Cleaning your Blackstone Griddle after cooking is a MUST!! It can be intimidating if you have never cooked on a griddle before.
With my step-by-step instructions, you will be cleaning your griddle like a pro. Rodents and bugs are attracted to the food and grease.
If stuff is left on your griddle top, then expect to have them eating on top of your flat-top. GROSS!!!
Cleaning Blackstone Griddle takes less than 5 minutes. So just do it!!!! No excuses!! If your cleaning process takes longer than 5 minutes, then you need to read this post all the way through!
Yes, you can burn off the germs (sort of) but these pests will keep coming back after they know of a food source. Make sure you have the right equipment to clean your griddle properly.
If you don’t have the right scraper to clean all the guck off the griddle, then a buildup will happen. You don’t want that to happen!!
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Best Oil to Season Griddle
What is the best oil to use on my griddle? I hear this question all the time in the Facebook groups!
Blackstone Products recommends using olive oil, vegetable oil, sesame oil, canola oil, flax seed oil or coconut oil. Any of cooking oil will work. It just depends on what you like to use. I like to use olive oil but also use vegetable oil.
Ghee is also a popular choice and works well. The reason ghee is better than butter is because of the butterfat.
When making ghee, you melt butter and slowly separate the milk solids and water from the butterfat. Ghee which is also known as clarified butter has a high smoke point making this the perfect oil for your griddle.
Griddle Cooking with Chef Sherry Ronning
First Seasoning vs Regular Seasoning
There is a difference between the first seasoning and regular seasoning of a Blackstone Griddle. Do you know the difference?
When others are saying to “season” your griddle before you cook anything on it, this is referred to as the “first seasoning”.
When you do a first Blackstone Griddle seasoning, clean the griddle with soapy water (this will be the only time you use a dish soap – soapy water on the griddle), dry, place a thin layer of the oil of your choice all over the flat-top and then burn the oil off.
You will create a lot of smoke. Repeat the thin layers of oil and then burn it off several times (4 or 5). This will create a black semi-non-stick layer on your flat-top. A
The more you cook on your griddle the better the non-stick will be if properly taken care of. A well maintained griddle will last for many years.
When someone is referring to “season” your griddle after you use it, this is simply cleaning the flat-top after it is used and then placing a thin layer of oil onto the griddle before it is stored.
You do not cook the oil onto the griddle for this step. Just leave a thin fresh layer of oil and cover with both a hard and soft top for the best protection.
What Do You Do With Blackstone After Cooking?
Now that you have made your meal on your griddle, what do you do? Turn off all the burners and then turn off the gas valve on the tank. Clean a Blackstone Griddle using the following steps.
My preference is to do an initial cleaning of the griddle quickly while it is still hot. Just make sure not to burn yourself. Use heat protective gloves if needed to protect your hands.
Others will disagree with me and say to cool the griddle first. Cleaning your Blackstone Griddle while it is hot/warm, I feel, is so much easier to remove those food particles and stubborn spots.
This is where you need to make sure you have the proper tools for cleaning. I do not recommend using a pumice grill stone for your everyday cleaning because it’s used more for a deep cleaning of the griddle.
With your bench scraper or your metal spatula being careful not to gouge your griddle, scrape off all the leftover food and push it to the grease trap.
Wipe the scraper clean and wipe the griddle completely. With a squirt bottle of room temperature water, apply to the problem areas of the griddle and re-scrape to remove any remaining food.
This is where you want the griddle to still be hot so that the water/steam will loosen the stubborn, stuck on food. The heat will also help to evaporate any moisture left on the griddle and prevent rust from forming.
The last thing you want is a rusty griddle top! At this point you can let the griddle sit and cool completely while you eat your meal.
Just don’t forget that cleaning your Blackstone Griddle is very important to keeping your griddle in tip-top shape!
How to season Blackstone Griddle
Once the griddle is cooled off, make sure to return to the flat-top and “season” it. Add a thin layer of oil which is also known as a protective layer of oil to help combat a rusty griddle.
