Steven Raichlen has written more than 30 cookbooks, including "The Barbeque Bible," a comprehensive guide to grilling. He has earned five James Beard Awards for his work. Now, he's taking a look at a new, versatile method of grilling.

Steven Raichlen, renowned for his extensive work on grilling and author of 'The Barbeque Bible,' has shifted some of his culinary focus to griddling. In his new book, 'Project Griddle,' Raichlen explores the versatility of flat-top cooking, demonstrating its benefits for preparing delicate foods and reducing the challenges associated with live fire grilling.

Raichlen draws inspiration from global traditions, particularly those of Japan, Spain, and the United States, to showcase a range of griddle-based recipes. He highlights the accessibility and communal aspects of griddling, making it an appealing option for both experienced cooks and those who may be apprehensive about open flame cooking.

Author who wrote 'The Barbeque Bible' talks flattop grilling

How many grills do you have here? I think we have about 12 grills here. Each one has a special purpose. You know, I've got the griddle for griddling. I've got the wood burner that's right in back of us. I've got a gas grill because even Steven Reikland, you know, on a busy weeknight wants to use a gas grill. But 12 grills, does one need 12 grills? Well, how many shoes do you have in your closet? Steven Reikland has long been drawn to the flame and excitement of live fire cooking. Live fire cooking is in our DNA. About 1.8 million years ago, a distant human ancestor discovered that you could cook meat with fire. We gathered together around the fire to cook, so communal cooking is a very human activity. Born in Japan while his dad was stationed there in the Air Force, Reikland spent his childhood years in Baltimore. A self-proclaimed frustrated academic, his scholarly approach to grilling started when he was pursuing a degree in, of all things, French literature. While I was doing my research, I came across a medieval cookbook called The Form of Curry. It blew my mind. 700 years ago, people were writing cookbooks and this idea just came to me. Grilling's the world's oldest and most universal cooking method, but everywhere it's done differently. Wouldn't it be cool to travel around the world and document how people grill in different cultures and countries? And the barbecue Bible was born. 76 countries, over 30 books, and TV appearances in multiple languages later. Reikland has immersed himself in open fire's countless possibilities, gathered from around the world, and also discovered what doesn't work. Why the pivot to griddling? Is the guy who wrote barbecue Bible now turning his back on barbecuing? No, it's funny. It happened in a very natural, organic way. If you try and grill an A5 Wagyu steak over conventional grill, the fat's going to melt and your grill's going to set on fire. So what the Japanese do is they cook it on what's called a teppan, which is a griddle. Now I had a portable griddle. I'd put it on my charcoal grill and then I cooked the Wagyu steak that way. And it was like a light bulb went off and I thought, well, you know what? It's griddling. There's a way to marry griddling and barbecue. And the more I got into it, the more I liked it. His new book, Project Griddle, the versatile art of grilling on a flat top, showcases both recipes and techniques for the method many associate with just breakfast. When should you griddle over grilling? Okay. First of all, when you cook a delicate fish like the snapper that we get here in South Florida, where if you tried to grill it, it would stick to the grill or fall apart. On a griddle, super easy. Reikland calls Japan, Spain and the United States the three great griddle cuisines. His tapas bar shrimp, a nod to Spain's plancha cooktops, combines olive oil sizzled garlic shrimp with fire blistered Padron peppers. We make it together. And actually, while you're doing that, I'm going to add a little sherry. Overcoming a few fears along the way. I have to tell you, I'm actually a little scared of grilling. Is that bad to admit? It's not bad to admit. The fire scares me. And it actually is a very nice segue into one of the major advantages of griddling as opposed to grilling. There's no live fire, right? There are no flare-ups. There's no burning. I mean, and it's a big deal because a lot of people like you, you know, are uncomfortable with the fire element. We sit down with the dish responsible for spurring Reikland's study of grilling. It's an A5 Wagyu steak, which is the highest quality in texture and marbling. If you saw this raw, what you would think is somebody took a piece of white lace and laid it on a red tablecloth. That's how fatty it is. And that's why you have to griddle it. And that's why you have to griddle it. And that fat, it's got, it's like buttery, it's foie gras. I mean, it's not just fat, fat. It's intensely flavorful fat. Normally I'd be talking to you about all the flavoring and the caramelization of this, but I just want to sit and enjoy this. You want another piece? I could live in that. Yeah. Our meal, all made on the griddle, is served with a side of sweet figs and salty halloumi cheese and piadina, Calabrian chili paste topped with Italian cheese and layered with salumi, all melted into what he calls an Italian mortadella quesadilla topped by peppery arugula. There's also this American take on the classic kebab. This is a really interesting dish. They're called speedies. All of the Greek and Italian vendors, you know, at fairs in upstate New York, they make speedies and they're just, they're kebabs. And the funny thing is, today, these are very often marinated in a bottled Italian dressing. Well, I'm such a nut that I deconstructed bottled Italian dressing, figured out how to make it from scratch, and that's what the marinade is here. This is some of the most moist chicken I think I've ever had. That's the beauty of the griddle. The American dessert is from the flat top, peppered pineapple with mezcal whipped cream and a sangria where, yes, the orange is griddled too. Whether it's in his backyard or through his books, Stephen Reikland never gets tired of preaching the gospel of grilling. What does it mean to be able to share all of this with people? You know, I think you've just hit on the piece of my job that I love the best because obviously I love the research, I love the travel, but, you know, this is all about sharing and that's what makes us, it's what makes us human.

