Having a griddle in your kitchen is one of the most exciting ways to make your menu more appealing and diverse. Not minding the number of times you use it, cleaning a griddle top is very crucial to keep it in good shape and condition so as to prevent flavor transfer and maintain efficiency in cooking.
When you use a griddle to cook, a very high amount heat is needed to get the food cooked. This quickly makes the surface of the griddle discolored or charred. Layers of food residues and scorched liquids harden when it cooled. Not all residential and commercial cleaning tools or products work with every brand. To make your griddle clean and well sanitized, you must understand some basic things such as the griddle type, the material used for the surface, and the best cleaning methods.
How to clean griddle has been the concern of many people using this appliance. Knowing how to go about this will always make your griddle sparkling clean, which helps to make your meal tastier.
How food type and griddle type affect griddle cleaning
Due to the fact that griddles have different surface type, there are slightly different cleaning techniques applied in handling each surface. One notable brand of griddle is Teflon. There are special techniques on how to clean Teflon griddle to ensure that no damage is done to the surface.
Stainless steel, chrome-plated steel, and carbon steel can withstand high heat. Portable griddles are mostly made of cast iron. The surface of cast iron griddles are mostly flat, while some have split plates or grooved cooking plates. The versatility in surface types requires special handling to avoid any damage.
Since this appliance is designed to work with very high heat, the surface quickly gets charred or discolored. The kind of food prepared determines the thickness of residue on the surface and also how hard it is to clean from the surface. Examples of foods that leave thick residues that harden upon cooling include starchy vegetables, meats, etc.
Most experts recommend that cleaning stainless steel griddle should be done while it is still warm. A cleaning stone or scrapper makes it easy and safe to get rid of residues. Taking some additional steps after the plates cool makes work perfect. These steps may include seasoning, washing, and drying, depending on the surface of the griddle.
Cleaning tools and products for griddle
Grooved plates and flat surfaces require scraping, scrubbing, and seasoning, excepting chrome plates. Chrome-plated surfaces are easier to cleanup, but more care is needed in the cleaning process. They can be cleaned by using the proper tools to gently scrape and scrub the surface, but no need for seasoning.
When dealing with grooved models, specially designed scraping tools with teeth-like structures that can fit into the ridges to remove food residues are needed. For flat models, using a flat-edge tool for scraping may be required, depending on the food prepared.
There are tons of griddle cleaning tools and cleaners produced by different manufacturers for getting rid of food residues and sanitizing the cooking plates. Some have multi-purpose functions, e.g. grill tools, which are best used on stainless steel, cast iron, and carbon steel griddles.
We really, really recommend checking out Scotch-Brite 746 Quick Clean Heavy Duty Griddle Pad and Scotch-Brite 701 Quick-Clean Griddle Liquid. They will both SAVE you a TON OF TIME and FRUSTRATION!
How to clean a griddle: commercial and residential
Once you are willing and ready to learn anything in life, then the learning process becomes easier. The same applies to learning how to clean cast iron griddle or any other surface type. Most of the griddles produced are made of stainless steel surfaces, though some chefs prefer using a chrome-plated griddle due to its high capacity to retain heat. It is also crucial to note that the cleaning techniques for chrome is slightly different from non-chromium surfaces, but both can still be cleaned easily, especially if you adhere to the maintenance practices after use.
There are a thousand and one ways to employ in cleaning a griddle, and we’ll be showing you some effective guidelines and general tips to follow to constantly keep your appliance clean.
Cleaning a non-chromium surface
- After every use, remove excess food and grease by using a grill scraper. You can scrape the residues into the griddle’s trash drawer and dispose it once you are done with the cleaning.
- If the griddle is very dirty, use a grill or griddle brick to gently wipe off caked-on food and grease while the plate is still warm. Ensure wiping is done in direction of the grain to avoid ruining the stainless steel surface.
- At the close of each day, or even earlier as the case demands, make sure you dispose the trash in the drawer, then wash and sanitize. Afterwards, get a clean cloth or rag to polish the front side of the griddle. If you like, you may use a grill squeegee to clean the surface of the griddle at the end of every day.
- Once in every week, unplug the griddle from the wall socket and allow to cool off completely. Take a clean cloth and non-abrasive cleaner to clean the plate, then rinse it thoroughly with clean water. Getting a complete griddle cleaning kit will help in making the whole cleaning process easier and quicker.
- After carrying out the weekly cleaning routine, you may want to re-season the plate depending upon how often the appliance needs a heavy duty cleaning. If this is not the case, applying a thin layer of cooking oil is all that is needed to prevent rusting
We really, really recommend checking out Scotch-Brite 746 Quick Clean Heavy Duty Griddle Pad and Scotch-Brite 701 Quick-Clean Griddle Liquid.
Cleaning of griddles with chromium surfaces
- After every use, get a scraper blade and remove excess food and grease, then use a damp cloth to wipe the surface.
- At the close of each day, use a scraper blade to scrape the surface just as in the previous step, then get a clean rag, soak it in a mixture of water and mild soap, squeeze the water out and use it to clean the surface. Afterwards, get another clean wet cloth to thoroughly wipe the surface. Polish the front side, and empty the trash drawer.
When cleaning or taking care of a chromium-plated griddle, avoid using any of the items listed below:
- Steel wool
- Abrasive, griddle stones, or pumice
- Spatula edge of sharp objects to remove food
- Commercial liquid grill cleaners
Whether you are looking for ways on how to clean a wolf griddle or any other type of griddle, following the guidelines and general tips given above will give you a nice experience using your griddle. Your griddle will not only look as good as new, it will also last you for a longer period.
While you’re here, be sure to check out our kitchen product reviews!