How to Clean Your Carbon Steel Griddle

From grilling up delicious burgers to frying large quantities of eggs or pancakes, our Carbon Steel Griddle shines when cooking for a crowd. Its uses both indoor and outdoor are endless, ensuring that it’ll be used many times throughout the year. However, a lot of our favorite foods to cook on a Griddle can also create a pretty big mess, which is why it's important that you know how to properly clean your Griddle. Here, we walk you through how to deal with minor messes, deep cleaning, and reseasoning to ensure that your Griddle stays in the best shape possible.

How to Clean a Griddle After Use

Just like any other piece of Carbon Steel Cookware, it’s best to clean your Griddle after each use so that oil and food residue doesn’t build up over time. This simple cleaning will help your Griddle retain its naturally non stick surface and keep future cleanings manageable. Here’s how you do it.

Start by removing any excess food particles using a utensil such as a griddle scraper or even a silicone spatula. This should be done while the Griddle is still hot.

Next, take a bottle of water and spray it directly onto the Griddle. Because it’s still hot, the water should immediately steam. Scrape any excess water away with your spatula. You'll notice that the water will be dirty because as the water boils off, it's also pulling residual food and oil out of the Griddle plate itself.

Give the Griddle another quick spray of water, then use a folded up kitchen cloth to carefully wipe the Griddle down as the water is steaming on the surface. Wipe the Griddle down thoroughly, working from one corner to the next. Use tongs to hold the kitchen cloth so you don't burn your hands on the hot surface.

Repeat the third step until the Griddle is fully cleaned, then dry off any residual water from the surface to avoid rust forming. Make sure you allow the Griddle to come to room temperature on its own before you store it.

How to Deep Clean a Griddle

If you haven’t been keeping up with cleaning your Griddle, it may need more than a wipe down. Here’s a method for when your Griddle needs a little extra care. This two-step process gets rid of even the most stubborn of food build-up and will have your Griddle looking good as new.

Start by investing in a quality griddle scraper. These utensils are specifically designed to remove cooked-on food particles without damaging the surface of the Griddle itself. To use a griddle scraper effectively, heat the Griddle to medium heat to loosen particles, then carefully scrape debris away from the surface with the thinnest part of the flat blade.

If there's still build-up on your Griddle even after using a griddle scraper, don't worry. Natural ingredients like lemon and vinegar can be very effective at removing even the most stubborn of build-up.

Start by heating your Griddle over medium-high, then squeeze a few drops of fresh lemon juice onto the surface. To amplify the cleaning power, add a little vinegar as well. As the lemon juice and vinegar cook on the surface, they’ll loosen up the food particles. From there, you should be able to take your griddle scraper and remove them with ease.

How to Reseason a Griddle After Cleaning

Occasionally, your Griddle will need to be reseasoned to keep the surface smooth and non stick. If you’ve just deep-cleaned your Griddle, now might be a good time to reseason to ensure that its natural patina remains intact. Follow the simple steps below.

Start by heating your Griddle over medium-high. Make sure not to heat the grill past the smoke point of whatever oil you plan to use.

Next, add a small drizzle of any neutral oil such as grapeseed, vegetable, canola, or avocado oil. We recommend grapeseed because it’s light and has a relatively high smoke point of about 420F.

Take a clean cloth or paper towel and spread the oil evenly across the surface of the Griddle. Use tongs to grip the towel to avoid burning your fingers. There should be hardly any residue left on the surface when you're done. From there, shut off the heat and allow the Griddle to cool to room temperature before storing.

Ready to Cook?

Taking care of your Griddle will keep it in great shape so you can continue cooking up delicious dishes for years to come. Now that you know how to fully clean your Griddle, there’s nothing stopping you from cooking on it. This simple video breaks down how you set up your Griddle, using it for stovetop cooking, and of course, cleaning it.