Donald Trump says American-made weapons bought by NATO are being shipped to Ukraine. Trump's also threatening sanctions, saying his aim is to force Putin to negotiate an end to the war. But with Ukraine under nightly attack, there’s scepticism over whether he'll achieve anything.

Kyiv

Ukraine Invasion

U.S. ships NATO purchased Patriot missiles to Ukraine

Syria condemns Israel for fatal strikes on several government buildings in Damascus. The escalation threatens to disrupt new U.S.-brokered security talks between Israel and Syria, with both sides expressing concerns over stability in the region.

Damascus

Middle East Conflict

Israeli airstrikes on Syria threaten security talks

U.S. President Donald Trump is still dealing with fallout from his own supporters over his administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files. CBS News Department of Justice reporter Jake Rosen has more.

Washington

Trump says Epstein conspiracy theory is hoax started by Democrats

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said that she spoke with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and that the two had agreed to strengthen trade collaboration, particularly in light of the tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump set to go in effect on August 1.

Mexico City

Global Tariffs

Mexico plans to strengthen trade with Canada

Former President Barack Obama joined his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, on her latest podcast episode with her brother Craig Robinson to address divorce rumors.

Obamas address divorce rumors on Michelle’s podcast

Israel struck Syrian military targets as well as central Damascus on Wednesday (July 16) as it continued its campaign to protect Druze minority communities in southern Syria.

Israel strikes Damascus as fighting rages in southern Syria

U.S. ambassador Mike Huckabee's appearance at Benjamin Netanyahu’s corruption trial follows President Trump's call for Israel to throw out the case or pardon the Israeli prime minister.

Tel Aviv-Yafo

U.S. ambassador attends Netanyahu trial to show support from Trump

President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the U.S. would impose a 19% tariff on goods from Indonesia under a new agreement with the Southeast Asian country and more deals were in the works as he continued to press for what he views as better terms with trading partners.

Trump eyes more trade deals soon as EU readies retaliation

At least 20 Palestinians were killed on Wednesday (July 16) at an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in what the U.S.-backed group said was a crowd surge instigated by armed agitators. This video contains graphic images.

Jerusalem

Crush at Gaza aid site kills at least 20, GHF blames agitators

Police in Los Angeles have arrested a 22-year-old suspect in the double homicide of American Idol executive Robin Kaye and her husband, Thomas Deluca. The couple, both 70 years old, was found shot to death in their home earlier this week.

Encino

Police make arrest in murders of American Idol executive, husband

Streaming shows dominated nominations for the 2025 Emmy Awards. "Severance" earned the most series nominations with 27. Meanwhile, "The Studio" earned the most-ever nominations for a debut comedy series with 23.

Hollywood

'Severance' and 'The Studio' earn top Emmy nominations

The United Torah Judaism party has decided to quit Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition over its failure to secure military service exemptions. Members of the ultra-orthodox community have been exempted from enlisting in the army since 1948.

