Griddle question

I just scrap the heavy gunk off - not really scraping bt getting off the heavy food particles. Then heat up and squirt water on the hot surface and clean with a paper towel - using the scraper to push the towel around. I do that a few times with water until clean while really hot - the water almost evaporates. when clean I make sure it is real hot and add some oil and spread it around. Heat till just smoking hot then turn off, wipe off excess oil and let cool.

I keep mine clean so you can see the metal and then very lightly oil. It is not like cast iron where you want it black. That is based on the manufacturer instructions, so YMMV with different makes and griddle materials.

That griddle might need one of these.




Heat it up, pour water on the griddle and scrub a little.

Buy some Grill bricks from restaurant supply company.

After you clean the griddle and wipe with paper towel, are you supposed to see the paper towel being black? Is that normal? Or am I supposed to see the paper towel completely clean?

In the fresh scraped pic, if you touched the orange looking parts is it extremely sticky? If so, you have too much oil built up on the surface. You are scraping off layers of oil. It should have a very thin film. I would get a griddle brick, heat it up, use the brick, scrape, and start over. Those bricks are amazing.

outie said:

After you clean the griddle and wipe with paper towel, are you supposed to see the paper towel being black? Is that normal? Or am I supposed to see the paper towel completely clean?

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If it's black, it's dirty. You will never get everything, but after scraping, cleaning, then oiling you should have a fairly clean towel. Maybe a little light brown residue, but my paper towel usually is just the color of the oil i use.

When my paper towel starts getting darker and darker with cleanings, that is when I re-season.

you should be using one of these after each cook as well as before and during cleaning.

[ame="https://www.amazon.com/Nemco-55825-Easy-Grill-Scraper/dp/B0065MBGUA"]Amazon.com: Nemco (55825) Easy Grill Scraper: Kitchen & Dining[/ame]

these griddle tops are just smaller versions of what are in restaurants and should be used, cleaned and maintained the same way.

JSPERK - The griddle will (and should) turn black when it is fully seasoned. Took 6 plus cooks for mine to really start getting good. Yes, when you hit it with water and heat it up and wipe with the towel it starts out being black and eventually brown then clean. At that point dry it off, add oil, heat back up then cool down and wipe off the excess oil. You only need a very thin layer. If it is all sticky and you are scraping off goo/oil then you have too much on it. My suggestion: Heat it up super hot, squirt water on it out of a bottle and use the scraper, lightly. Then keep adding water and run the paper towels (or a rag) on it until it stays clean. Heat back up really hot, add oil, cool and wipe off excess.

I completely disagree and so do the manufacturers of my griddles. Most griddles are NOT cast iron pans, they should NOT be allowed to turn black. That is dirty, not seasoned. A steel griddle will get discoloration but should be kept clean and lightly oiled.

There are cast iron griddles and those will turn black. If in doubt check the manufacturer's instructions.

If I use water to clean it until the color on paper towels almost gone, then I use oil to wipe it again and the paper towel is black again. Is that still dirty? I then used more oil to wipe few more times and each time it's still kind of black but less black.

m-fine said:

I completely disagree and so do the manufacturers of my griddles. Most griddles are NOT cast iron pans, they should NOT be allowed to turn black. That is dirty, not seasoned. A steel griddle will get discoloration but should be kept clean and lightly oiled.

There are cast iron griddles and those will turn black. If in doubt check the manufacturer's instructions.

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From Blackstone's Griddle Care and Seasoning Guide:
Remember:Seasoning is an ongoing process that takes time and repeated use before a griddle or pan develops a shiny, black surface like your grandmother’s cast iron cookware. The more often you cook on and season your griddle, the more non-stick the surface will become.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/89/895db59f-18f6-4321-8b8d-ed626ff60d17.pdf

This video may help you out. It's an extreme cleanup of rust but should give you a good idea.
Good luck.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thPE2IgnSiI"]Blackstone Griddle Top Recovery - YouTube[/ame]

I wasn't happy with how I seasoned my griddle the first time around, so I followed the video above - stripped it and reasoned. Pretty happy with the results.

JPS11 said:

From Blackstone's Griddle Care and Seasoning Guide:
Remember:Seasoning is an ongoing process that takes time and repeated use before a griddle or pan develops a shiny, black surface like your grandmother’s cast iron cookware. The more often you cook on and season your griddle, the more non-stick the surface will become.

http://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/89/895db59f-18f6-4321-8b8d-ed626ff60d17.pdf

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Interesting. This is from the Garland manual:

To maintain evenly cooked, perfectly browned griddle products, keep the griddle free from carbonized grease. Carbonized grease hinders the transfer of heat from the griddle surface to the food product. This results in uneven browning and loss of cooking efciency. Carbonized grease also clings to griddle foods, giving them a highly unsatisfactory and unappetizing appearance. To keep a griddle clean and maintain it at peak operating performance, follow this procedure.

1. After each use, clean the surface thoroughly with a grill scraper or spatula. Wipe off debris left over from the cooking process.

2. Daily: Clean the surface with a grill brick or pad. Remove, empty and clean the grease container thoroughly.

3. Weekly: Clean the surface well with a grill brick or pad. Rub with the grain of the metal while it is still warm. A detergent may be used on the plate surface to help clean it, but make sure it is removed. After cleaning, cover the surface with a thin film of oil to prevent rusting.

4. Use a non-abrasive cleaner to remove discoloration. Before using the griddle again it must be re-seasoned. On models without a side grease container, keep the griddle drain tube to the grease container clear.