Most of us have at one time or another had the pleasure of cooking on a griddle. In case you haven’t, you should know that one of the main of the reasons why some people prefer this kind of cooking tool is that it makes for delicious meals, regardless of whether you are preparing light and fluffy pancakes or trying to do a perfectly seared dinner-like burger. In fact, it is not uncommon for you to see pictures on various social media sites of families gathered outside around a griddle cooker preparing a meal.
Contrary to what some people may think, starting to cook on griddle is not a hard task; despite of how unconventional it may seem to others. With a few simple instructions, the right tools, and a can-do attitude, you can be well on your to preparing your first griddle cooked meal.
Tips to start cooking on griddle
With that said, the following are some essential tips on how you can start cooking on a griddle so that everyone enjoys your meals.
Getting started
It is important that you look at your griddle the same way you would a cast iron cookware, with the one exception being that a griddle top comprises of rolled steel. However, this is definitely a good thing because the more you season it, the more exciting your cooking experience will be.
Seasoning basically implies applying oil to the griddle, smearing it around, wiping off any excess, heating it, and then giving it time to turn into a non-stick blackened coating that rests on your cooking surface. The good thing is that standard cooking oil will work just fine for any seasoning purposes.
What you will need
Before you can begin preparing your griddle-cooked meal, you will need to have the right tools with you so that everything goes smoothly. For starters, you will need to have two spatulas since you will be using both your hands to prepare almost every meal, just like Japanese chefs at steak houses. The good thing is that there are a variety of spatulas that you can use depending on what you want to cook or which ones you feel comfortable with.
Another tool you will also need before you can commence cooking on your griddle is a reliable griddle scrapper, which is sometimes referred to as a chopper. This particular item is used for scraping the top of the griddle to get off any particles or food residue that may be present before you start cooking. This will not only make the griddle clean and safe for you to cook on, but will also ensure that no outside elements distort the true flavor of your meal.
The last thing you should have is a couple of squeezable oil bottles. They should be fairly small and easy to handle so that you can make good use of them whenever you are in the middle of cooking on the griddle. You could perhaps start off with a bottle of canola or vegetable oil depending on what your tastes or preferences are.
Serves as a one-stop cooking shop
The truth of the matter is that griddles tend to truly shine when it comes to cooking numerous entrée elements that will more than likely later on combine. For instance, when cooking burgers, you can start with bacon, which you will place on one end of the griddle with a specific heat setting. You will then place your patties at the center (remember to season them), and finally caramelize your onions on the opposite end of your griddle top. As the onions reduce in size, you will slowly scrap them into a pile adjacent to your patties. While doing this, you could take a sliver of cheese and place it on your almost-cooked patties. From this point, you can put the bacon on the patties, and then proceed to do the same with the onions. All this will create some free space on the griddle where you can place your buns face down on the griddle. At the end of it all, you will have an almost-perfect burger full of flavor.
Now that you know some the essential tips on how to start to cook on a griddle, the next thing will be to find the right one for you. Blackstone griddles has some of the best griddles available on the market, all of which are capable of satisfying different kinds of cooking requirements.