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Who hasn’t had a favorite pan or pot they like working with in the kitchen?
It heats right, holds well and has just been a reliable standby for years.
However, when it starts to get old, eventually those deterioration signs appear and start to worry folks, especially these days with all the concerns about Teflon flaking and similar.
Blackstone Griddle Flaking
Every Blackstone Griddle comes with a pre-designed and manufactured cooking layer in the Griddle itself.
This provides for cooking without sticking.
However, over time, and especially with a lot of use or lack of care, the layer will begin to wear off and lose pieces.
This is known as “flaking” among those with Blackstone Griddle as well as in help responses from the manufacturer.
Blackstone Griddle Seasoning Flaking Off
Is the cooking layer flaking off a bad thing? Not necessarily.
Minor peeling occurs on the natural with the product, and the Griddle will eventually lose its seasoning layer altogether with heavy use or washing.
Fortunately, it can be fixed pretty easily with a new seasoning treatment.
In fact, this should be done before every cooking session or storage.
The reason being is that it re-protects the Griddle, avoiding the problem of food burning on the Griddle and causing further damage.
Why is My Griddle Flaking?
As mentioned above, the two primary reasons for flaking are wear and tear as well as poor maintenance care between cooking use.
Specifically, the seasoning layer wears off over time with regular use or heavy washing.
That’s a natural occurrence but it can be offset with re-seasoning the Griddle periodically (i.e. every few weeks).
On the maintenance side of things and care, both the seasoning as well as avoiding burning of food are essential in maintaining the cooking layer.
Once burnt food or residue gets into the mix, then it creates a catalyst for damage, bonding with the Griddle and triggering deterioration because of repeated carbonization.
How to Strip and Reseason Blackstone Griddle Equipment
The removal process is fairly basic and straightforward.
Use a metal scraper and get all the hard bits, coagulated oil and carbon off.
Then use oil, steel wool or a griddle stone tool to grind off the remainder.
Get the Griddle down to a smooth layer like one does when removing any rust.
Once cleaned off with new paper towels, then use a wet paper towels to wipe the layer of anything left.
Now the Griddle is ready to be re-seasoned.
When seasoning, avoid meat fats like bacon. It has too much salt and other elements that work against the goal.
Use a clean oil instead and heat it on until it gets to a brownish layer on the griddle surface.
Once cooled and finished, the seasoning is done.
Ideally, this seasoning process is only needed the first time if used for cooking regularly.
Regular cooking and oiling before cooking solves the need for a layer.
However, if occasional use only, then seasoning will be needed periodically.
What is the Blackstone Griddle Top Made Of
The original cooking layer is provided in the manufacturing process.
The initial seasoning will be a standard cooking oil such as vegetable or canola oil or olive oil. Just try to avoid meat-based oils with a lot of salt.
How to Stop Blackstone Griddle from Rusting
There are other ways to stop corrosion aside from seasoning, but the number one method is to maintain good care of a Griddle and avoid poor usage.
Regular seasoning, cleaning, and removing residue all contribute heavily to damage.
Get past the burnt food occurrence, then the damage is reduced tremendously and the corrosion is minimized considerably.
How do I Fix Blackstone Griddle Peeling?
Again, the peeling will happen on the natural, even with the best of use and care.
The trick to reducing the peeling effect is to essentially re-season the Griddle on a periodic basis between gaps in cooking.
Otherwise, if used regularly and daily, the peeling is really not much of an issue as regular food oiling and greasing solves the cooking layer problem, as well as avoiding burning the food.
Do Blackstone Griddles have a Coating?
Yes, all Blackstone Griddles come prepared with a cooking layer when brand new.
They then need to be seasoned a first time at least and repeatedly between regular cooking periods, i.e. gaps in consistent usage.
Final Thoughts
If your Blackstone Griddle is starting to show some peeling, don’t worry so much.
If you’re caring for it well, seasoning between heavy cooking, and avoiding poor storage care, you’re fine. Consider minor peeling a bit of “growing character” on your favorite cookware.
Robert is a certified Pitmaster, with over a decade of experience in smoking the best meats you’ll ever feast upon. He also has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio. When he’s not researching technical topics, he’s most likely barbecuing in his backyard.