how do I prepare the grids for cooking? I got a pair and they look GREAT, but I wondered if they need to be seasoned before I grill on them
1259093
I didn't know it has to be seansoned. I just popped mine in the griller and it has no issue. Just keep it slean afterward.
1259094
Yes, if you don't want them to rust, you need to season them. I used a heavy coat of vegtable oil and rubbed them liberally and heated them slowly to very hot. Two years old and only an occasional spot seasoning. Luv em!
1259095
yes the cast iron grates must be seasoned or they will rust and the food will stick. There are several different methods for seasoning cast iron but they are all basically the same. Wash them really good with soap and water and dry them completely, don't let them air dry. Use a paper towel and spread a coat of vegetable oil over all of the surfaces. That includes sides and ends. Once you have the grill grates completely coated, Preheat the grill for 15 mins on medium and then open the lid, turn down to low, put the grates on the grill and close the lid and let them season for two hours. Turn the grill off, let the grates cool and you are ready to go. yes the cast iron grates must be seasoned or they will rust and the food will stick. There are several different methods for seasoning cast iron but they are all basically the same. Wash them really good with soap and water and dry them completely, don't let them air dry. Use a paper towel and spread a coat of vegetable oil over all of the surfaces. That includes sides and ends. Once you have the grill grates completely coated, Preheat the grill for 15 mins on medium and then open the lid, turn down to low, put the grates on the grill and close the lid and let them season for two hours.... » Read More yes the cast iron grates must be seasoned or they will rust and the food will stick. There are several different methods for seasoning cast iron but they are all basically the same. Wash them really good with soap and water and dry them completely, don't let them air dry. Use a paper towel and spread a coat of vegetable oil over all of the surfaces. That includes sides and ends. Once you have the grill grates completely coated, Preheat the grill for 15 mins on medium and then open the lid, turn down to low, put the grates on the grill and close the lid and let them season for two hours. Turn the grill off, let the grates cool and you are ready to go. « Show Less
1259096
With the grates in place, heat the grill to at least 450 degrees. After a few minutes, turn off the grill and apply cooking oil or PAM to grates. I do this after each time I use the grill.It works great.
1259097
I am not sure about the seasoning part. I don't follow the norm. I just started grilling but you may have something there.
517899
I live in Upstate NY with bad winters....I season them and wrap in plastic then stored them inside the grill outside... They were fine.
1875632
I don't know, but the point is to get them seasoned so that you don't need non-stick spray. That said, you will want to use some oil each time you cook. It's not a fat-free experience like Teflon can be (at least for the few weeks before the Teflon gets scratched and goes bad).
1353774
No, they do not need to be seasoned. They are ready to use right out of the box. Just wash them and start cooking.
1952063
Heat the grill up to temperature, oil the grates using a rolled up paper towel saturated with vegetable oil and you should be fine. I rarely have food stick to this grill and I've been using it for over 3 yrs. now. Cleanup is a breeze, just brush it down with a grill brush after you finish cooking while the grill is still hot and then again before you start cooking. Wait until the grill is hot and brush it down again and then oil the grates as I mentioned above.
1008504
No need to put ceramic bricks or lava rocks with this grill. The grill has coated burner covers that will take care of flare-ups and can be cleaned when cool. After grilling, I let the unit cool and then put both the cooking grids and the burner covers in the dishwasher. After drying, I coat them with a little Crisco applied with a paper towel. This will get them ready for your next use. I have done this for the last 2 years and both parts look almost new. DO NOT USE wire brushes to clean, as even brass will scratch the coating.
