You have finished cooking a meal for your friends and visitors, and they are satisfied. The awesome food could not have gotten any better. After all the hard work, you want to sit and relax.
But you cannot relax when your griddle is dirty. How do you clean and take care of it? There are some steps and instructions that you need to follow. If you leave it out dirty, it might rust, flake, and invite rodents and insects.
Griddles are designed to be long-lasting. However, it all depends on how well you maintain it, of course.
You do not need to worry about where to start when it comes to cleaning the griddle since you came to the right place.
In this article, we discuss how to clean your outdoor griddle.
Ordinary Residential Griddles
Folks at home could decide to grill at any time of the day. The griddle must be always on the go every time the family is up for a grill party. Unlike the typical grills where the food is directly cooked in an open fire, the griddle provides a hotplate-like experience, enabling the food to rest in ridges giving every meal an exquisite appearance.
1. Gas Griddles
For the record, gas is absolutely the cleanest among existing fossil fuels. At the same time, gas griddles make it possible for you to ignite or lower the flame according to the requirement of the dish you are cooking. You’ll never have to worry about pieces of the food that might tumble in the grill fuel because gas griddles don’t have breaks in its surface.
When some food particles are stuck to the top of the griddle, the heat can’t pass through to the surface towards the food. Though gas used as fuel is a surefire way to rapidly increase temperature, the food bits trapped on the face of the griddle can prevent it from quickly heating up. Now, follow the steps below for an uncomplicated cleaning of this type of griddle.
Step 1. Use a griddle scraper to take off the particles stuck on the surface while it is still hot.
Step 2. To thoroughly expel the grease accumulating the ridges, pour warm water to the top.
Step 3. You can repeat the previous process until it is completely free from the food scraps.
Step 4. Finally, wipe the excess liquid with paper towels until it completely dries.
2. Electric Griddles
Breakfast feast is made effortless with electric griddles. Though this is primarily designed for home kitchens where you could just plug it and start grilling, it is also ideal for outdoor cooking. As long as you have a shade by the backyard where the electric outlet is accessible, the electric griddle can be perfect for a picnic in your backyard!
In maintaining a spotless electric griddle, you’ll only need to invest minimum effort in keeping it clean. Check out the procedures written down below and do the effortless cleaning afterwards.
Step 1. Plug it in until it’s completely ready. If you have no scraper available in your kitchen cabinets, you can use the icing spatula to get rid of the food particles.
Step 2. Turn it off and allow it to cool down.
Step 3. Pour a dishwashing solution with hot water and then use a sponge to remove the greasy residues. Perform this step until the surface is cleared from the gunks.
Step 4. Use a paper towel to expunge all of the present fragments.
Step 5. Let it dry and it is now good to go.
3. Brick Slab
If your household makes use of conventional materials for different methods of cooking such as a brick slab for grilling, it’s good that you have followed this article up to this point. Having a brick slab as a main component of the griddle makes you a resourceful cook because it’s more like a do-it-yourself kitchen gear.
This is quite cheap compared to other commercial griddles in the market. Another perk of using this material is the trouble-free cleaning you have to employ. Refer to the directions written below to know how to clean an outdoor griddle like a brick slab.
Step 1. As soon as it cools down after a grilling session, you can use a scraper to draw out the food accumulated on the surface of the slab.
Step 2. Pour warm water and allow the residue to come off.
Step 3. Use a paper towel to clean it dry and polished.
Commercial Griddles
For food chains and take-out counters, investing in heavy-duty griddles is a wise bargain. The most important thing is that it needs to be cleaned every after operation since it caters manifold orders daily. Undoubtedly, you can make profit out of the griddles below as long as you are devoted to keeping it in optimum condition.
1. Countertop Griddles
If you happen to observe griddle in your burger store of choice, you’ve definitely seen the splash guards it features in its sides. Countertop griddles are specially designed to accommodate bulk orders. Keeping it clean always is an excellent way of retaining its function.
Step 1. While hot, scrape the surface using a spatula with a flat head.
Step 2. Allow it to cool down. Pour hot water and dishwashing solution to the surface.
Step 3. You can use a mild abrasive pad if you feel that the spatula didn’t work out. Wipe it with a sponge and allow the grease to penetrate into the sponge.
Step 4. Wipe it with a damp cloth soaked in cold water and let it sit to dry. Now, you definitely know how to clean an outdoor griddle by yourself.
2. Stainless Steel Griddles
Stainless Steels are fairly resistant to corrosion hence making it a suitable material for most kitchen instruments. Stainless steel griddles are generally non-reactive therefore making it possible for you to use acidic ingredients such as applesauce and vinegars. This one requires low maintenance and can be easily tidied up through the tips below.
Tip 1. You can use a cloth drenched with warm water to wipe the surface of the griddle every after cooking.
Tip 2. Always use a paper towel to completely dry the surface. Drips marks will be obvious if it is partially mopped.
Tip 3. If you want to polish it like new, you can use the combination of water and baking soda. The paste is abrasive enough to remove all hardened particles from the griddle’s surface.
Conclusion
That’s it!
After the cleaning, do not forget to season your griddle to keep it in perfect shape.
Are you wondering how to do the seasoning, worry no more? It is only rubbing the surface with some oil. You do the seasoning to protect the top from any rust because of the water. When done, be sure to store it in a safe place.
Learn more: How to season your stainless steel griddle
