A flat-top grill is one of the most versatile cooking equipment which is preferred by many for steaming up or smoke up your meal to sear it to give that extra crust on the surface. Flat top grills are perfect to smoke up your meal if you can’t get a hold of charcoal at the moment. But using a flat top grill like any other equipment needs to be maintained and cleaned regularly. The best way to clean a flat top grill requires a detailed step-by-step process from identifying when to clean your grill to perform a deep clean. In this article, we’ll discuss how to clean a flat top grill in the easiest yet effective way.
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But first, it is important to identify when you need to perform a deep clean on your grill.
Things That Indicate A Deep Clean Is Required
Before we jump into how to clean a stainless steel griddle effectively, there are some factors you need to look for that indicate your grill needs a deep clean as soon as possible.
If food particles start sticking to the griddle: the first step in knowing how to clean a griddle grill is checking if any food particles are sticking to the griddle first. These particles can make the non-stick qualities lose soon.
Flavour spreads across foods: Cross mixing different flavors into different foods can ruin the taste and it is the fastest way to make a meal worse. If you notice such instances happening, it is time to use a flat top grill cleaner.
The food is cooking unevenly: If you notice the food is cooking unevenly or there are some hot spots on the cooking surface you might want to clean the griddle to solve this.
If there is any grease build-up: If the grease build-up doesn’t come off by basic day to day cleaning, you might want to opt for deep cleaning instead.
Though knowing how clean a griddle grill will help your grill to stay as new as possible, it is recommended to re-season your grill. This is because deep cleaning can take off any seasoning that has built up all this time.
Check the material of the surface
Before we talk about how to clean a flat top grill, after checking the need of the process, it is necessary to identify the material of the surface. This is because different materials require a different type of cleaning process. While some flat-top grills have stainless steel tops, there are also chrome cooktops in higher-end residential and commercial units. For a chrome cooktop, keep in mind not to use abrasive cleaners as they can damage the surface.
Things That May Require Cleaning A Flat Top Grill
The foremost thing to consider before discussing how to clean a stovetop grill is getting a hold of various necessary flat top grill cleaning tools that are mentioned below.
- Flat top grill scrapper
- Vegetable oil
- Stainless steel cleaner
- Dishcloths or rags
- Warm water
You can use these flat top grill cleaning tools to clean the grill top easily and in just a few minutes.
How To Clean A Flat Top Grill With Stainless Steel Top?
Follow the step by step process for effective cleaning.
- Turn up the heat to about 350 degrees of your grill. Once the griddle top is hot use the griddle scraper to scrape the top of the flat top grill. Make sure to scrape all the leftover food particles, debris and grease off the surface as much as possible.
- After scrapping off the debris, pour warm water on the surface. This will help to boil off the grease that has built up this long. Make sure you use warm water instead of cold water to prevent the surface from a thermal shock.
- Once the surface gets comparatively a bit cold, scrub the entire surface and wipe it clean.
- Use a rag to apply stainless steel cleaner and make sure to completely dry. You can wipe the surface clean afterwards.
How You Should Clean A Chrome Flat Top Grill?
Chrome top grills are mainly used for commercial purposes.You can use it as an expensive flat top. Thus require a bit different approach than stainless steel top.
- Similar to stainless steel top, turn the heat to around 350 degrees and scrape off the debris from the surface.
- Pour warm water on the surface of the grill. Use a less abrasive brush to scrub off the surface till it is clean.
- Once the surface is cool, dry the surface with a rag. You can apply a non-abrasive food-safe polish.
- Use a dry rag or piece of cloth to wipe the surface.
- Make sure there is no polish remaining on the surface.
If you are rather more interested in knowing how to clean a flat top grill without chemicals, you can do it in a few steps. You can use a mixture of vinegar and water, dishwashing liquid, lemon juice and water or soda water and lemon and raw vinegar.
How to Clean an Electric Griddle in Easy Steps?
Similar to the first step required for stainless steel grill top, heat the griddle and let it cool down a bit. After cooling down dip a sponge in warm soapy water and gently scrub the surface. Let it rest for nearly half an hour to loosen the grease and wipe off the remaining grease. You can also finish off with cold water and wipe with a dry rag.
Conclusion
While deep cleaning is the appropriate answer when you ask how to clean a flat top grill. To retain the best condition of your grill you might want to conduct a basic cleaning with water on a daily basis. If you clean the grill top on a regular basis, you can ensure its durability. You do not have to worry about spending a lot of money on repairs. This is because if there is any problem, it can be easily solved as it is detected at the earliest.
Hope you now got the answer on how to clean a stovetop griddle. You can do it all by yourself and in some easy steps.
