Blackstone Griddle Sticky After Seasoning (What To Do)
Blackstone griddles are ever-increasing in popularity and for a very good reason. Not only are these grills affordable (relatively of course), but they are made from very high-quality materials and have a very versatile range of cooking options.
This makes it great as an ultimate griddle option! Unfortunately, as with virtually all griddles, the surface does eventually become sticky after you season it.
So, what can you do if your Blackstone griddle is sticky after seasoning? To remove the stickiness, you will have to start with a deep clean to remove the most debris. Then, you will have to re-apply the seasoning oil coating.
Today, we will not only look at exactly how to remove the stickiness from these griddles, but how to completely prevent it. And, we have even included a section on what exactly causes the sticky mess in the first place.
What Is A Blackstone Griddle?
Blackstone is a brand that specializes in manufacturing high-quality indoor and outdoor griddles. They have quite a wide range of options to choose from, making it the perfect one-stop-shop to buy what you need.
The range of griddles includes gas and electric griddle options. The different products also have many features including an added working surface (chopping board), built-in air fryer, table-top features, food warmer, and a bunch of bundle packages.
One thing all of their products have in common is their flat-top cooking surface. These surfaces are made from excellent quality rolled steel, which is an excellent heat conductor and distributor. It is also much easier to accurately control the heat in various sections.
Another feature that most of their griddles include is independently controlled burners. This allows you to use a higher heat in one section and lower heat in another. This is an amazing benefit to have because you can simultaneously cook different dishes.
This surface is ultimately what allows you to cook anything! You can fry eggs, make pancakes, grill sausages and fillets, toast buns, and toss stir-fry – anything you can think of!
What Is “Seasoning”? Do You Need To Season All Griddle Pans?
Unfortunately, according to our research, none of the Blackstone griddles are sold pre-seasoned. Now, why does this matter? Do you even need to season a griddle?
This is a crucial step to help protect your flat-top from wear and tear. We highly recommend seasoning all your cooking equipment made from more heavy-duty materials. This also includes cast iron cookware.
So, what exactly is “seasoning”? This is a process of essentially curing your cookware or cooking surface. During this process, the aim is to create a protective layer that will give your cookware longevity.
When you coat the surface with a fat or oil, when heated it will create a barrier that will protect the raw material from corrosion (rust) and make it more non-stick.
It will also protect the quality of material from extremely high temperatures.
Why Does A Blackstone Griddle Get Sticky After Seasoning?
There are actually several reasons your Blackstone griddle may get sticky. However, luckily for you, the problem is easily fixable!
And, by eliminating the two main causes of the stickiness, virtually all of your sticky problems will disappear!
Reason number one is that you aren’t properly cleaning your flat-top surface. And reason number two is that you are using far too much oil when cooking. So, let’s break these issues down individually.
Issue 1: Improper Cleaning
As we have mentioned, many heavy-duty materials need to be seasoned. Cast iron is a well-known example.
But, other similar materials that need this protective layer include carbon steel – the material used to make the Blackstone griddle flat-tops.
If you don’t properly clean your griddle to remove the seasoning layer of oil after cooking, it will build up and become a sticky mess.
Food sticks to the burnt oil layer creating a black mess, and ultimately you have a snowball effect on your hands.
Issue 2: Using Too Much Oil
There is a reason no one ever specifies how much oil to add for cooking. After all, different ingredients have different sticking qualities. And, different cooking surfaces have varying degrees of non-stickiness.
But, this goes hand-in-hand with the seasoning oil problem you eventually get above. If you add too much oil before cooking the food, the heat will cause it to develop a gooey, paste-like consistency.
How To Prevent A Griddle From Becoming Sticky?
Now we get to the good part – how to prevent the surface from becoming sticky in the first place!
Properly Clean Your Surface
You can give your griddle a wipe down, that should remove most of the gunk on there. However, this isn’t enough to create a well-maintained sleek non-stick surface.
So, you will have to scrape off most of the burnt food before even starting to scrub away. Don’t worry, the surface is pretty scratch resistant because of the material used.
Once most of the food has been removed, you can steam the surface with water and heat. This will help remove even the toughest stains and stickiness.
Season With Light Oil
Once you have properly cleaned your cooking surface, you should re-apply the seasoning layer. But, use a light oil. By this, we mean any oil that has a very high smoking point.
This will allow the oil to be heated to a much higher temperature without becoming uber sticky as quickly.
Don’t Add Too Much Cooking Oil
Less is more in this case! The more oil you add, the more gunk there will be and the harder it gets to clean.
Only start with a quarter-sized dollop of oil. Spread it over the entire surface area you want to cook in.
You won’t likely need any more than that, but if you do, only add another quarter-sized dollop again.
Don’t Overcook Food
This may seem like a very obvious statement, but what we more specifically mean is that you need to try and prevent burning food on the surface.
Naturally, grilled items will stick to some extent and leave food behind that will burn. But, you don’t need to use the highest temperature setting for frying eggs (for example). You only need to cook the items until they are perfectly done.
Anything more and you are unnecessarily burning food and causing the oil to become sticky.
How To Remove Stickiness On A Blackstone Griddle?
Unfortunately, sometimes it is already too late and you are stuck with a sticky surface. Luckily, removing stickiness is just as easy as preventing it. However, it is a little bit more labor-some.
Below, we will discuss in-depth how to clean and remove any stickiness on your flat-top griddle surface. The process is fairly easy but will take up some time. So, let’s get right to it!
Step 1: Remove Debris
To start, heat your griddle on very high heat for roughly 4 minutes. Once properly heated, switch off the heat and allow the griddle to cool slightly. Then, you can start scraping!
Try to remove as much caked-on food as you possibly can. You don’t have to get every tiny piece, but the worst of it. Make sure to also get the edges of the griddle for a completely cleaned surface.
Step 2: Scrub The Surface
Once the worst has been removed, add a generous amount of oil over the entire surface. Then, start scrubbing the surface with cleaning pans that are included in your kit. Any pad with a handle works best and makes the job so much easier.
After scrubbing for a while, take some paper towels to clean the surface of excess oil and debris. This will make it easier to see where you need to give extra attention to.
Once you have finished scrubbing, properly wipe the entire surface and make sure there are no more sticky food or areas.
Step 3: Heat Your Griddle
Turn your griddle back on, but this time, only use a medium-high temperature setting.
The surface will start to discolor as it heats, but don’t worry, that is perfectly normal. This shows that the oil you have used is bonding with the surface material.
Ultimately, it is the protective layer being formed again. Once your griddle’s surface turns a uniform matte color, you can switch off the heat and allow it to cool again.
Then, after it has cooled completely, re-apply another coating of oil (only a quarter-sized dollop) and heat the surface again at a medium-high temperature. Repeat this process three to four times in total.
The ultimate goal is to get the surface to heat evenly (which you can determine with the color).
Here’s a great tutorial from Blackstone on how to properly season your Blackstone griddle.
