Bruce Mitchell's Tips on How to Season a Griddle

Keep your cooking station in flavorful form with these tips on seasoning your flat top griddle.

Flat top griddles can be a great cooking option for backyard cookouts, tailgates and anything in between. However, to keep your cooking station in pristine condition, flat top griddles need to be seasoned from time to time. This process can help extend the life of your grill and help lock in flavor for every future bite. Television personality and Blackstone Ambassador Bruce Mitchell outlines his steps to easily season your griddle in this Pro Tips guide.

HOW TO SEASON A GRIDDLE

Before you get your griddle ready for your next cooking session, it can help to understand what seasoning is. The term “seasoning” refers to the process of baking oil onto the flat top surface. The baked oil serves as a non-stick, non-scratch coating and can add more flavor to your meals.

Seasoning your griddle can help you improve durability and enhance your cooking prowess. The process is simple and can boost your cooking station in minutes.

SUPPLIES

According to Mitchell, you only need a few supplies to season your griddle:

• Water bottle
• Olive oil
• Paper towels
• Spatula or scraper

If you’re seasoning a new flat top griddle, you’ll also need some soapy water and a cleaning cloth. Many flat top griddles come with a protective coating on their surface, which needs to be removed before cooking. Simply clean your griddle with hot, soapy water, then rinse and dry. This should take off the protectant and get you ready to season your griddle.

HOW TO SEASON A FLAT TOP GRIDDLE

To begin, Mitchell says to heat up the flat top surface and allow it to get good and hot. Next, spray the surface with water and wipe the area clean with a paper towel. Use your spatula or scraper to push your paper towel across the hot flat top. Scrape off any stuck-on food or crumbs as well.

“Once you get it cleaned good, you got a good clean surface, you get some cooking oil,” Mitchell says. “I like to use olive oil because olive oil [doesn’t] gum up like regular vegetable oil.” Spray the oil onto the hot surface and spread it evenly across the griddle using a paper towel and your scraper. Make sure to cover every nook and corner.

Next, allow the oil to smoke. This is the oil baking onto the surface, creating that flavorful non-stick coating. Once your smoke settles, apply another coat of olive oil and repeat the smoking process. Continue to apply oil coats until you have a fully blackened flat top.

“You put four or five coats like that and then you’re ready to cook,” Mitchell says.

Once your griddle is seasoned, there is no need to go through the full process again before each meal. The seasoning should stay intact if you follow the proper cleaning procedure after your cooking sessions.

HOW TO CLEAN A GRIDDLE

Cleaning a flat top griddle can be a simple task that can help preserve that precious seasoning for future meals.

To shut down your cooking station for the night, Mitchell says to get your water and squirt the cooking surface. Use your scraper and a paper towel to clean the griddle and remove any food, grease or other particles.

“Once you get it cleaned, get your paper towel again. Put your thin coat [of oil] on it while it’s hot. Cut it off, let it cool down and you’re ready to cook again next time,” Mitchell says.

Seasoning is a crucial step in making sure you get the most out of your flat top griddle. Follow these guidelines to help keep the flavor flowing all grilling season.

Want more tricks to add some sizzle to your cooking station? Fill your plate with these additional Pro Tips for cooking on a griddle.