How Often Should I Clean My Griddle? (Easy Solution)

Owning a new griddle is exciting, however many questions arise regarding the use and care of a griddle. Proper care and maintenance of your griddle ensure a long life of happy griddling.

Let’s take a look at how often you should clean your griddle.

You should clean your griddle after every single use. No exceptions. However, the cleanup and cleaning process of a griddle isn’t the same as your other pots and pans. Here are some helpful tips about when and how often you should clean your griddle.

Clean The Griddle Upon Opening The Box

Bringing home that new griddle is a fun day, the thoughts of endless awesome recipes keep winding through your head. But let’s be real, do you want to cook on that griddle surface right out of the box?

I mean hey, it says on the box it’s “Pre-Seasoned and Ready to Cook”. But, just like buying any new item that’s ready to use, that goes in your mouth, you may want to ensure it gets properly cleaned beforehand.

Also, regarding that “pre-seasoning” I would still recommend you do your own proper seasoning before your first cook. Oh, and BTW, don’t forget the other MUST-DO’s with a new griddle in the helpful Guide to A New Griddle

Clean Your Griddle Before Each Use

My griddle doesn’t have a hood. That means any dust, particles or other debris that happened to be floating through the sky can be landed on my griddle surface.

Before each cook, grab a moist cloth and wipe the surface clean. Then crank up the heat and let the surface get hot and dry. They add a very thin layer of oil that has a high smoke point to the griddle surface. You’re ready to cook!

Clean Your Griddle After Each Use

This is a no-brainer just for cleanliness reasons, but it goes beyond that. Cast iron cooking surfaces need to be cleaned and given a thin layer (and I mean THIN) of oil when putting away. This will ensure the next time you bust it out, all its needs is a quick wipe down and its ready!

Griddle Cleaning Tips

• NEVER USE SOAP – That was a little dramatic but in all seriousness, try to never use soap. What keeps a cast iron product in good shape is the calcified layer of oil and grease, giving the cast iron a truly non-stick surface. using soap will break down years of seasoning and your surface will need a lot of work to bring it back.
• After cooking, let the griddle cool, while it’s cooling use a griddle scraper to scrape off excess food and oil into the trap.
• Then when it’s time to clean, turn the heat back up getting the surface hot.
• Once it’s hot use water on the griddle surface that will immediately start boiling (and sanitizing) the surface.
• While that water is boiling, quickly wipe the surface clean with a cloth and pair of tongs for the heat.
• Once the surface is clean, add that thin layer of oil and let the griddle cool until it’s stored again.

Griddle Accessories You WILL ACTUALLY NEED

If you’re new to griddling altogether, I recommend checking out these accessories as they will save you some headaches and some greasy laundry. This is another big one. While your griddle does come ready to use….it’s missing some really BASIC items you will need. 

• Griddle Spade and Spatula: These are the backbone of griddle chefs all over the world. Due to the flat-top design of a griddle, you will need to have metal surfaced griddle spatulas and spades. Something simple like this works great, see it here on Amazon. 
• Griddle Hood: This is a bit of a bigger deal than many think initially. A quality griddle hood will help you cook better by controlling heat and creating a “oven” as well as protecting your griddle cover from coming in contact with your griddle surface that can either be dirty or really hot. Something like this works great, see it here on Amazon.
• Griddle Cover: I didn’t think I needed one either. But, I found out very soon how great of a job they did from preventing unnecessary wear and tear from the weather when being stored in my back yard. Its a small investment that pays back big time. Something like this works great here on Amazon.
• Infrared Temperature Gun: See Step 4 above, these are really crucial to fully understand what your griddle can do and what areas are putting out the heat you need, and what areas can be used to just keep the food warm while working on others. This is a great option that won’t t hurt your wallet, check it on Amazon.
• Grease Tins: These are dirt cheap and save you an unnecessary headache when cleaning up. Simply drop them into the grease trap and toss them when you’re done! Check these here on Amazon. 
• Griddle Bottles: Another must-have, you really only need two. One for water, and one for your chosen cooking oil. If you are not sure what I mean, check out our Guide to Griddle Bottles here. These on Amazon work great and are cheap, check them out here. 
• Griddle King Apron: I know what your thinking “I’m not wearing an apron” and yeah, I get it. But all that changed when I got a griddle and realized how much grease is popping off the griddle surface and landing on my clothes. A simple apron solves that and my signature “Griddle King” or “Griddle Queen” apron is a cheap easy fix for you, grab it here on Etsy.
• 1lb To 5lb or 20lb Propane Adapter: Like mentioned above, just swapping out your tiny 1lb propane bottle will save the world and your trips to find a camping propane bottle every hour. Grab one here on Amazon.

Conclusion

Alright, folks! You’re all up to date on how to care for your griddle and you know how often to clean your griddle. I hope this was helpful and if you would like to know anything specific that hasn’t been covered, drop me a line and let me know! I’m happy to help. Now go get outside and HAPPY GRIDDLING!