re: Somebody explain the outdoor griddle phenomenon to me.

quote:

---

It's super easy to put a griddle pan over a grill and get all of the same cooking abilities.

---

Except the size.

A blackstone type griddle makes certain types of food that a standard grill can’t, but also can make a LOT of food for a crowd.

I was the de facto chef for a family gathering and there was no way I could have gotten food out for a dozen people in a reasonable timeframe without one.

There’s a reason why they are at the center of most restaurant kitchens.

Because griddles are pretty much idiot proof.

No charcoal, no flame, no pellets. Just turn and burn. Easiest thing to cook on.

That’s cute of you to think the only level of heat that was reverent to control were coals.

I had a Weber for 24 years and had to finally put it down. I got a Blackstone and I really like it but I cook a lot for family. I cook eggs and hashbrowns on it. Surf and turf is easy. The heat is easy to manage; I only turn my steaks once and smash burgers are easy to do.

I get wanting the smokey flavoring, I do and I miss that.

I can't put all the various butter's that I use on a grill though and I like being able to do this and grill onions and mushrooms with my steaks.

If you like wood and charcoal, do it, I'll still eat it!

Here are my routine for cleaning the Blackstone.

Full disclosure, one of my hobbies is restoring neglected cast iron. I enjoy the process. I treat the Blackstone similar to a piece of cast iron.

It is not necessary to clean immediately as long as there is no moisture on the surface. I never let it sit for more then a couple hours.

1) Fire up all burners and heat on low. That is hot enough to clean it. I light all burners to protect it from warping. This may be why some people have warped cook tops. Same is true with cast Iron. Uneven heat can cause it to warp.

2) Add a little water and scrape it down to remove anything on the surface. Dry with paper towels.

3) Spray entire surface with canola spray. Very light coating is all that is needed. Use paper towels to remove as much of the spray as possible.

4) Next leave burners going till the surface is dry. You can kick up the heat to speed this along if you like. When dry, let cool down. Usually about 20 minutes is all you need. I believe this is the most important step. You want a dry surface for storage.

6) Install silicone cover on surface. This will seal the surface form the elements. Then install the top which I see as only a dust cover.

The whole process usually takes about 30 minutes with only about 10 minutes hands on.
This has worked for me to be able to remove top and silicone cover and have the surface clean and ready to use even after months of sitting.