How to Clean a Griddle: Hot Scrape, Oil, Repeat
Well, the marketing says cleaning a griddle is a chore you dread. Is it though? I've been scrubbing, scraping, and re-oiling flat tops for the better part of a decade, and I'm here to tell you the truth: it's a two-minute ritual that decides whether your $300 investment becomes a family heirloom or a rusted-out paperweight by July. I've owned my 36" Blackstone for four years, and I've made every single mistake in the book so you don't have to.
Here's the short list if you're in a hurry. I'll break it all down below.
| Product | Price | Why it won | Why it lost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackstone 36" Griddle | ~$300 | Massive cooking surface, even heat, holds a seasoning beautifully after the first month | Grease trap is poorly designed; paint flakes off the frame; wind kills the flames without a guard |
| Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 36" | ~$500 | Feels like a tank, better build quality, grease management is light-years ahead | Pricey, and the extra weight makes it a two-person lift |
 Made In Carbon Steel Griddle |
~$160 | The best steel I've ever seasoned, perfect for stovetop use, nonstick like nothing else | Expensive for the size, and you have to be careful with induction burners |
| Lodge Cast Iron Reversible Griddle | ~$40 | Bulletproof, holds heat forever, teaches you the fundamentals | 40+ lbs of pure iron, a pain to store and clean, rusts if you look at it wrong |
 EWFEN Reversible Griddle |
~$35 | Cheap, fits most apartment stoves, fine for a single egg or two smash patties | The pre-seasoning is a joke, warps on high heat, it's a starter piece not a forever piece |
How I Test
My name's Chef Dom. I did 13 years on the line, eight of them in front of a flat top at a diner that pushed 400 breakfasts a morning. Now I run a food trailer and a backyard griddle that sees action three times a week minimum. My dog Bruno, a 70-pound lab mix, supervises every cookout from exactly three feet away. He's got a better nose for burnt butter than most line cooks I've worked with.
I don't test these things in a lab. I cook a hundred smash burgers, I run a full breakfast service of 12 eggs, a pound of bacon, and a stack of pancakes, and I see how long the seasoning holds before the rust shows up. I've owned a Blackstone 36" for four years, a Made In carbon steel for two, and a Lodge cast iron I drag to campsites. I've also bought the cheap Amazon special and watched it rust overnight. These are my lived experiences, not spec sheets.
The Golden Rule: Scrape Hot, Oil Warm
Before I get into the specific tools and products, you need to understand the core ritual. Forget everything you know about washing dishes. You don't use soap. You don't use water. You scrape, you wipe, you oil.
The second your food comes off, the griddle is still screaming hot. That's when you attack it. I use a flat metal scraper, usually my trusty 4-inch, and I push all the burnt-on bits and grease into the trap. It takes about 30 seconds. Then I take a wad of paper towels, fold it over a few times, and with my left hand protected by a heavy mitt, I do a quick wipe across the surface to get the loose stuff. While it's still warm, I lay down a paper-thin coat of canola oil. That's it. That's the whole secret.
If you let that grease cool and harden, you've created a nightmare for your future self. The burnt-on grease takes forever to scrape, and you're fighting a losing battle. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people post photos of their "ruined" griddle, and it's just 20 minutes of built-up carbon that they could have scraped off in two minutes while it was hot.
Blackstone 36" Griddle
Let's get the big one out of the way. The Blackstone is the gold standard, and for good reason. The 36" cooking surface is a beast. I've cooked for 40 people at a tailgate on this thing, and I never had a cold spot ruin a batch of eggs. The heat distribution is the best I've used in a standalone unit. The four independently controlled burners let me do a low-heat zone for keeping bacon warm while I smash burgers on high. It's a workhorse.
But here's the flaw you need to know about before you buy: the grease trap is a joke. It's a shallow little trough that fills up fast, and if you're cooking a batch of smash burgers with 80/20 beef, you'll be emptying it mid-cook. I've had it overflow onto the frame and make a mess on my patio. A verified Amazon buyer from March 2024 put it this way: "The grease trap overflows every time." I've seen the same thing on my own unit. You learn to scrape more often and keep a spare cup nearby.
The other issue is the frame paint. It flakes off after a year or two, especially near the burners. It's cosmetic, not structural, but it's annoying. And if you cook outside without a wind guard, you'll be fighting the breeze all afternoon. I rigged a cardboard wind guard at a family reunion once. My brother-in-law still brings it up every year. Get the metal one.
For cleaning, the Blackstone is the easiest of the standalone units because the surface is so large and flat. My routine is simple: scrape everything to the trap, wipe with paper towels, and re-oil. The seasoning on my 36" has built up beautifully over four years. It's as nonstick as my old carbon steel pan. Just budget for the grease trap hassle and you'll be fine. [Check price on Amazon]
Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 36"
My buddy swears by his Camp Chef, and after cooking on it a few times, I get it. This thing feels more solid than the Blackstone. The build quality is noticeably better. The frame doesn't flex, the lid fits tight, and the grease management system is light-years ahead. The catch cup is bigger, and the channel is designed so fat actually flows into it instead of pooling on the edges. It's the smarter buy if you can stomach the price difference.
The downside? It's expensive. You're paying a premium for that build quality. And it's heavy. Moving it around the yard or loading it into a truck for tailgates is a two-person job. The Blackstone is easier to wrangle.
