Owning a griddle grill is by far one of the most versatile cooking tools. You can cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner all on your griddle. Plus, they’re great for cooking for large groups, but also just for yourself.
As with most things you own, taking good care of it is the best way to ensure it lasts and stays in top condition for as long as possible.
It would be best to clean your griddle to ensure that it stays working well and that you don’t have any cross-contamination. Here’s how to clean your griddle.
Things You’ll Need
Unlike many cooking tools, you can’t toss your griddle into the dishwasher. Everything you’ll need to clean your griddle should be lying around your house.
Depending on that material your griddle is, you’ll clean it differently.
We’ll be talking about how to clean a cast-iron griddle top and a stainless steel one for this article. Here’s what you’ll need:
- A Scraper (a metal spatula will work just as well)
- Water
- Paper towels or a kitchen cloth
- Tongs
- Oil to season the griddle
Step 1: Turn Your Griddle Grill on
First things first, you’ll need to turn your griddle on and let it heat up. Once it’s heated, you’ll want to turn it off so that it can begin to cool.
This may seem counterintuitive, but it’s the best way to do this. If you have the time to clean your griddle right after cooking a meal, that may be a better way to do this.
Step 2: Scrape Off Excess Food
As your girdle is cooling down, you can begin scraping off any excess food. You’ll want to use a scraper for this. If you don’t have one, a metal spatula will work just as well.
Scraping your griddle not only helps to remove extra food particles, but it helps to remove any extra grease that didn’t drain into the grease trap.
Step 3: Pour Water onto the Griddle
After you’ve finished thoroughly scraping your griddle top, you need to add some water to the grill. When you put the water on, and it doesn’t sizzle off, your griddle isn’t hot enough. You’ll need to heat your griddle enough that the water can sizzle off.
Step 4: Scrape Off Excess Water
As your griddle sizzles off the water, you’ll want to take your scraper or metal spatula and scrape off the extra water. The water will look dirty because it’s seeping into the pores of your griddle, pulling out anything that can leave it messy.
Step 5: Pour More Water onto the Griddle
Once you’ve scraped off all the water you just poured onto the griddle, you’ll need to pour even more water onto the grill. But don’t scrape the water off this time.
Step 6: Take Tongs and Folded Kitchen Cloth and Push it Around the Griddle
While your water is sizzling on the griddle, you’ll need to take a folded-up paper towel or kitchen cloth and push it around the griddle. Using tongs for this step is the best way to do it to ensure you don’t get burnt.
As you’re pushing the paper towel or cloth around your griddle, be sure you reach all corners of the griddle and not just the main surface.
Step 7: Repeat Step 6 With the Clean Side of the Cloth
Now you’ll repeat the previous step. The only difference is that you’ll need to flip the paper towel or kitchen cloth over to use the clean side.
You’re more than welcome to grab a new cloth or paper towel, but if you don’t want to waste another paper towel or dirty a cloth, the clean side will do just fine.
Step 8: Re-Season Your Griddle
After you’ve completed step seven, you can be finished cleaning your griddle. But, an essential step is to re-season your griddle. You don’t necessarily need to do this every time you clean the griddle, but it’s recommended.
All you have to do is turn your griddle on medium-high heat, take a tiny amount of cooking oil, and pour it onto the grill. We’re talking a small amount no bigger than a nickel.
Take your tongs and a clean kitchen cloth and spread the oil around the griddle. You want it to be so thin that you can barely notice it’s there.
Turn your girdle off, and it’s now freshly cleaned, re-seasoned, and ready to cook a delicious meal.
Griddle Grill Cleaning FAQ
Do you still have questions about cleaning your griddle grill? We have the answers.
How Often Should You Clean Your Griddle Grill?
In theory, you should be cleaning your griddle after every use. It’s really simple to do, and since you just finished cooking, it will already be heated enough so you can start cleaning quickly.
Should You Season Your Griddle After Cleaning?
You should! There are some people who don’t re-season their griddle after every use, which is fine.
But, when you re-season your griddle, you’re applying a non-stick coat to the griddle grill without having to add an excessive amount of cooking oil every time that you cook on it.
Will Cleaning a Griddle Make it Rust?
Cleaning your griddle will not make it rust. The reason your griddle will rust is if you’re not storing it properly.
You’ll need to store your griddle with a cover that prevents it from interacting with any moisture from the atmosphere or environment.
If My Griddle has Rust, Can I Remove It?
You can! The method to remove rust from your griddle grill is similar to the methods you’ll use to clean your griddle. The biggest difference is that you’ll need a more abrasive scraper. An abrasive scraper will help to remove rust.
You won’t want to skip the step where you heat the griddle because this helps to make the rust softer and easier to remove. Wiping your griddle down with oil after every use can help prevent rust in the future.
In Conclusion
When things are being kept properly it will definitely last. Taking care of your cooking equipment, just like learning how to clean a griddle grill, is as important as cooking the best for your family.
If you can’t maintain its quality to stay in shape, then you won’t be able to cook the quality food your family and friends deserve.
Keep your griddles clean and rust-free in order to keep the health of your family strong and away from any diseases.
