waes hael,” which means “be you healthy,” and was involved in an old drinking ritual that ensured a good harvest.  Today’s wassail is a more of a variation of mulled cider.  It usually combines several fruit juices cooked with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and sometimes allspice and ginger.  The result is a fragrant, flavorful punch.

2. Hot Chocolate
This winter drink is a classic.  However, there are many, many ways to put a new spin on hot chocolate.  Belgian hot chocolate, Mexican hot chocolate, hot chocolate Agasajo-style, and even peanut butter hot chocolate are all options.  Give your hot cocoa a kick with ancho chile and cinnamon, add a dollop of marshmallow fluff, or drizzle with some ever-trendy salted caramel.  Whatever you do, make sure you top it with real whipped cream and serve with biscotti, cookies, or toast.

3. Mulled Cider
Mulled cider is one of the timeless, great holiday drinks.  To make it, combine apple cider, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, whole cloves, an anise star, and some thinly sliced oranges for a citrusy kick.  Let it simmer on one of your ranges for as long as you would like; the longer it simmers, the more flavor it has!  (Besides which, no one likes cold cider.)

4. Hot Spiced Ginger Lemonade
It turns out that lemonade is no longer limited to summertime.  Although it sounds an unlikely candidate for a winter beverage, it’s actually perfect for cold winter days.  It generally requires the same spices as a wassail, but uses lemonade instead of fruit juices.  The result is a lighter-tasting version, and a great way to surprise guests with the unexpected.

No matter how you choose to fill your menu or your ranges, be sure to be creative with your holiday drink recipes.  Your unique drinks will keep guests coming back for more!

As the winter chill blows in and the holidays are upon us, you’re probably wishing for some of that bygone summer sunshine right now.  If you’re feeling nostalgic for summer food, use fryers to recreate your favorite fried recipes from the county fair.  Yes, there are plenty of winter foods to satisfy your fried cravings (see fried stuffing on a stick), but there is nothing like a good old-fashioned summer treat to take you back to those warmer days.  And there is so much more out there in the fryers than doughnuts.  The Texas State Fair, for example, holds a contest every year to determine the best, most original food among the concessionaires, and most of the contenders—and almost all of the winners for the last seven years—have been deep-fried.  2012’s winners of the Big Tex Choice Award?  The trophy for Best Taste went to the “Deep-Fried Jambalaya,” and Most Creative was awarded to the “Fried Bacon Cinnamon Roll.”  Heat up the fryers this winter and take a trip to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer with these crispy dishes.

1. Deep-Fried Cotton Candy
Never was there a more classic fair food.  This traditional spun-sugar treat is battered lightly in a funnel cake mix, quick-fried, and skewered.

2. Deep-Fried Oreos
Fryers all over the nation regularly fire up for this fair favorite.  It’s as simple as it sounds: Oreo cookies dipped in pancake batter and deep-fried.  Best served hot, the cookie itself becomes soft like the pancake surrounding it.

3. Southern Fried Pies
The fried pie has been around for over 100 years as a Southern dessert staple.  More like a turnover or an empanada than a slice of traditional pie, the fried pie consists of fruit filling wrapped in pastry dough.  They are served as hand pies, so pass the napkins.

4. Deep-Fried S’mores
The traditional campfire food is now even messier.  Using marshmallow fluff or flat marshmallows (yes, they make them just for s’mores now), assemble chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallow, then dip in sweet batter and fry.  You might ask for “s’more,” but your arteries might say “No thank you.”

5. Deep-Fried Samoas
Your favorite Girl Scout cookie has gone rogue.  The Samoa cookie (also known as a “Caramel DeLite”) is wrapped in a wonton wrapper and deep-fried to perfection, then drizzled with chocolate sauce, caramel, and coconut. “Be prepared” for a sweet, sweet heart attack.