How to season a plate and prevent him from rusting

Ok, so you have I have a courtyard plate. Congratulations, it is a bit like joining a cult, even if whose sanctuary are Smashburgers, Tacos and Pancake. (Take a look at Wired driving to the best plates here.) Each lover of the outdoor plate has its own conversion story, one of which they cannot stop telling friends and strangers.

But above all, the plate has its distinct set of rituals: a cycle of seasoning, cleaning and maintenance can be loved, but perhaps also fear. On Reddit or Facebook, the posts of new plates set up serious anxiety … are I wrong? Why can’t I get the black surface I see on the plate of the plate?

I tested and broken in 10 new top flat grids only this summer, so I understand it. I made the mistakes. I tested the solutions. Here is a quick guide to seasoning and the care of the plate and some equipment that will help you along the way, with some tips that have been criticized by the professionals of the best plates producers, such as Blackstone, Weber and Traeger.

Why season a plate?

Photography: Matthew Korfhage

Conducting a plate correctly and keeping it seasoned, is the best way to prevent your top plate of rusty plate, and also to obtain a smooth surface that will transfer the heat in a more uniform way and prevents food from attacking the same.

The seasoning process involves heating of unsaturated fats, often high heat oils such as grape seed oil or canola oil, on top of a porous metal such as carbon steel or cast iron. Once the smoke point of any oil is reached (we will talk about it later), the liquid fat polymerizes in a hardly non -stick surface that is chemically binds to the surface of the metal and fills in the pores.

This protects the metal from oxidation, which is good: here’s what rust is. It also makes the surface of the plate smoother and more hydrophobic, which means that it rejects the water. This means that food is less likely to stick. All these things are what you want, cook. But to obtain this effect, you will need a thin coating, even … not a rubbery accumulation of a lot of oil. Here’s what to do.

First, clean your plate with soap (probably)

Check the user manual before any initial cleaning. Some grids, such as the Weber’s lamp -resistant plate, are prepared with food oils and already have a layer of seasoning. This does not mean that you don’t have to share it, but it means that you shouldn’t clean the dressing and start over.

But most of the plates arrives seasoned with shipping oil intended to protect it on its journey to you, but that you don’t necessarily want to keep. As a first step, you will have to rub the grid with soap and water.

Note that almost all the guides of each plates manufacturer says he does not use water and soap to clean your grillop on a continuous basis: this is the first, the last and only time that you will probably use soap. But do it this time.

I tend to favor Dawn Powerwash Spray ($ 5) And a sponge for this, rather than joking with a bucket.