How to Clean A Commercial Griddle (Stainless Steel)

Griddles used in commercial kitchens and restaurants are much bigger than the ones we use at home. While cleaning a domestic griddle is fairly easy and can be done using basic tools, commercial griddle cleaning is way more complex and time-consuming. Most restaurants prefer to hire professional commercial cleaners for the job.

Cleaning A Stainless Steel Griddle: What Should You Know?

Most restaurants and commercial kitchens use large stainless steel griddles. While these are perfect for cooking dishes in bulk, they are anything but easy to clean. But, it doesn’t mean you can skip cleaning them.

Daily griddle cleaning is crucial to ensure optimum hygiene in your kitchen and expand the life of your tools. Commercial griddles can be expensive and you must properly care for them if you want them to last long.

Why is daily griddle cleaning required?

Griddles are among the most used equipment in a commercial kitchen. When you continuously use your griddle throughout the day to cook everything from bread, butter and buns to pancakes, bacon, cheese sandwiches and vegetables, a sticky layer of grease mixed with food particles builds up on its surface.

Without daily cleaning, debris will keep accumulating on the griddle’s surface and might eventually start affecting the tool’s performance and the taste and hygiene of food cooked on it.

Cooking on a greasy or dirty griddle can result in unhygienic food and pose serious health risks for your customers.

In other words, not cleaning your griddle regularly can cost you your business reputation (even your licence) and probably a lot of money in repairing or replacing the damaged equipment.

So, how do you clean a commercial stainless steel griddle?

Well, there are two crucial components of commercial griddle cleaning–

1. The cleaning supplies
2. Griddle cleaning checklist

Supplies Required for Cleaning A Stainless Steel Griddle

The first step to cleaning a commercial kitchen griddle is gathering the supplies.

Using the right cleaning tools is the key to achieving the desired results without compromising quality or safety. If you need help choosing appropriate supplies for your commercial cleaning job, give us a call to consult with an expert.

Basic tools & supplies for kitchen griddle cleaning:

1. Griddle Scraper: it’s a scraping tool used to remove grease and debris from the griddle’s surface. Choose one big enough for your griddle and good enough to not damage the equipment.

2. Cleaning Detergent: Buy a high-quality, non-toxic cleaner that is safe for stainless steel. Alternatively, you can use dish soap or baking soda-vinegar solution to get rid of most stains, including grease.

3. Cleaning brushes: Buy some quality scrubbers, brushes or sponges that can be used to gently wipe down the griddle and remove loose debris without damaging the surface.

4. Microfibre cloths: These cleaning cloths can be used for both dry and wet cleaning and do an amazing job cleaning up loose dirt and moisture from the griddle surface.

5. Cleaning gloves and mask: Buy and use cleaning gloves and masks to protect yourself from burns and chemicals when cleaning a griddle.

Stainless Steel Griddle Cleaning Procedure: How Professional Cleaners Do It

Regular professional cleaning is a must to keep your commercial griddle spotless and make it last very long. If you’re doing it yourself, make sure to follow these steps and tips carefully.

There are three types of dirt you need to focus on when cleaning a kitchen griddle: grease, food dirt, and burnt areas. Here’s how we do it at Clean Group:

Step 1: Allow the griddle to cool down before you start cleaning

This is a no-brainer. To avoid getting burned while cleaning the griddle, let it cool down for at least an hour after the last use.

Step 2: Clean off loose dirt and scrape off debris

Use a microfiber cloth to remove any loose debris, food particles, oil, grease, etc. from the surface.

Next, use a scraper to clean sticky grease, stains and burnt particles off the surface. For the best results, keep the scraper at a 45-degree angle and start with high buildup areas.

Make sure the scraper you use is sharp enough to scrape off as much debris as possible, including burnt and stuck particles.

Step 3: Use detergent to scrub properly

Now that the griddle’s surface is free of loose dirt and particles, the next step is to use a mild detergent to clean off any remaining grease and stains.

Cover the surface entirely with the solution. Let the cleaner work its magic, breaking down the stains.

After a few minutes, start scrubbing the surface using a good-quality scrubber or dish sponge. Make sure to apply some force to scrub off greasy areas and stains.

Daily cleaning is the best way to prevent grease from building up on the griddle.

Step 4: Wash with hot water

Once you’re done scrubbing and have removed most of the grease and stains from the surface, it’s time to thoroughly rinse the griddle with hot water.

Before doing that, make sure to remove all the tools and supplies from the equipment. Apply hot water on the surface and let it sit for a few minutes before wiping it clean.

Step 5: Wipe it down and let it dry

Thoroughly wipe down the griddle’s surface to get rid of all the water and detergent. It may take multiple attempts.

Finally, wipe it clean using a dry cloth. Make sure it is completely dry with no water or moisture left on the surface to avoid rust from building up.

If you feel like it, do the extra step of polishing the griddle using a high-quality stainless steel polish to keep it shining for a long time. Doing this once a month or so is more than sufficient.

Conclusion

As much as daily commercial griddle cleaning is necessary, it’s more important to do it right. From selecting the right tools and supplies to following a professional griddle cleaning checklist, this article covers everything you need to know about cleaning a commercial griddle.

If you’re not feeling like doing it yourself or need professional help maintaining your kitchen griddle, contact Clean Group to hire top commercial cleaners in Sydney.

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