Care
How to Season Your Carbon Steel Griddle
The sooner you season, the sooner you can start cooking.
By Emily Borst
·May 10, 2023
·May 10, 2023
The sooner you season, the sooner you can start cooking.
Stovetop griddles provide a large cooking surface, perfect for getting crispy edges and preparing foods like pancakes, smashburgers, and eggs. Since Carbon Steel heats up quickly and evenly, it's an excellent choice for—and the only material we considered—for a Griddle.
To protect your griddle from rust and keep food from sticking to its surface, you'll need to learn how to season (or re-season) it as part of its regular care and maintenance.
When any type of Carbon Steel Cookware is bare or unseasoned, it becomes vulnerable to moisture and rust. The seasoning process creates a protective coating of oil that seals the surface “pores” of your Griddle, which both provides a non stick patina and prevents rusting.
Our Carbon Steel Griddle comes pre-seasoned, but it's important to know how to reseason your Griddle—such as after cooking an acidic ingredient or if your Griddle rusts.
Seasoning your griddle is essential, but thankfully, it's not a difficult process.
While there are a few different ways to season Carbon Steel Cookware, the oven is the easiest and most effective way to season a large piece of cookware, like the Griddle. You'll need our Carbon Steel Seasoning Wax or a neutral oil, a Sheet Pan, aluminum foil, dish soap, and paper towels.
1. Pre-Heat Your Oven
Your oven should be preheated to the smoke point of the oil you've selected. Different oils have different smoke points, which is why it's important to confirm that you've set your oven to the right temperature. While your oven preheats, cover your sheet pan in aluminum foil.
2. Give Your Griddle a Scrub
Use dish soap and warm water to clean away any remaining residue on your Griddle. Use paper towels to spot check the griddle and confirm that it's actually clean before proceeding to the next step.
3. Dry Your Griddle
After you've removed as much oil as possible, wipe away any moisture on your Griddle. Dry it off with paper towels, then place it on your stovetop over low heat. The heat of the stove should cause any remaining moisture to evaporate.
4. Add a Coating of Oil
Once your Griddle is completely dry, remove it from the stove and let it cool. Place some oil in a small bowl so that you can dip the paper towel in the oil. Carefully use the paper towel to cover the griddle surface in a thin layer of oil—you don’t need a lot to season.
5. Transfer a Sheet Pan and Your Griddle to the Oven
Place your sheet pan on the bottom rack of the oven. Once the pan is there to catch droplets of oil, place your Griddle in the oven, with the top facing down. Allow the Griddle to season for one hour.
Once an hour has passed, turn off the oven. Leave the Griddle in the oven while it cools. When the Griddle is completely cool, it's ready to be used. To kick-start the development of a non stick patina, we recommend cooking fatty proteins like bacon, steak, or burgers (you're welcome).
While the seasoning process may sound complicated, it's much easier once you've gotten started. Follow the steps above, and soon you’ll be turning out diner-style breakfasts, grilled cheese, and other griddled entrees with ease.
Once your Griddle is seasoned (or re-seasoned) and ready to cook, get started with one of our chef recipes specifically designed for the griddle. From Spanish-style grilled shrimp to fluffy lemon blueberry pancakes, your Griddle can handle it all.
