BALMUDA The Teppanyaki: A $449 Griddle That Thinks It's a Design Object

BALMUDA is the Japanese appliance company that gets compared to Apple more than any brand probably should. Founded by Gen Terao, a former musician who taught himself industrial design, the company has built a following by turning mundane kitchen appliances into objects you actually want on your counter. Their toaster costs $329 and has a cult following. Their kettle looks like it belongs in a museum gift shop.

The Teppanyaki is their latest. $449 for a tabletop griddle. Here’s why that number isn’t as absurd as it sounds.

The Plate Is the Product

Standard electric griddles use a cooking surface that’s typically under 3mm thick. The BALMUDA plate is 6.6mm of clad stainless steel and aluminum. More than double the industry standard. That thickness matters because it stores and distributes heat more evenly, eliminating the hot spots that burn your food in the center while leaving the edges undercooked.

The cooking surface measures 18.1 by 9.6 inches. Four precision heat settings (320, 360, 400, and 430 degrees Fahrenheit) cover everything from delicate fish to high-heat searing. The surface is knife-friendly, meaning you can slice and serve directly on the plate without a cutting board. 1,120 watts of power, a 6.5-foot cord, and an auto-off safety feature round out the specs.

A spatula and oil tray come included. The whole unit weighs 11.5 pounds.

The Experience

Teppanyaki at home is one of those cooking formats that sounds like a gimmick until you do it. You set the plate in the center of the table, cook in front of your guests (or your family, or just yourself on a Tuesday), and eat directly from the surface. The communal aspect changes the dynamic of a meal in a way that plating from a kitchen stove doesn’t.

BALMUDA designed this for that experience specifically. The plate heats evenly enough that you can cook steak on one side and vegetables on the other without either suffering. The precision settings mean you’re not guessing. The knife-friendly surface means fewer dishes.

The Price Question

$449 for a griddle. You can buy a perfectly functional electric griddle for $40 at Target. The difference is in the cooking surface quality, the heat precision, and whether you care about having something on your table that looks intentional. If you cook for other people regularly and enjoy the performance of it, the BALMUDA earns its price over time. If you make pancakes twice a month, it doesn’t.

Buy BALMUDA The Teppanyaki →