726066
These planks are great. After soaking them for a couple of hours I char the cooking side (the smooth finished side) on my charcoal grill for about 5 minutes, turn it over and put a slab of salmon skin side down on the charred side and start cooking. I never turn the salmon over; rather let it steam and smoke for another 10 minutes or until it is flakey and cooked as I wish. The meat removes easily from the skin. The skin is usually burnt into the wood and the plank is hard to clean; thus not reusable. (There is usually not enough wood left to re-smoke.) I am saving the used (burnt) planks to crumble up for my fireplace to add an extra aroma next winter. Hope this helps. These planks are great. After soaking them for a couple of hours I char the cooking side (the smooth finished side) on my charcoal grill for about 5 minutes, turn it over and put a slab of salmon skin side down on the charred side and start cooking. I never turn the salmon over; rather let it steam and smoke for another 10 minutes or until it is flakey and cooked as I wish. The meat removes easily from the skin. The skin is usually burnt into the wood and the plank is hard to clean; thus not reusable. (There is usually not enough wood left to re-smoke.) I am saving the used (burnt) planks... » Read More These planks are great. After soaking them for a couple of hours I char the cooking side (the smooth finished side) on my charcoal grill for about 5 minutes, turn it over and put a slab of salmon skin side down on the charred side and start cooking. I never turn the salmon over; rather let it steam and smoke for another 10 minutes or until it is flakey and cooked as I wish. The meat removes easily from the skin. The skin is usually burnt into the wood and the plank is hard to clean; thus not reusable. (There is usually not enough wood left to re-smoke.) I am saving the used (burnt) planks to crumble up for my fireplace to add an extra aroma next winter. Hope this helps. « Show Less
2267893
They are nice gloves and would handle the heat without any problem. I routinely preheat cast iron grill pans to 500 deg. F and move them in and out of the oven without any problem. If you are reaching way over the grill, you would be better off with the long cuff version. These are flame resistant but they are not "fire proof" so I would advise against sticking your hands into a roaring fire. If your application is really nasty, you may to look for aluminized thermonol gloves like are worn in steel mills and glass factories for protection against molten glass / metal splash. Short of that, these are a nice and comfortable kitchen / BBQ solution. They are nice gloves and would handle the heat without any problem. I routinely preheat cast iron grill pans to 500 deg. F and move them in and out of the oven without any problem. If you are reaching way over the grill, you would be better off with the long cuff version. These are flame resistant but they are not "fire proof" so I would advise against sticking your hands into a roaring fire. If your application is really nasty, you may to look for aluminized thermonol gloves like are worn in steel mills and glass factories for protection against molten glass / metal splash. Short... » Read More They are nice gloves and would handle the heat without any problem. I routinely preheat cast iron grill pans to 500 deg. F and move them in and out of the oven without any problem. If you are reaching way over the grill, you would be better off with the long cuff version. These are flame resistant but they are not "fire proof" so I would advise against sticking your hands into a roaring fire. If your application is really nasty, you may to look for aluminized thermonol gloves like are worn in steel mills and glass factories for protection against molten glass / metal splash. Short of that, these are a nice and comfortable kitchen / BBQ solution. « Show Less
918628
The pan comes pre-seasoned, and the seasoning is pretty effective. To supplement the original job, use flax seed oil. It's available in most health food stores or a hardware store as linseed oil. Just make sure you get the RAW linseed oil. Before using any oil, give it the sniff test to make sure it is not rancid. Something like eight ounces will last you for years - just store it in the fridge. To use, pour a small puddle of the oil in the pan about the size of a quarter. Then take a paper towel, fold it up several times, and wipe the oil around the inside of the pan. Make sure you don't miss any spots. Your objective is a smooth, thin, shiny coating over the complete pan. Then take the same piece of paper towel and wipe down the outside. Of course, the outside is less critical. Now to cure the oil. You have several choices. Place the pan in the oven upside down, turn the heat up to about 400 or so, and bake the pan for an hour. Turn off the oven, and let it cool slowly in the oven. Sometimes this procedure will stink up your kitchen, so another option is outside on the grill. The procedure is the same, but this time heat up the grill to 500-550 F. Actually this is the preferred approach, but not everyone has an outside grill. After repeated uses, the pan will get 'sticky' for things like eggs, so I do a quicky when that happens. Again, apply a coating of flax seed oil as above. Assuming you have a gas stove, turn on a small burner about half way and place the pan over the burner upside down. Let it there for 15-30 minutes. Again, afterwards let it cool slowly. Don't touch it until you're sure it's cool, or you'll regret it. These pans do require oil when cooking. Myself, I use either olive oil or canola oil. Use whatever you think is the healthiest for your family. All this sounds very complicated, but it really isn't - just a few basic steps. Apply some oil, wipe, heat. That's all there is to it. Personally, I like iron and steel pans, and I think this one works like a charm. Bon appetit!
1134415
sorry to say that is common withe these types of grills. green egg included. the easiest thing to do is coat with pam and then burn the grates every use. thats not fixing the problem it just cleans them. It's like having cast iron pans. you could bring them inside every use but that may be a hassle. sorry about the issu. :(
1269062
Yes I have bought them and very satisfied with them. Enjoy, its better than the ones that come with your grill at the time of purchase. Wish I had did it earlier!
26983
Think so...certainly can't hurt. I coated them with a thin layer of olive oil a few days before using the grill. Grilled some peppers then and all is well...
617354
It says in the instructions that the funky smell has something to do with the "manufacturing process. I can't remember the specifics. They mention, I think, washing the plates before you use them, and letting the grill sit "on" at 350 or so or about 10-20 minutes prior to first use. So if you didn't do that, I'd assume it's normal that there'd be a funky smell. Shouldn't be a long term thing.
777386
No you don't cook them first, just put them on the rack. You might want to put wet paper towel on them to wet them so they can stay on the rack better.
1027358
I haven't had a grill with stainless grates. I can tell you that if you let the grill burn on high for 5 minutes after you finish cooking, and then wait untill it heats up for the session, brush and your ready to go!
1877823
They are not coated with teflon, they are merely coated with vegetable oil. After each use, I oil a cloth or brush with vegetable oil and put it on the grates to keep the grill from rusting. I love the grill grats, use them all of the time.
335978
No reason to. Just clean them after grilling so that the residual baked on grease doesn't transfer. Just let it burn off and scrape clean.