Blackstone Griddle oil question

DanniB423
DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I just got a blackstone and being cast iron it seems you have to use quite a bit of oil on it and the food to keep it from sticking. As someone counting calories I’m concerned about all of the added calories. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Replies

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    Not familiar with that brand, but with repeated use cast iron becomes pretty nonstick. "Quite a bit of oil" is pretty subjective. Even brand new, I don't know why you need more oil than any other nonstick pan, unless you think you need to deep-fry everything in a cast iron pan. You don't.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,956 Member
    Google "season new cast iron pan". After an initial season your pan will essentially be non stick. This entails fusing oil to the pan surface with heat in a reaction known as polymerization that turns cooking oil into a form of non stick plastic. Most instructions will be for flat cast iron frying pans and will suggest applying a thin layer of oil with a paper towel. For a griddle I would use a silicon pastry brush to coat the groves.

    Here is an example of instructions of how to season your new pan.
    https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-season-cast-iron-pans-skillets-cookware

    Once seasoned you won't need much oil for cooking. I like to brush or spray the food with a light coat of oil rather than pouring oil onto the griddle pan.
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    I just used it today for the first time and seasoned it per the instructions. I’ve used it for all three meals today and the second use it seems a little better. In the house in a regular pan I just use cooking spray. Thanks for the insight!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    After seasoning, avoid washing it with soap (ever, if possible). Short hot water soak, even a soap-free brush in tough cases.

    Some sources recommend drying with heat, but I've had better results drying thoroughly with a cloth (dedicated to the task - it will get carbon-stained), then applying a very light coating of oil (mister or cloth).
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,438 Member
    I will never forget the time my husband proudly handed me my beloved, well seasoned cast iron skillet that he’d scrubbed to within an inch of its life.

    “I got it all clean for you!”

    If he ever doubted he married a shrew, he found out for sure that night. He’s darn lucky he didn’t get a solid cast iron whack between the temples.

    I have a giant Lodge cast iron pizza pan that is one of the handiest things in my kitchen. It’s great for pizza, of course, but cookies, biscuits, socca, it does it all with aplomb, and wipes right off.

    Lodge sells fabulous cast iron scrapers. They look like big thick guitar picks, and you can scrape the pans with them without damaging the seasoning.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    springlering62 wrote: »
    I will never forget the time my husband proudly handed me my beloved, well seasoned cast iron skillet that he’d scrubbed to within an inch of its life.

    “I got it all clean for you!”

    If he ever doubted he married a shrew, he found out for sure that night. He’s darn lucky he didn’t get a solid cast iron whack between the temples.

    I have a giant Lodge cast iron pizza pan that is one of the handiest things in my kitchen. It’s great for pizza, of course, but cookies, biscuits, socca, it does it all with aplomb, and wipes right off.

    Lodge sells fabulous cast iron scrapers. They look like big thick guitar picks, and you can scrape the pans with them without damaging the seasoning.

    My ex once told me he was watching TLC and saw you could put a cast iron pan in the dishwasher.

    He had such a poker face going, but I knew he was messing with me. I can't think of a single other time he messed with me like that, so find it really funny that the one time was over cleaning cast iron :lol:

    My current partner does the dinner dishes but knows not to touch my cast iron pans.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    Did anyone catch the recent Milk Street Radio episode where they recommended something other than cast iron for eggs? The other type of pan didn't stick in my brain. It wasn't regular non-stick.

    I have to use more oil than I'd like for eggs in my cast iron, so use Hard-Anodized Aluminum Non-stick.
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,330 Member
    Blackstone is not cast iron.. they use steel plates for their griddle.. but yes.. you season it the same way you do cast iron.. I've used pam or oil in spray bottle..
  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,330 Member
    edited June 2021
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Did anyone catch the recent Milk Street Radio episode where they recommended something other than cast iron for eggs? The other type of pan didn't stick in my brain. It wasn't regular non-stick.

    I have to use more oil than I'd like for eggs in my cast iron, so use Hard-Anodized Aluminum Non-stick.

    If you cooking bacon with the eggs... Typically you cook the bacon (or fatty meat) first on iron skillet.. then the eggs... The fat/grease will fill the pores of the skillet and eggs won't stick.. no extra oil needed..

    Eta..

    Ceramic coated pans probably what they talked on that episode..
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    Did anyone catch the recent Milk Street Radio episode where they recommended something other than cast iron for eggs? The other type of pan didn't stick in my brain. It wasn't regular non-stick.

    I have to use more oil than I'd like for eggs in my cast iron, so use Hard-Anodized Aluminum Non-stick.

    That surprises me. If I'm *just* frying eggs (i.e., not preceding the eggs with some other thing like a heap of onions or other veggies that will take up some oil), I get a reasonably close to full non-stick effect with something around 2-3g of oil in my well-seasoned 8" cast iron frying pan, for 2-3 eggs, even though I usually add a few drops of water after I start the eggs (I don't like soft yolks).

    I admit, though, that li'l sucker has at least 3 decades of careful seasoning on it by now - water beads up, even in the cold pan.
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    lx1x wrote: »
    Blackstone is not cast iron.. they use steel plates for their griddle.. but yes.. you season it the same way you do cast iron.. I've used pam or oil in spray bottle..

    Ah! Shows how much I know. The look and aftercare had me assuming. It’s much better now that I’ve used it a couple times. Thanks everyone!

Categories