Having an electric griddle in any kitchen, no matter how small or large, is highly desirable since they’re very versatile. You can cook everything from juicy steaks to pancakes with them, and they’re portable and lightweight enough to easily take them anywhere.
We also have compiled a guide that will help you choose griddle from Cuisinart, if you are looking for the best one.
The device is, however, prone to getting caked in grease and food particles, and it can be tricky to keep clean if you don’t know what you’re doing.
What is the best way to clean an electric griddle? Wash it in soapy, hot water before drying it. Clean the face of your griddle with a commercial cleaner, and wipe it with a light layer of cooking oil before using it. Make sure you wipe away spilled liquids from the outside of your griddle as soon as they occur.
How to Clean an Electric Griddle
Several methods can be used to clean your electric griddle so that any grease or burnt-on foods can be removed. Below, we’ll outline each one so you can determine which one is best for your electric griddle.
Method #1 – Hot Soapy Water and a Sponge
With the first method, water will be used with dish soap to cut through grease while a soft sponge is used to scrub at the plates without damaging them.
Tools:
- Dish soap
- Hot water
- Sponge
- Dry cloths
- Paper towels
Disconnect the power source from your electric griddle first. This will let it cool down and will protect you from being shocked or burned.
If you’re not very careful, a griddle can become extremely hot, resulting in severe burns. Before you touch it, let it cool down for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
Wipe the grill plates with paper towels to remove the first few layers of cooking oil or butter. You want to lightly rub the surface of the griddle plates to remove as much debris as you can, and you may need several paper towels to soak up the grease. The drip tray should be removed, emptied, and washed with hot soapy water before being allowed to air dry.
Pour a small amount of hot water onto your griddle and add a few drops of dish soap to help cut through any grease or debris.
Using a sponge, scrub the griddle’s surface to remove any stuck-on food particles before dumping the dirty water. If you like, you can add a small amount of clean water to rinse the griddle surface.
Get clean clothes and dry the griddle thoroughly, making sure you get into all the corners and crevices.
Clean the sponge before adding more hot water and dish soap to the griddle to clean it again. Rinse the griddle with water and wipe it down with a dry cloth after everything has been removed.
Make sure you thoroughly dry your griddle and remove all soap residue as this can cause problems later on.
Allow the griddle to sit on your counter and dry for a few hours before packing it away or plugging it back in.
Method #2 – Baking Soda and Vinegar
It can form a paste with baking soda and vinegar that dissolves griddle food particles as well as lifts them off the plates when vinegar hits them. Furthermore, it can cut through grease and make your griddle feel clean.
Tools:
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Sponge
- Hot soapy water
As with method one, you’ll need to unplug your griddle and allow it to cool down for 15 to 20 minutes to avoid burning yourself. If your griddle comes with a liftable griddle surface, remove it so cleaning is easier.
Pour hot soapy water into your sink and let it soak for 15 minutes if your griddle is removable. Also, you should remove the drip tray, empty the contents, and soak it for 15 minutes in water.
Use your sponge to clean the griddle surface while applying a slight amount of pressure to remove stubborn or burnt pieces of food.
Dip your sponge into the vinegar-water mixture and wring it out before wiping the grease off of the plates if the plates do not come off of your griddle. You should not expose any electrical parts of your grill to this solution, as it could potentially damage them.
Baking soda mixed with warm water should help remove stubborn grease, and a paper towel should be used to gently wipe away the baking soda and grease from the surface of the griddle.
After rinsing the sponge to remove any baking soda or vinegar residue, use the clean sponge to clean any residue left on the griddle. Clean any drips you see from the griddle’s sides before letting it air dry for a few hours.
Method #3 – Spatula
If your griddle is covered with a lot of hardened grease residue, you’ll need to take more direct measures to remove the layers before you can clean underneath. A greasy mess that is hard to clean will result if you don’t do this.
Tools:
- Sponge
- Hot water
- Dish soap
- Metal spatula
- Clean cloth
- Heat-resistant gloves
- Clothing protection
You can turn your griddle on the low setting and watch the grease start to melt because the heat will start to loosen up the layers of grease. To avoid grease burns, use your metal spatula and flathead to gently scrape at the grease while wearing heat-resistant gloves.
Wear protective clothing and stand slightly back from your griddle during this step because grease may splatter. Once you have successfully removed the excess grease, you can safely turn off your griddle before unplugging it and waiting 15 to 20 minutes for it to cool down.
Pour hot water and soap on the griddle and let it sit for a few minutes if you see hard grease forming again. Let it stand for 30 minutes to break up the grease before you get a sponge and scrub at any remaining grease spots.
Clean the grill, getting rid of any water stains with a clean cloth and removing the excess water. At this point, you should remove the drip tray and get rid of any grease or soapy water in it. Before putting it back into the griddle, dump it out, wash it thoroughly, and let it dry.
To remove any other marks, soak your clean cloth in cold water before rubbing the surface of the griddle. It won’t take more than two and a half or three times for your griddle to shine like new. You can use this trick to remove any water spots that can make your griddle look grungy.
Method #4 – Cleaning with Degreaser and Grease-Cutting Soap
Last but not least, you can use a slightly higher-grade degreaser with a grease-cutting soap, which can be found at most kitchen-oriented stores. This popular kitchen tool is ideal for use on the griddle in the comfort of your own home, as well as in restaurants.
Tools:
- Paper towels
- Nylon scrubber
- Warm water
- Degreaser
- Dish soap
If possible, unplug your griddle and let it cool for 15 to 20 minutes before using it. At this point, you can also remove the plug from the connector port. Apply a light layer of degreaser to your griddle and let it soak up some of the grease before wiping it down.
To avoid a mess, remove your drip tray, dump the contents, and clean it before you move forward. Add warm water to the grease-cutting soap and fill your sink or bucket with it to make your cleaning mixture.
After 15 minutes, partially submerge your griddle in the water and soap mixture while keeping the connector port out of the water.
After soaking your nylon scrubber on the surface of your griddle, you should see both new and baked-on food particles slide off.
Wipe the outside of the griddle to get rid of any drips or food before grabbing a clean towel to dry the interior and exterior.
You should not allow any water to get into the connector port during this process, and you should let it air dry for several hours after cleaning it.
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