Grills Outdoor

How to Clean a Flat Top Grill – Best Practices & Tips

Written by Oliver John

Intro To Flat Top Grill Cleaning

Everyone who cooks agrees that cooking is an adventure, but cleaning goes nasty. Cooking on the flat top grill produces spectacular food, but how to clean a flat top grill afterward? Before you know it, let you get introduced to the flat top grills. Flat top grills are almost similar to griddles, but the main difference is the heating element. The heating element in a flat top grill is circular, unlike griddles.

You might have seen around a lot of flat tops in restaurants. Ever wonder why restaurants and chefs prefer this? Because of the extremely hot surface, flat-top grills offer quicker cooking services. Flat grills not only provide a lot of space to cook plenty of food but it is also well known for kicking out extra fats and oils, making your food way more healthy.

Types Of Flat Top Grills:

For you to buy a flat top grill, you better know its types. Depending on the purpose of use and placement criteria, flat-top grills have some kinds. You can use whichever you want, but purpose-specific does work better.

Commercial Flat Top Grill:

Commercial flat-top grills are best suitable for restaurants as they need them for multitasking. Different kinds of fuels like gas, wood, and electricity are there to heat it up. Multiple cooking techniques can be used to cook on a grill like this. You can create temperature zones like extremely hot, medium hot and warm zones.

Flat Top Grill for Home Use:

For using it in a backyard BBQ party, you need a standard duty grill or maybe a heavy one for lots of guests. You do not have to burn extra fuel as you would do if you get yourself a commercial duty grill. In homes, you need to store it properly away from damp conditions, else it will get rusty.

Cleaning Methods:

Cleaning the grill after cooking over it is mandatory. You would not like the affected taste due to debris built up. Now we will get to your biggest concern, which is how to clean a flat top grill. Cleaning the flat top grill is not even a little bit complex. Do not worry; we have got it covered from lemon juice to vinegar. Here you go!

With Grill Cleanser:

The market is full of grill cleaners, so buy your favorite one. You can buy anyone, but it is good if you go for health departments’ approved cleansers. Let the grill get a little cool. Simply spray the grill cleaner over it. Let the grill be soaked in a cleanser for a while, and then wipe it off with a cloth. Hopefully, it would cleanse the food debris and grease from your grill.

Without Cleanser:

If you are unable to find a good cleanser around you, do not worry. There are several ways of cleaning the grill without a cleanser. Better to use natural things than chemicals.

Grill Brick:

As you know, the scouring pads and wired brushes can cause scratches to appear on your grill. Give a try to the grill brick. Using a grill brick is no mystery. It is exactly like using a sponge. Cleansing brick does not scratch the grill, and also it is not absorbent. You can use it over and over again as it will not absorb junk.

Lemon Juice:

Lemon contains citric acid, which is well known for cleaning just about anything. If you want to cleanse your grill with lemon juice, make a mixture of three fourth portions of water and one-fourth portion of lemon juice.

Set your grill’s heat setting to hot and spray the mixture over the grill. Make sure you sprinkle enough mixture that the grease starts to come off, making a paste with the solution. Now turn off the stove and let the grill cool. When it cools down, spray more solution onto it. Wipe all the grease off with a wet cloth. If the grill is still dirty, repeat the procedure.

Vinegar:

You know that vinegar is present in various foods. But do you know that how to clean a flat top grill with it? Here is how! Make a solution of vinegar and water by taking equal portions of each. Turn the gas on and sprinkle the solution over the heated grill. Spread the solution to every portion of the grill with a grill brush. Keep brushing and spraying until the grease starts to come off. Switch off the grill and pour more mixture over it when it cools down. Drain the grill and repeat the steps if it is still a little dirty.

Dishwashing Liquid:

Washing your flat top grill with a sponge and dishwashing liquid is the most common way of cleansing the grill. If your grill does not have a greasy mess and debris buildup on it, you can wash it with dishwashing liquid. Most of the grillers follow this cleaning method.

Hot Oil:

Cleaning the flat top grill with hot oil sounds strange, but yeah, you can do it as it is quite effective. Do not delay and give it a try. You will love it! Here are some steps you should follow for doing this. Pour a small amount of oil onto the grill and switch on the grill. With the help of a grill brick and scrub, mix the oil with grease. Keep moving the scrub in a circular motion until the oil gets mixed with the grease. Scrape off everything on the grill using a grill brush. Wipe the greasiness from the grill using a sponge. You are done!

Do you want to clean your grill grates? But, don’t know what is the cleaning procedure and required pieces of equipment. Here, don’t think more, just check out another article on how to clean grill grates and get to know the complete information.

Also Check: Best Gas Smoker Grill Combo

Cleaning Grill According To The Material:

As you are aware, the flat top grills have different types depending on the building material. Depending on the building material of the flat top grill, some cleaning methods do better than others. Always remember one thing, do not use abrasive things on your grill. Sharp and abrasive things cause scratches on the grill. Normally, the grill has these building materials.

1- Stainless Steel:

You can clean the stainless steel grill with vinegar solution and lemon mixture. You can use undiluted vinegar if it is a greasy mass. Steam cleansing can also do wonders. In steam cleaning, you heat the grill and sprinkle water over it. Scrape off the grease when the water turns to vapors. Use a grill brush to gather all the debris. Drain it in the end.

2- Chrome:

Chrome flat-top grills are abundant in restaurants. So, the new query is how to clean a flat-top commercial grill? To clean your chrome flat top grill, switch the hop and heat it to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle warm water over it and scrub all the grease off the grill with a non-abrasive brush. Clean it well and apply food-safe polish. Wipe it off with a dry cloth. Grease the grill with new oil for the next preparation of food.

Cleaning A Blackstone Flat Top Grill:

A very famous and popular flat top grill is Blackstone flat top grill. It is perfect for frying eggs, making pancakes, steaks, and potatoes. If you are up for buying this type of grill, you might also want to know how to clean it. A secret to its cleaning is to season it with oil every time you cook on it. Seasoning will prevent any debris and grease accumulation. After cooking, scrape off all the junk with the help of a Blackstone scraper. Clean it with a cloth soaked in warm water when it cools down. It is better to avoid chemicals as they will degrade the surface.

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Oliver John

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