How To Remove Stuck-On Food From Your Blackstone After Cooking

Making food on a Blackstone griddle can make any amateur chef feel like they're one of the professionals. It's a behemoth of an appliance that requires a behemoth level of maintenance — otherwise, those meals will go from gourmet to gour-mess faster than you can turn down the heat. One of the most frustrating mishaps with a Blackstone is when bits of food get stuck to the surface, ripping apart a perfectly good chicken breast or potato wedge. We spoke to Randy Watson, assistant manager and grill expert from BBQGuys Backyard Design Center, who let us in on an easy fix.

According to Watson, "If you have stuck on food bits from your cook, while the grill is still hot, use a metal spatula or metal dough scraper to scrape off the large bits." This will work for all sorts of stuck-on messes, from those seared chunks of smash burgers to the leftover pieces of fried rice (and here's the best way to make fried rice on a Blackstone griddle). Watson also advises that you "apply a tiny amount of water to the stuck-on area to help deglaze and steam off the remaining residue." Once the stuck-on food is finally free from the surface, Watson says, "Dry immediately and re-season the surface."

If this isn't the first time you've noticed food getting stuck to your Blackstone, it means there's a problem with how you're taking care of the appliance. The most likely culprits are that either you're not cleaning and re-seasoning it enough (here's some advice on how to properly clean your Blackstone griddle after cooking) or there's too much oil and grease build up on the surface. The explanation may also be as simple as not enough usage as first-time Blackstoners often find foods sticking because there hasn't been time for the good oils and seasonings to build up. The best way to prevent a stuck-on mess is to follow Watson's advice and give the Blackstone some real elbow grease.

Caring for your Blackstone needs to be like caring for a hand-me-down cast iron skillet, even though Blackstones are technically made of cold-rolled steel. A simple wipe-down after every use won't cut it, and neither will ignoring the problem until the next time you're ready to use the griddle. If you don't scrape the bits of food off the Blackstone while it's still hot, the pieces will solidify to the surface as it cools down, making them harder to remove later. Plus, you wouldn't want to make any of these other Blackstone grilling mistakes either. As a Blackstone owner, four tools will be your best friend when it comes to proper maintenance: a metal scraper or spatula, metal tongs, paper towels, and a big ol' bottle of oil.