Skip to content
Pickoryx

Hamilton Beach 38560 vs Lodge Double Play LDP3

Choose Hamilton Beach 38560 for an indoor electric cast-iron station with a flat cooktop and removable grease tray. Choose Lodge Double Play LDP3 when a suitable existing heat source is available and you will use its flat and ridged faces. Both still require cast-iron care.

Published by Pickoryx · Published 2026-10-06

Source checked 2026-10-06 07:29 UTC

Products compared

Pickoryx may earn a commission from qualifying purchases through the paid Amazon links on this page, at no added cost to you.

The buying question

Do you need a separate electric cooking station, or a pan for an existing heat source, and will you use a ridged grill face as well as a flat griddle?

Hamilton Beach supplies electric heat and a flat cooktop with a drain and separate grease tray. Lodge offers flat and ridged faces, but needs a suitable external heat source.

Quick verdict

Choose Lodge Double Play LDP3 if

  • You will use both the flat griddle and ridged grill face.
  • You want cookware for a suitable stove, oven or grill and have verified its fit.
View Lodge Double Play LDP3 on AmazonPaid link
When to skip: Skip Hamilton Beach for outdoor cooking or use on a stovetop. Skip both if routine drying and oiling of cast iron does not fit your habits.
When the recommendation changes
  • You need both a self-heating electric station and a reversible ridged cooking face; neither of these documented configurations supplies that combination.
  • The Lodge pan does not fit your intended cooktop or burner arrangement.
  • You would use only a flat surface, making the heat source and counter arrangement the more useful distinction.

The differences that matter

Electric Base Or External Heat Source

Hamilton Beach Professional Cast Iron Electric Griddle 38560

An indoor electric appliance with its own temperature dial, used on a dry, level, heat-resistant surface. Its removable cooktop is for use with the supplied base.[1, 2]

Lodge Double Play LDP3

A cast-iron pan for external heat. Lodge lists a double-burner configuration, plus oven and grill use; it gives the pan dimensions as 16.75 by 9.5 inches.[3]

What this changes: Hamilton Beach can leave your stove available for other pans, but adds an electrical appliance to the counter. Lodge uses an existing heat source; check its size and the heat-source instructions before buying.[2, 3]

The better fit depends on your priorities

Flat Drain Surface Or Reversible Grill

Hamilton Beach Professional Cast Iron Electric Griddle 38560

The prescribed cooking setup has the flat face upward, with the drain positioned over the removable drip tray. The tray must be installed before heating.[1, 2]

Lodge Double Play LDP3

A reversible pan with a flat griddle on one face and a ridged grill on the other.[3]

What this changes: If a ridged face is part of the purchase, Lodge provides that documented option. If your meals use a flat surface and you want grease directed into a separate tray, Hamilton Beach provides that arrangement. Surface shape does not establish a browning or sticking winner.[1, 2, 3]

The better fit depends on your priorities

Best for your routine

Keeping stove burners available for the rest of a meal

Best fit: Hamilton Beach Professional Cast Iron Electric Griddle 38560

Based on listed features, not comparative testing.

Hamilton Beach supplies the heat at a separate indoor station. You still need the specified counter setup and suitable electrical supply.

View Hamilton Beach Professional Cast Iron Electric Griddle 38560 on AmazonPaid link

Choosing between flat and ridged cooking faces

Best fit: Lodge Double Play LDP3

Based on listed features, not comparative testing.

Lodge provides both faces in a reversible pan. That is useful only if you will use them and have a suitable heat source.

View Lodge Double Play LDP3 on AmazonPaid link

Wanting electric heat and a reversible grill face together

The better fit depends on your priorities

Neither documented setup combines those requirements: Hamilton Beach prescribes flat-side-up cooking on its base, while Lodge supplies the two faces for external heat. Consider a different configuration if both are essential.

Value and trade-offs

One or both observed offers have eligibility conditions, so no unrestricted price difference is shown.

Judge any price difference by whether you need a separate electric station or will use a reversible pan with existing equipment. Seasoned cast iron is common to both.

There is not enough price history here to assess purchase timing.

Limitations

  • Neither product was tested hands-on. This comparison does not establish a winner for heat uniformity, browning, speed, sticking, cleanup time, durability or health.
  • Lodge’s broad stovetop compatibility statement does not establish fit or induction detection on every range. Check the actual burner layout and your cooktop’s requirements.
  • Hamilton Beach guidance here comes from manufacturer material saved on October 5, 2026, including its July 2021 manual. Lodge product and care material was read on October 6, 2026; the care article is dated May 17, 2022.
  • Cooking-surface labels and pan dimensions are not interchangeable with the space required by an assembled appliance. Measure the intended location; no footprint or usable-area winner is claimed.

Questions shoppers ask

Can the Hamilton Beach cooktop be used as a stovetop pan?

Its manual says to use the removable cooktop with the supplied base. Do not place the electrical appliance on a burner or in an oven. The manual’s separate oven-reseasoning procedure applies to the removed cooktop; it is not an instruction to cook with it on a stove.

Does a drain mean the Hamilton Beach tray can be emptied while hot?

No. The use instructions say to switch off, unplug and allow complete cooling before moving the cooktop or removing the drip tray to empty and clean it. Keep the tray in place during cooking.

Does preseasoning make either option maintenance-free?

No. Both manufacturers still call for drying and oiling the cast iron after cleaning, with reseasoning when needed. Follow the separate directions for Hamilton Beach’s electrical base.

Methodology and sources

Compared the required heat source, the documented cooking faces and grease-tray arrangement, while keeping the shared cast-iron care and manufacturer use restrictions in view.

AI helped organize the manufacturer material and draft this comparison. Neither product was tested hands-on.

View 4 sources
  1. 1.Hamilton Beach Professional Cast Iron Electric Grill, Model 38560Hamilton Beach US · Official specifications · Source checked 2026-10-05 18:55 UTC
    Evidence used on this page
    • Model identification; Features; Details; linked Use & Care guide: Identifies model 38560 and its preseasoned flat cast-iron cooktop, electric temperature control, drain and removable drip tray. The manufacturer page was saved on October 5, 2026.
  2. 2.Hamilton Beach 38560 Use & Care, 840354000Hamilton Beach · Official specifications · Source checked 2026-10-05 18:57 UTC
    Evidence used on this page
    • English pages 2–7; model and electrical identification at the end: The July 2021 guide saved on October 5, 2026 specifies supplied-base use, flat-side-up setup, the installed drip tray, cooling and electrical precautions. It gives cast-iron care and separate instructions for reseasoning the removed cooktop.
  3. 3.Lodge Double Play Reversible Grill/Griddle, LDP3Lodge Cast Iron · Official specifications · Source checked 2026-10-06 06:46 UTC
    Evidence used on this page
    • LDP3; Features; Dimensions; Use and Care: Identifies LDP3, its reversible flat and ridged faces, double-burner configuration and external-heat uses. Lists a 16.75 by 9.5 inch pan and seasoned-iron care. Its broad compatibility wording is not a fit guarantee for every cooktop.
  4. 4.Lodge Beginner’s Guide to Cast IronLodge Cast Iron · Official specifications · Source checked 2026-10-06 06:46 UTC
    Evidence used on this page
    • Cleaning and Care; Reseasoning; linked by the LDP3 product page: The guide dated May 17, 2022 calls for cooling, hand washing, drying and a light oil layer. It also explains reseasoning when needed.

Continue comparing