Major cracks in Netanyahu coalition as ultra-Orthodox party quits

New information about the Jeffrey Epstein case may soon be made public after a reversal from U.S. President Donald Trump and weeks of criticism — the loudest of which has come from within the MAGA movement.

Epstein files may be released after Trump reversal

Russia's Vladimir Putin has rejected President Trump's ultimatum for Moscow to sign a ceasefire deal with Ukraine in the next 50 days. Trump has threatened to issue a 100% tariff on any country that does business with Russia if no ceasefire deal is reached.

Moscow

Russia rejects Trump's ultimatum for ceasefire in Ukraine

Fighting has erupted in the southern Syrian city of As Suwayda just six hours after a ceasefire was announced. Earlier on Tuesday, Syrian government forces withdrew heavy vehicles from the city, hoping to ease tensions.

As Suwayda

Fighting erupts in Syria’s As Suwayda hours after ceasefire deal

Two laptops and hard drives containing watermarked and unreleased music by Beyoncé were stolen from her choreographer’s rental car in Atlanta, according to police.

Atlanta

Unreleased Beyoncé music stolen from choreographer’s rental car

The House Committee on Education and Workforce is holding its ninth hearing in 18 months on antisemitism on college campuses. CBS News' Shanelle Kaul has more details.

Anger at House committee hearing on antisemitism in college campuses

An Air India Boeing airplane crashed in northwestern India in June, killing all people on board but one passenger. India's aviation regulator has now ordered airlines to examine fuel control switches on several Boeing models.

New Delhi

India orders airlines to inspect Boeing airplane models after crash

Controversy on Capitol Hill over the so-called Epstein Files is seemingly not going away anytime soon.

House Republicans block Democratic push to release Epstein documents

An Israeli scheme to move hundreds of thousands of already uprooted Palestinians to a so-called "humanitarian city" in Gaza has led politicians to spar with the defense establishment. Critics inside and outside Israel have denounced the proposal.

Critics slam Israeli scheme to move Gazans to 'humanitarian city'

At least two people were killed in a New Jersey flash flooding event, Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday morning as heavy rains are expected to continue battering the Northeast. CBS News' Rob Marciano has more details.

New Jersey

Two killed in New Jersey flash flooding

After over a week of negotiations in Doha, a truce in Gaza remains elusive, despite intensified efforts by mediators. The stalemate continues as both Hamas and Israel trade blame over ongoing strikes.

Doha

Gaza truce still out of reach after Doha talks

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Donald Trump's administration to resume dismantling the Department of Education, part of his bid to shrink the federal government's role in education in favor of more control by the states.

U.S. Supreme Court clears way for Trump to gut Education Department

Syria's government troops entered the Sweida region following deadly clashes on Tuesday, while Israel carried out strikes against them, saying it was acting to protect the Druze minority.

Syrian forces enter Sweida city following deadly clashes

Heavy rains slammed the Northeast and caused flash floods in the New York City subway system. CBS News' Rob Marciano has the latest.

New York

Flash flooding pummels NYC and slams subway lines

US President Donald Trump told Russia to end its war in Ukraine within 50 days or face massive new economic sanctions, as he laid out plans for infusions of weaponry for Kyiv via NATO. "We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days, tariffs at about 100 percent," Trump said.

Trump gives Moscow 50-day ultimatum over Ukraine war

A Gaza-bound boat carrying pro-Palestinian activists and humanitarian aid left Sicily, over a month after Israel detained and deported people aboard a previous vessel.

Sicily

New Gaza-bound aid boat leaves Italy

The U.S. will manufacture more weapons to help Ukraine in its fight against Russia's invasion. President Trump said European nations will be footing the bill.

U.S. to send more weapons to Ukraine

Christian leaders have accused Israeli settlers of attacking sacred sites in the West Bank. The Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, Theophilos III - visiting the Christian town of Taybeh with other clerics - said settlers had started a fire near a cemetery and a 5th century church there last week.

Clerics accuse West Bank settlers of attacking Christian sites

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is in Beijing ahead of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping. He's there to broaden economic cooperation with China, which is Australia's top trade partner, while taking into account security concerns.