Barbecues and Grids
What makes for barbecues grids? There are two major types of cooking surfaces within your barbecue: Cast Iron and Stainless Steel. But which one is better?
The answer? It varies on who you talk to!
Cast Iron grids hold the heat exceptionally well. They are also great for searing, as their tipped ends make for intense heat and locking the juices in your food. Being able to stay heated long, they become more efficient the longer the cooking session with them is.
You know there is a “but” coming, right?
The catch is that Cast Iron grids require maintenance. Leaving them in your barbecues and hoping for the best isn’t enough. You need to clean and season the grids too because yes, they can rust.
To season your barbecues cast iron grids, you need to spread a thin coating of cooking oil over entire surface of the cast iron grids with a paper towel or spray bottle. Using butter or non-stick sprays do not work as the burn off really quickly.
You’ll need to preheat your barbecue for 10 minutes on a high heat. Turn burners to a medium heat and put your grids in with the lid closed for about 30 minutes. Then you can turn off the barbecue and leave the grids inside the barbecue until they cool. Just like that, they are ready to use!
If you’re not planning on using your barbecue for a while, store cast iron grids in a dry warm place. Also: do not burn-off excess food after you grill. You can leave the cooking residues on the grates to keep a protective coating on the cast iron. If you have to, you can scrape the food off with a soft bristle brush immediately after taking off the food. Do not let anything burn off.
When it comes to stainless steel, you really do not have to do anything mentioned above for care.
And yes. There is a “but.”
While they may outlast cast iron grids on your barbecues, stainless steel grids do not hold heat as well as the cast iron ones do. That being said, they rarely require any maintenance.
However, if you find stainless steel grids with a thicker diameter, then they will act more like cast iron ones. But yes, they will be more expensive.
If you have any other questions about your barbecues, feel free to stop by or call us at Sun Country any time!