If you own a Cuisinart 360XL, you may be wondering about how to clean it. Well, we have that for you here, in this article we layout the steps to clean the Cuisinart 360 XL Griddle.
The Cuisinart 360 griddle is an extremely versatile piece of cooking equipment that is ideal for large parties, small gatherings, or laid-back family brunches. You may be intimidated when it comes time to clean your 22-inch Cuisinart griddle.
Achieving a squeaky clean Cuisinart 360 griddle is easier than you think.
With a few simple tools and a little bit of elbow grease, a clean Cuisinart griddle free of food debris and rust is easy to maintain. If you have ever cared for a cast iron skillet, cleaning your Cuisinart 360 griddle will be a piece of cake.
Even if you have never owned a cast iron skillet, you can easily become a griddle cleaning pro in no time,
Tools Needed to Clean Your Cuisinart 360 Griddle
If you live in an area that is particularly humid, your Cuisinart griddle may be particularly prone to rust. Even in a dry climate, a griddle caked with food debris can rust fairly quickly.
Cuisinart sells an 8-piece cleaning kit that features virtually every tool that you will need to effectively clean your Cuisinart griddle. You can also assemble your own cleaning kit from household items.
The Cuisinart griddle cleaning kit features a metal scraper, a plastic squirt bottle, cleaning pads, and cleaning screens for, particularly stubborn food residue.
How To Clean Your Cuisinart 360 Griddle
A roll of paper towels and some metal kitchen tongs are also very helpful. Cuisinart sells a large heavy duty scraper for those who feel a standard metal scraper may not be sturdy enough to remove embedded food.
You will also need some flax or vegetable oil to apply to your griddle. Much like a cast-iron skillet, it is very important never to use soap on your griddle. Soap will strip the surface of your griddle and make food more likely to stick to it.
Begin by Loosening Debris
When you’re ready to start cleaning, turn your griddle on high heat. Allow your griddle to remain on high heat for 3-5 minutes. Give your griddle time to cool off before you begin the scraping process so that you don’t accidently burn yourself.
When your griddle is sufficiently cool, pick up your scraper and begin scraping off any food residue. If your griddle is dry during the initial food scrapping, you will be able to remove caked on food with much greater ease.
Make sure that you don’t neglect the rounded edges of your griddle. Stubborn food residue often clings to the sides of your griddle. Keep in mind that you don’t have to remove every bit of food residue during the first round of scraping.
Aim to remove the largest bits of food, and any residue that comes off fairly easily. You can save the more challenging spots for the next phase of cleaning.
Apply Oil
After you finish your first round of scraping food residue with your metal scraper, it is time to pick up your plastic squirt bottle and apply some oil.
After you have applied a fair amount of flax or vegetable oil over the entire surface of your griddle, use your cleaning pads to scrub away any remaining food remnants.
The Cuisinart 360 griddle cleaning kit features a cleaning pad holder equipped with a plastic handle. If you’re using your own cleaning pads, a cleaning pad holder with a handle will probably be most effective.
Repeat the process of applying oil and scrubbing with cleaning pads until all traces of debris have been removed from your griddle. Feel free to use your metal scraper once again if you spot any particularly stubborn food residue.
Between each cleaning, you can use paper towels to soak up any excess oil and wipe the surface of your griddle clean. If you don’t want to dirty your hands, you can use a pair of kitchen tongs to handle the paper towels.
Make sure to pay special attention to any food particles that may be clinging to the sides of your griddle. Thoroughly wipe out the catch basin below your griddle when you have finished cleaning the top of your griddle.
Turn Your Griddle on Medium High Heat
When you are satisfied that you have removed all food residue and other debris from the surface of your griddle, turn your griddle on medium high heat and allow it to smoke.
As your griddle heats up, you may notice that it appears discolored. The discoloration on the surface of your griddle is a sign that the oil that you used to clean your griddle is bonding with the surface of the griddle.
Oil helps protect your griddle from rust and makes food less likely to stick to the surface. When your griddle appears to be a matte, uniform color turn off the heat and allow your griddle to cool. After your griddle has cooled down, you can once again turn your griddle on medium high heat and apply oil 3-4 times.
The goal is for your griddle to appear as smooth and evenly colored as possible. Cuisinart did a helpful video here to assist:
Maintaining Your Cuisinart 360 Griddle
Once you clean your Cuisinart 360 griddle, you can maintain it by adding some cooking oil and turning your griddle on medium high heat after each use to allow the oil to bond to the griddle.
A light cleaning after each use will help prevent rust and keep the surface of your griddle well-oiled. Regular cleanings will save you a great deal of time and effort.
The more food residue that gets baked into your griddle, the more work-intensive the cleaning process will be. If you forget to clean your griddle and rust builds up, dont worry! it can be fixed, see our guide here to reviving a rusty griddle.
Conclusion
Maintaining a clean Cuisinart 360 griddle is not so different from maintaining a clean cast iron skillet. If you regularly wipe down your griddle, remove debris, and apply a fresh coat of oil after each use, your Cuisinart 360 griddle will remain in top-notch condition for years to come.
Achieving a clean Cuisinart griddle requires about as many steps as thoroughly scrubbing a sink full of dirty dishes. You don’t have to be a cooking or cleaning expert to keep your Cuisinart 360 griddle clean. Griddle King, out.
