Buy A Cast Iron Griddle for a Lifetime of Good Cooking
The cast iron griddle is a mainstay of American cooking, from flapjacks on an open fire to Granny Clampett’s biscuits on The Beverly Hillbillies. No other piece of cookware provides so much flexibility, tradition, and flavor.
Made of — you guessed it! — iron that has been mixed with about five percent other metals, then formed into durable, heat-retaining shapes, griddles are flat plates that retain heat exceptionally well and require no special utensils.
It’s the perfect material for everything from burgers to pancakes, and a cast iron griddle that’s well-maintained will last for generations.
Cast iron must be seasoned before use, a simple process of coating your clean griddle with oil and heating it, upside-down, in a five-hundred degree oven for about thirty minutes.
Once it’s been properly seasoned, a piece of cast iron is a natural non-stick cooking solution that imparts heat evenly, and can be used on the stove top or campfire, the oven or the gas grill.
After each use, a cast iron griddle should be washed by hand with mild soap and water and coated with oil before it’s put away. With this easy care, any cast iron cookware retains its essential character.
When buying a griddle, look for a heavy, smooth cooking surface. Remember that cast iron is heavy, and secure handles are important. Some pieces offer a dual cooking surface, with a ridged side, for grilling steaks and chops to a perfect sear, and a smooth side, for beautiful grilled sandwiches and crispy hashed browns.
Some feature a slight slope and troughs to collect excess oil. An array of sizes is available, and it’s important to find a griddle that can be easily lifted.
Whatever features you select for your cast iron griddle, it’s a small investment that will pay delicious dividends for years to come.