Are you planning on inviting your friends' for breakfast? Maybe you are planning on cooking some omelets, pancakes, or even bacon for them. But wait, your pan is small, and you may take longer to finish cooking. Here is the solution. A griddle is a convenient option when cooking for a large family or when grilling indoors. Its large and flat cooking surface that has no sides makes it easy to flip over the food.
The griddle will help you speed cooking since you can use both rigged surfaces and also the flat side at a go. That will allow you to cook delicacies such as bacon that contains lots of greases. Do you want to bake some hash brown? A griddle is an excellent option since it doesn't trap moisture. As a result, hash browns become nice and crispy.
Uses of Griddle
A griddle is versatile, and you can cook many things with it. For instance, you can cook pancakes, eggs, potatoes, among other things. Check some of its uses below to understand more.
Grill Steak, Meat, Or Even Seafood
Are you craving for hamburgers or grilled steak? Could be the weather is not favorable to use an outdoor grill. Why not use a griddle. With your flat or rigged griddle surface, you will cook the perfect steak and enjoy it with your family. You want your steak to get some grill marks? The trick is simple. Once your steak is halve done, reduce the heat to 90 degrees. Allow it to cook to the end. It will have perfect grill marks.
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Breakfast
Maybe you associate the griddle with breakfast. While that is okay, you can also use the griddle to prepare other meals. Among the dishes you can prepare for breakfast using a griddle includes pancakes, bacon, and muffins, among others.
Warm Food
How do you warm your buttered buns? Thanks to the griddle, you can heat it within a short time. Preheat your griddle; once the griddle gets hot, warm your buns. You can also warm other leftovers such as the flatbreads and tortillas.
A Sandwich Press
Do you wish to taste some crispy sandwich? You can achieve that with the griddle. Place a grilled sandwich on the griddle and press it with a heavy pan. Your sandwich will become crispier.
Using Griddle on a Stove Top
Wash Your Griddle
You can't cook with a dirty griddle even if it's new. Using hot soapy water and a soft towel, clean it thoroughly. Rinse it well, and avoid leaving soap particles on your griddle. Once the griddle is clean, wipe it.
Set Up Your Griddle
Since a griddle is large, set it on two burners that are close together, ensure that they have the same temperature to ensure that there is evenly heat distribution. In case the griddle is not well balanced on the burners, lift it and set it well. Sliding it will only result in its damage.
Preheat Your Griddle
Griddles have different materials. Some may heat faster, while others may heat slowly. Put the same temperature of the burners and wait for it to heat. Depending on what you are cooking, you can wait for the griddle to get very hot. To know if it's hot enough, splash a little water using your fingers on the griddle. If it sizzles immediately, your griddle is ready.
Season The Griddle
Does your pancake stick on the griddle when you are cooking? The chances are high that you don't season the griddle. If you have a copper non-sticky griddle, you don't need to season it. Prepare your recipe and cook. But if your griddle is cast-iron or steel, you need to apply some butter or oil on it first. You will have easy cooking time since the food won't stick on the pan.
Cook
After seasoning your griddle, it's time to cooks. Proceed with your recipe but keep an eye on the temperature. If the griddle gets so hot, it will ruin your delicacy. When the griddle gets extremely hot, it will remove smoke. You don't want to continue cooking with such a griddle. The best option would be to lower the temperature or remove it and cool a little bit.
If you are cooking several batches, they may start sticking unless you keep on seasoning. When cooking, avoid abrasive tools such as wire and metal. Using such tools will damage your griddle. When flipping over food, ensure that the spoon is wooden, plastic, or even rubber. Once the food gets ready, don't cut it with a knife while it is on the griddle. When cutting the delicacy, remove it from the griddle and place it on the cutting board.
Clean The Griddle
Once the food is ready, safely remove it from the stovetop and switch it off. Let it cool before washing it manually. Avoid putting a hot griddle in the water immediately since it may ruin its surface. Avoid dishwasher to avoid damaging your griddle.
Also Read: How to use wok on an electric stove