Retired, living in Western Mass. Enjoy music, cooking and my family.
Current cookers Weber Spirit 3 burner with a full insert griddle added. A 22" Kettle with vortex, SnS and a Smokey Joe. The most recent addition is a Pit Barrel Jr with bird hanger, 4 hooks and cover. ThermoWorks Smoke 2 probe, DOT, 2 ThermoPops and a Thermapen MK4. A Thermoworks RFX Gateway 2 probe meat thermometer.
A beautiful evening. Hope everyone is doing well. Now my question. I know all who have and cook on a gridde enjoy the experience. Is it just me or is cleaning equally satisfying? As you know when done they are a mess. With elbow grease and a process the result. Last night cajun sausage, pepper and onion along with roasted potato. Another mess. This is the result of the clean up.
I should probably add this is a full insert to a 3 burner Spirt, carbon steel.
There is something about cleaning the flattop after a cook that’s satisfying. Guess it begins with turning it on to heat up and admiring the shine of the well seasoned finish, knowing the deliciousness of what’s going to be cooked.
You may be crazy…just not about this!
Large Big Green Egg, Weber Performer Deluxe, Weber Smokey Joe Silver, Fireboard Drive, 3 DigiQs, lots of Thermapens, and too much other stuff to mention.
I’ve got it to where it only takes a few minutes, about the same time it takes to clean a pan, let alone a glass stove top. Mine being on the deck, with a hose handy, as soon as I take the food off I shut off the gas and spray the surface, and let the griddle deglaze and the residue soften while we eat. When we’re done eating, everything wipes right off.
It makes me feel like I could pass a restaurant food inspection!
I let my flattop get away from me earlier this year and sanded it down to bare metal, seasoned it with a beeswax based cast iron seasoning. It gets a so slick now it it crazy. Super easy to clean and gets more use. Cleaning is so satisfying when you are seasoned well.
You hang out here.......................of course you're crazy. Flat top, cast iron pans, carbon steel woks, all have a somewhat similar ritual if we want them to stay nice and be functional. Less urgent but potentially accelerating damage over time, if ignored, is the need for cleaning ash out of charcoal/wood burners with some promptness.
My griddle is ceramic, but that’s not the same as non-stick. It still needs to be cared for to keep it working properly. You mentioned cast iron pans… I have a deep sense of satisfaction now that my cast iron pans are basically on autopilot! There’s nothing else like that super slick, super smooth polymer seal.
I’m with Panhead John on this one. I have a friend who just enjoys the whole process, and I suspect you are the same way. I also suspect that John and I are after the results and get no joy out of the process, especially the cleanup which has little to do with the results of the cook. Of course the cleanup will affect the next cook, but there is no joy in the cleanup. So, for process people you are normal, but to folks like John and me you are crazy!
I worked a griddle at pizza place for many busy summers. Cleaning that thing was always very satisfying. Carrying the giant grease trap across the parking lot - less so.
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