Notice your griddle isn’t level and want to know how to fix it? We have you covered! Leveling your Blackstone Griddle is important from a safety perspective.
If you’re cooking on an uneven surface, then there is always a chance that you will cause an accident that might lead to an injury of some kind.
The first thing you should do before even firing up the griddle is make sure that the surface is even, and if it isn’t, then you need to level it.
Below we’ll give you some tips on how to do that, ranging from simple enough that anybody can do it, all the way to a more permanent fix that might take a little expertise.
Why Bother Leveling Your Griddle?
Well, there’s the obvious safety concern that we pointed out above. An uneven surface could very easily lead to the griddle toppling, which could have devastating consequences.
But away from the safety side of things, it’s also really important to have a level griddle if you want to get the best out of cooking.
An uneven surface can lead to cooking oil moving around in places you don’t want it.
We don’t need to tell you that if all of your cooking oil is moving to a corner of the griddle and you’re cooking in the middle, then you’re probably going to have a bit of a mess to clear up once you’ve finished because food will just stick to your griddle top like glue.
How To Know If Your Griddle Needs To Be Leveled
Not sure if you even need to level your griddle? Well, here are a few ways we have found to know if your griddle is not level.
There may be other ways, but these were the easiest and simplist ways we have found to determine if the griddle isnt level.
Visual Inspection
The biggest and most obvious way to know is by a quick glance at your griddle. Does the griddle appear to be slanted in either direction?
Does your griddle have one set of wheels on a outdoor mat and the others on the patio concrete? These are quick indicators you are not level.
Cooking Oil Rolls To One Direction
Another fast method to know if your griddle is not level is noticing the direction that cooking oil or fats pool up on the griddle.
For me, I noticed my cooking oil rolled forward (towards me). After a quick look I realized I had a set of wheels not on the same surface, one was on the mat, one was on the concrete creating a uneven surface.
Use a Level
This method is the method that cant fail! Simply take a level from your garage, it doesn’t even matter how big or how small, just grab a level, place it on the Blackstone Griddle cooking surface and see what the level tells you.
Ways You Can Level Your Griddle
If you want your griddle to function as it should, then leveling it out so it’s perfectly even is essential. So, what can you do to make your Blackstone griddle level?
We have scoured, tested and found the following ways to be the easiest ways to level your griddle.
Wood/Cardboard
If you’re cooking on an uneven surface, then Blackstone recommends using wood or cardboard underneath the wheels or legs of the Blackstone griddle can be a good way to make the surface more even.
All you’d need to do is take a few sheets of thin cardboard and add them one layer at a time to the bottom of the griddle until the surface was more level.
A great way to test it is by pouring a small amount of water into the center of your griddle.
If it moves, then it isn’t level, but if it stays put, then you’re good to go. If you don’t have any cardboard to hand, then a small block of wood would work great too.
A wood block it might even be a better option because you could cut it down to the perfect size and leave it there constantly if you aren’t somebody who moves your griddle around a lot in your backyard.
The key thing to remember here is that a level surface is important for your own safety. Griddles get really hot, and if they are at risk of tipping, then we may instinctively move to grab them to stop them from falling.
This will not end well for you. Using wood or cardboard is a great idea, just make sure that your quick fix is something that is stable.
Washers
Another useful quick fix is to use washers underneath the griddle top’s feet.
At the point where the griddle top is attached to the frame, it is possible to lift out the ‘legs’ and place washers beneath them to lift up one side of the griddle more so that it results in an even top.
This is great for minor readjustments when the griddle is clearly not level, but isn’t so far off that you would need to use wood or cardboard like the solution above.
We really wouldn’t recommend using more than a washer or two beneath the legs, because this is where the griddle top attaches to the frame, and it’s what keeps the griddle stable whilst cooking.
Add too many and you will essentially create a leaning tower of unstable washers, where the leg might not even be attached to the frame anymore.
Sometimes though, washers are your best option because the leveling might only be off by a cm or two, in which case using cardboard or wood would probably be overkill.
One or two washers is fine, any more than that, and you will need to think of another solution.
DIY Fixes For A Level Griddle From Other Blackstone Owners
Obviously your outdoor griddle is going to be exposed to uneven surfaces because the likelihood is you’ll be cooking outside, and that’s almost always going to be uneven, even if only by a fraction or two.
You might be able to live with it if it is not 100% perfect, but you will still need to make sure that it is safe. If there is a big problem with where you would have liked to place your griddle, then you have two choices.
The first, and easiest solution, is to take your griddle and move it somewhere else that is more convenient.
After all, sometimes we just have to admit that our plans aren’t going to work, and rethinking the situation can often lead to better results.
If, however, your heart is set on a particular area of your backyard, then your other solution is to create a permanent DIY fix.
Now, this might require some expert knowledge depending on how badly uneven the griddle really is, and wherein your backyard you were hoping to put it.
If you’re good with working out fixes like this, then you can probably come up with a solution on your own, but if it isn’t something you’re familiar with, we’d recommend consulting somebody more knowledgeable first.
Obviously, the exact nature of your fix will depend on so many factors that are unique to you, your backyard, and your griddle, so we can’t provide an exact fix here.
Most people will take the idea behind the wood/cardboard fix above though and make it a more permanent feature.
Rather than using wood or cardboard, they might screw an additional piece of stainless steel to the bottom of one leg to make the griddle level.
Again, it depends on your specific circumstance, so think carefully before making any permanent fixes.
And remember, a DIY fix is great, but only if you aren’t planning on moving your griddle again, because it’s about fixing the problem for one specific area.
You should also know in most cases, DIY fixes will void any warranties because of the changes.
Conclusion
If you’re somebody who moves your griddle around a lot, then one of the two short-term fixes would be better for you.
If you’re looking for a permanent fix, then you can do so, but be aware of the warnings we’ve provided throughout that section.
Leveling your Blackstone griddle is important, so no matter how you choose to do it, make sure that it is safe and stable so you get the most out of your griddle.
