How to Maintain a Commercial Kitchen Griddle
If you help manage a facility where maintaining a commercial griddle is vital to your work, you must know the best ways to clean your commercial griddle to avoid challenges and malfunctions in your kitchen.
Your commercial kitchen griddle needs to remain functional to ensure that you provide high-quality care to everyone you serve.
Whether you need a commercial griddle to serve people in aged care facilities, educational institutions, hotels, pubs, restaurants, or any other location where a commercial kitchen griddle is used, knowing how to clean your equipment is vital. If you are still trying to decide the best way to clean a commercial flat-top grill, this article is perfect for you and will guide you through everything to know about cleaning your commercial griddle.
What Materials Do I Need to Maintain a Commercial Griddle?
You’re likely asking: how do you maintain a commercial griddle? Before getting into the step-by-step process, having all the materials and equipment you will need for proper, thorough cleaning is essential. With the right equipment, you can ensure that the griddle in your commercial kitchen operates at its best.
Depending on the material of your griddle, you will need different equipment for cleaning and follow different steps to ensure a safe, deep clean. Below are some items you will need to properly clean your commercial kitchen griddle, followed by step-by-step outlines for three different types of griddles.
- Griddle scraper
- Griddle pad holder
- Food-safe polish
- Warm water
- Heat-resistant gloves
- Griddle scrub pad
- Stainless steel cleaning solution
- Cooking oil
- Palmetto brush
- Cloths
Step-by-Step to Cleaning Your Griddle
When planning on thoroughly cleaning your kitchen, you might go through a list of appliances that need attention. However, there is one thing you might need to learn how to clean: commercial griddle appliances.
There are three types of commercial flat-top grills to be aware of before you can understand how to properly clean your grill: stainless steel, chrome, and Blackstone griddles.
Below are step-by-step guides to cleaning each type of griddle for anyone seeking guidelines for how to clean commercial, flat-top grill appliances.
Step-by-Step to Clean Your Stainless Steel Griddle
- Begin by turning off the thermostat on your griddle and putting on heat-resistant gloves.
- While the griddle is still hot, take your griddle scraper and scrape the surface to remove grease build-up or food debris.
- Apply a stainless steel cleaning solution to the surface of your griddle.
- Scrub the surface of your grill with a non-abrasive griddle scrub pad.
- Wipe down the surface of your griddle with a wet cloth, then wipe with a dry cloth.
- Remove the grease tray from your griddle and empty the contents.
- Use a damp cloth and wipe the body of your commercial griddle.
- Turn the temperature of your griddle to 176°C, about 350°F.
- Spread a small amount of cooking oil onto the surface of your griddle, just enough to coat the surface entirely.
- Allow the oil to sit for 30 minutes before wiping the surface with a dry, clean cloth.
Step-by-Step to Clean Your Chrome Griddle
- While your griddle is still hot, use your griddle scraper to scrape the surface from grease build-up or food particles.
- Take your warm water and pour it over the surface of your griddle.
- Take a palmetto brush and scrub the surface of your griddle. Avoid abrasive brushes like griddle bricks and scouring pads.
- Repeat the previous steps if there is still tough food build-up on the surface.
- Let the surface of your griddle air dry and cool down.
- Cover your flat-top grill with a non-abrasive and food-safe polish.
- Use a clean, dry cloth to wipe the surface of your griddle.
- Use a damp cloth to wipe your griddle and remove the remaining polish.
Step-by-Step to Clean Your Blackstone Griddle
- Allow your Blackstone griddle to cool off once you are finished cooking.
- Use a metal griddle scraper or spatula to scrape the surface of your Blackstone griddle.
- Use a cleaning cloth to wipe down the surface of your griddle.
- While your griddle is still slightly warm, pour water over the surface onto any area with stuck-on food.
- Take a griddle scrub pad and gently scrub the surface of your griddle, paying extra attention to any remaining stuck-on food.
- Rinse the surface of your Blackstone griddle with water and a cleaning cloth.
- Use a clean cloth to dry the surface of your griddle.
- Use a layer of oil to coat the surface of your Blackstone griddle. Use a layer of oil in between each use of your griddle.
Season Your Griddle
Once you have cleaned your griddle, and before using it again, it is essential to season it properly. When seasoning a griddle, follow the instructions below:
- Wipe down the surface of your griddle with a damp towel or lint-free cloth.
- Once the surface of your griddle is clean, turn the burners up to a high heat level. Allow the griddle to heat up for 10-15 minutes.
- After this period, apply cooking oil to the surface. Spread the oil using tongs and a paper towel.
- Once you have evenly distributed the oil, allow it to cook until the oil appears to be burnt off of the surface.
- Repeat these steps two to three times before using your griddle.
How Often Should I Clean My Commercial Griddle?
To keep your kitchen operating at its best performance, you should know not only how to clean your commercial griddle but how often to clean a commercial griddle in general. If you use your griddle multiple times daily, it is best to clean your griddle and appliances daily.
Cleaning your commercial kitchen griddle will help your griddle last longer and will eliminate the chance of poor flavour and contamination. While you should complete a thorough clean every day, cleaning the griddle between each use is wise to remove harmful substances or contaminants in your food. It would be best if you seasoned your griddle as soon as you notice any food build-up. If you rarely use your griddle, ensure that you season it at least once weekly.
Get Rid of Uncertainty in the Kitchen
Cleaning your commercial kitchen griddle should always be a priority if you work in a kitchen environment. Lotus Commercial is suitable for you if you need clarification on the process or want to enlist professional services to help you clean.
Lotus Commercial helps disinfect commercial kitchen spaces and allows you to hire professional cleaners to keep your kitchen in top-notch condition. Don’t be uncertain about how clean your griddles are – contact Lotus Commercial today to ensure your kitchen is safe from contamination.