There’s a new commercial out right now for Chipotle restaurants with the message that the griddle is the heart of the operation. It’s true; if you’ve spent any time in the back of the house, you’ll find that a good commercial griddle is the workhorse of the fast food industry. From college dining halls long term care foodservice kitchens to quick serve restaurants, most every commercial cooking operation uses griddles of some type.
A griddle consists of a flat metal plate which cooks food by conducting heat directly from the cooking surface to the food being prepared. Food is separated from the griddle surface by a think layer of cooking oil or grease which may come from the food being prepared, as in a hamburger, or it may be applied separately for something like eggs, is used to keep food from sticking to the cooking surface. Commercial countertop electric griddles or gas griddles, as well as stovetop griddles can be used to prepare a wide variety of foods including bacon, eggs, chicken, fish, hamburgers and steak. Nearly anything that is cooked in a fry pan can be prepared on a griddle. There are even cooks who like to use the hot griddle surface to heat food in a small pan, like melting butter.
With griddles being so popular, we have put together a short list of tips that will help you save money in your commercial foodservice operation when you use your commercial griddle.
• Heat only the sections of the griddle needed for what you are cooking. Larger griddles often have multiple burners and when you are cooking a small meal, you don’t need to heat the entire griddle surface.
• Pre-heat only until the griddle surface has achieved the correct cooking temperature. For efficient use, do not heat up your griddle and let it remain using energy unnecessarily.
• Set the temperature for each section no higher than that required to cook the food. Also keep in mind that setting the griddle at a higher temperature does not make it heat up faster.
• Turn the griddle down or off during slow production times rather than leaving it run at full production temperature.
• Use pre-cooked or thawed foods on the griddle. Avoid frozen products where possible as they utilize extra energy.
• Use a cover while cooking where it will not affect the cooking process or the texture or finish of foods.
• Between production times, scrape the griddle surface clean of previously prepared foods. Cleaning some types of griddle surfaces requires special tools so be sure to review your owner’s manual.
• Clean the griddle frequently and re-season the griddle after each cleaning.
• Inspect your commercial griddle periodically, checking each section separately, searching for hot or cold spots.
• On gas griddles, be sure that each gas flame burns blue adjusting the gas-to-air ratio when necessary for efficient gas usage.
And remember to always use safe cooking practices as well as following the energy efficient usage tips above.
