Stainless steel griddles, aka flat-top grills, are a common sight in commercial kitchen setups. People who love to share their teppanyaki skills with their friends and family also use them in their homes.
However, whether you heat it frequently or every once in a while, you need to clean the griddle to keep it in good shape. Thankfully, cleaning a griddle is not much of a hassle. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into how to clean stainless griddle properly.
So, without further ado, let’s get started!
Why Should You Clean Your Griddle?
Whether you cook on your griddle or how often you use it, you must clean it regularly. Food residues remain on the griddle after you cook something on it. If you don’t remove the food debris, it will form a greasy coating over time. Eventually, your griddle will have a hard layer over it that would compromise its cooking ability.
Therefore, it’s important to clean your griddle. Mike from Griddle King recommends cleaning the griddle after every use.
Deep Cleaning a Griddle
Inspect your grill now and then to see if it requires a deep clean. When you deep clean a griddle, you essentially restore it to its original state. So, this is a reasonably comprehensive cleaning method that will keep your flat top in excellent condition. However, deep cleaning the griddle will take away it’s seasoning.
Seasoning is a protective layer that prevents rust buildup and keeps the top surface non-sticky. Since we are talking about stainless steel griddles here, rust isn’t a concern, but no seasoning will make the griddle inconvenient for cooking. So, you need to re-season the griddle once you deep clean it.
When Should I Consider Deep Cleaning?
How can you tell if your griddle needs deep cleaning? There are some obvious clues you need to look out for to determine whether or not you should go for deep cleaning. Finding burnt scraps of food in your meal is one of the red flags. Leftover food particles will get into your freshly-cooked food. Also, it will weaken the non-sticky attribute of the griddle surface.
Culinary fusion can be exciting at times. But, the experience is far less delightful when flavors continuously get mixed up. An unplanned mingling of flavors can ruin a meal pretty quickly. If you feel that it has been happening a whole lot of times, you need to contemplate thoroughly cleaning the griddle.
The even distribution of heat in a properly cooked meal makes it so delicious. So, when your griddle loses the ability to cook evenly, it immediately shows in the taste of the food. Likewise, the presence of hot spots in the griddle indicates grease, grime, and other undesired residual substances on the griddle pan. A deep clean might help in such circumstances.
How to Clean Stainless Griddle?
Things You Need
- A griddle scraper.
- Griddle scrub holder
- Cooking oil (preferably vegetable oil)
- Multiple pieces of dishcloths
- Stainless steel cleaner
- Warm water
What to Do
- Turn the griddle knob to reach temperatures as high as 300 °F to 350 °F. When the griddle gets hot, grab a scrapper and scrub the griddle top. Always use a griddle scrub holder to prevent your hands from getting burnt. Try to scrape off all food crumbs, grease, and grime.
- Pour warm water into the cleaning area. You can use a spray bottle to do it more easily. The warm water will weaken the grease layer on the surface and make it easier to remove. Never use cold water because it could damage the griddle because of thermal shock.
- Allow the griddle to cool off a bit. Then, scrub the entire cooking surface of the griddle once again.
- Clean it afterward with water and wipe away the remaining dirt. We would still recommend you to use warm water.
- Stainless steel cleaners usually come in spray bottles. Spray some cleaner into a piece of dishcloth and rub it across the griddle pan.
- Once you’ve applied the stainless steel cleaner, make sure it’s thoroughly dry and wiped spotlessly.
How Can I Re-season a Stainless Steel Griddle After Deep Cleaning It?
Follow these steps to apply new seasoning on a stainless steel griddle:
- Fire up the griddle. After it becomes hot, spray some warm water and wipe it off with a paper towel. Touch the towel or cloth with a spatula to avoid direct contact with the griddle surface.
- Once you are convinced that you got a clean griddle pan, put some cooking oil on it. Bruce Mitchell, from History TV hit Swamp People, recommends using olive oil. In his words, “I like to use olive oil because olive oil [doesn’t] gum up like regular vegetable oil.”
- Spread the oil across the entire cooking area using a paper towel on top of a spatula. Not a single inch should be left unattended.
- Let the oil smoke. When the smoke clears up, pour some more oil and repeat the process once again. Keep on doing this a few more times to put up a stable seasoning.
Regular Cleaning a Griddle
The procedures we just discussed describe a deep clean. If you don’t use your griddle often, you may just need to deep clean it once in a while. However, don’t deep clean your griddle after every use. Deep cleaning itself is time-consuming, but you would also have to re-apply the seasoning afterward. Going through all that trouble every time is unnecessary.
Taking some simple steps after cooking can help your griddle last longer. In doing so, you won’t need to conduct deep cleans much often. Here are some guidelines for regular cleaning of a stainless steel griddle:
- Scrape off leftovers with a scrapper immediately after using the griddle.
- Spray water on the griddle pan after it cools off. Wipe it dry with a paper towel or dishcloth afterward.
Frequently Asked Questions
1.Should I Re-season Every Time I Clean the Griddle?
No, there is no need to re-season the griddle unless you conduct a full-on deep clean of the unit. For regular cleans, just wipe the pan dry with paper towels or rags.
2.Should I Apply the Same Technique While Cleaning All Types of Griddles?
The cleaning procedure of a griddle depends on its build material. For example, what works for a stainless steel griddle might not be effective for its chrome-top or composite counterparts. For best results, only apply the cleaning methods you read here on stainless steel griddles.
Final Say
Knowing how to clean stainless griddle will definitely make you a better cook. A cleaner griddle top ensures a better cooking experience and prolongs the lifespan of the unit.
Hopefully, this article will help you take care of your stainless steel griddle the right way and keep it functional for years to come.
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