Completely coat the top with a piece of paper towel to evenly layer the oil of the griddle’s surface. This is referred to as a protective seasoning layer which should be done after every clean-up.
Make sure to completely clean out the grease trap and use drip pans – foil liner if you want.
Don’t forget to wipe the shelves and ledges of the griddle with warm soapy water (Dawn soap works best to cut the grease). Just don’t use the soapy water on the griddle.
Store the griddle with a hard cover.
And then a soft cover for the best protection of the Blackstone griddle.
Cleaning Your Blackstone Griddle After Cooking – FAQ
The best way to get sticky residue off your Blackstone Griddle is to remove it while the griddle is still hot. If you wait until the griddle cools, all the sticky residue will harden onto the griddle. You do not want this to happen! Scrape griddle clean with a bench scraper, carefully wipe the scraper and griddle clean, use a little bit of water to steam clean if needed. Finally, when the griddle is cold, season the flat-top with some oil and store properly.
If food is sticking to your griddle, it could be a couple of things. The first seasoning was not done properly. Not using enough grease/oil when cooking. Griddle is not hot enough for the food you are cooking. You did not clean and season your griddle properly when you last used it.
Rust is the biggest nemesis of a Blackstone griddler!! It depends on the level of rust that you have on your griddle. If you have a small patch or two of rust, just wipe clean, place a layer of oil and re-season your Blackstone Griddle a time or two. Then cook as normal. If the rust is severe, stripping the whole top of the griddle might be your best option. YouTube how to do this because it is a very involved process.
When you buy your brand-new Blackstone Griddle, the first thing that needs to be done is to do your “first seasoning”. Make sure to do this correctly. Then EVERY time you cook on your griddle, clean it, cool it and re-season it. Every single time!!
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Cleaning Your Blackstone Griddle
Cleaning your Blackstone Griddle after cooking is a MUST!! It can be intimidating if you have never cooked on a griddle before. With my step-by-step instructions, you will be cleaning your griddle like a pro.
Materials
- Paper Towels
- Oil
- Water
Tools
- Bench Scraper or Metal Scraper
Instructions
- After cooking your food, turn the griddle off and turn the gas off.
- While the griddle is still hot, use a bench scraper and remove as much debris as possible. Paying special attention to not burn your hands.
- With a piece of paper towel, wipe down the griddle.
- Using a squirt bottle of water, apply a small amount of water to the griddle and scrap any tuff spots. Repeat if necessary. If needed. use 1/4 cup of table salt to scrub off any stuck on food.
- With a new piece of paper towel, wipe and dry off the griddle until the flat-top is completely cleaned.
- Cool the griddle completely.
- Using your favorite oil, season the griddle by applying a thin layer of oil. Spread evenly over the griddle with a clean piece of paper towel.
- Clean the grease trap completely and return back to it's proper place.
- With some soapy water, wipe the shelves and the ledges of the griddle.
- Once the griddle is completely cool, cover with a hard griddle cover.
- Then cover the whole griddle with a soft grill cover.
Notes
- Soapy water is not for the griddle top. Only non-griddle pieces!!
- Do not use cold water on a hot griddle to clean it. This will cause warping and will ruin your griddle.
- Do not use abrasive cleaners, de-greasers, Citrisol, or a concentrated griddle cleaner on any of the plastic parts.
- Don't worry if your griddle top is dull and dry instead of black and shiny. The more you use your griddle top, the more non-stick, shiny and black the griddle will become. Seasoning is an on-going process.
- If you live in a costal or humid climate, then you will require more frequent seasoning of the griddle.
Recommended Products
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The article provided a useful step-by-step guide on cleaning a Blackstone griddle, emphasizing the importance of safety and providing valuable tips on maintaining the cooking surface. It was clear, informative, and helpful for anyone who wants to keep their griddle in good condition.
I am so glad that this Blackstone cleaning guide helped you!
Great help
Glad I could help you with cleaning your Blackstone Griddle!