But for cleaning, the Camp Chef is the winner. The larger grease trap means you're not emptying it mid-cook. The surface holds its seasoning just as well, and the heat distribution is even across the entire 36". If I were buying a new standalone unit today, I'd probably go with the Camp Chef and consider the extra cost a long-term investment. It's the last flat top you'll buy. [Check price on Amazon]
Made In Carbon Steel Griddle
This is the one I use on my stovetop at home. It's a 23" x 16" carbon steel griddle that spans two burners, and it's the last griddle you'll buy. The steel is crafted in Sweden, and it takes a seasoning like nothing else I've used. After my first seasoning pass, eggs slid around like they were on ice. The surface is smooth, it heats evenly across the whole thing, and it's induction compatible, which is a huge plus for people with modern ranges.
The cleaning ritual on this one is the same as the big units, but because the steel is thinner, you have to be a little more careful. Don't blast it on high and walk away. It warps if you abuse it. I've seen it happen to people who crank the heat and then douse it in cold water. Don't do that.
The biggest downside is the price. For a stovetop griddle, it's expensive. But the cost-per-day math works out. A $160 griddle that lasts a decade is cheaper than a $40 EWFEN that rusts in three months and you have to replace twice a year. If you're serious about cooking on a flat top but don't have the space or budget for a standalone 36" unit, get the Made In. It's the best stovetop option on the market. [Check price on Amazon]
Lodge Cast Iron Reversible Griddle
The Lodge is heavy as hell. It's a 40+ pound slab of cast iron that will outlive you and your grandchildren. I use mine for camping, and I've cooked on it over a fire pit more times than I can count. It's indestructible. You can drop it, abuse it, leave it in the rain, and it'll survive. The seasoning takes a beating, but you can always build it back up.
The learning curve is real though. Cast iron heats unevenly if you don't preheat it long enough. You need to give it a solid 10 minutes to get hot all the way through. And cleaning it is a workout. It's too heavy to move easily, so you're scraping and wiping in place, which is awkward.
But here's the thing: the Lodge is the best teacher. If you can master seasoning and cleaning on a Lodge, you'll never struggle with a Blackstone or a Camp Chef. It forces you to respect the process. I drag mine to campsites, I cook over open flames, and I never worry about it. For $40, it's the best entry point into the world of flat top cooking. [Check price on Amazon]
EWFEN Reversible Griddle
I bought one of these for a friend as a housewarming gift because it was cheap and seemed fine. It's fine. That's the best thing I can say about it. The pre-seasoning is a lie. It flakes off after a few cooks, and if you don't re-season it immediately, you'll be scrubbing rust within a week.
The 23" x 16" surface is okay for a single person or a small apartment. It's reversible, so you get a griddle on one side and a grill pan on the other. But the grill pan side is basically useless. It's too shallow to actually sear anything, and it's a nightmare to clean. The griddle side warps on high heat. I've seen it happen, and it's not a minor annoyance. A warped griddle pools oil, burns food unevenly, and ruins your cook.
The only reason to buy this is if you're on a tight budget and you need something to cook a couple of eggs or two smash patties on a Tuesday night. It's a starter piece, not a forever piece. Plan to re-season it immediately, and don't expect it to last more than a year. [Check price on Amazon]
The Oil Question
You'll see a million arguments about flaxseed, canola, or grapeseed oil. Here's my take: flaxseed creates a beautiful, hard seasoning that flakes if you look at it wrong. Canola is the workhorse. It's cheap, reliable, and it holds up to the high heat of a flat top. Grapeseed is a nice middle ground with a high smoke point. I use canola for everyday maintenance and grapeseed when I'm building a fresh seasoning from scratch.
Don't overthink it. Any oil with a high smoke point works. The technique matters more than the oil. You need a thin layer, heated until it polymerizes, and repeated a few times until you build up a solid base. Then you just maintain it with that two-minute scrape, wipe, and oil after every cook.
The Rust Disaster
I've made every mistake you're about to make. I bought a cheap griddle off Amazon, seasoned it, cooked one batch of smash burgers, and woke up to a rust-covered surface. I spent 20 minutes scrubbing with steel wool and re-seasoning. Never again.
Here's the pattern: cheap griddles claim pre-seasoned, then flake and rust within a week. The Onlyfire pre-seasoning actually held up, which is the exception, not the rule. You should always plan to re-season regardless of what the box says. The factory coating is a head start, not a finish line.
And please, for the love of everything, get a cover. If you leave a griddle outside in winter, even with a cover, don't be surprised if you're re-seasoning in spring. I keep my Blackstone under a heavy-duty cover year-round, and I still do a full seasoning pass every few months.
The Bottom Line
A griddle is only as good as its seasoning, and its seasoning is only as good as your cleaning ritual. Scrape hot, oil warm, repeat. That's it. If you do that, your griddle will last a decade. If you slack off, you'll be scrubbing rust and wondering why you spent the money.
Buy the Camp Chef if you want the best build quality. Buy the Blackstone if you want the standard and you're okay with a mediocre grease trap. Buy the Made In if you want a stovetop griddle that'll outlive you. And skip the EWFEN unless you're desperate and broke. Now go cook something.