Surface finish for griddle?

[lime]

I recently purchased a new stove with a griddle. The surface has some tooling marks in it. How smooth should the surface be for optimum cooking?

 

[kitchenelf]

Do you mean scratches? I'm not sure what you mean by tooling marks but someone else might.

 

[lime]

The scratches that come from the big grinding equipment at the manufacturer, where they grind flat the surface. Prior to seasoning the surface I was wondering if I should further grind the surface to make it as smooth as possible or if the grind marks some how aid in cooking. My intial thoughs are they would cause food to stick.

 

[kitchenelf]

I guess I'm just not familiar with what you are talking about. What kind of material is the griddle? Cast iron?

 

[lime]

I would guess it is made a medium carbon steel. Think of it as a piece of wood sanded with very coarse sand paper. The surface will be rough. As you progress through finer and finer sand paper the surface will get smoother and smoother. The same is true of steel. You can have the semi rough finish as it comes from the factory or you can "sand" it with finer and finer paper until it will become almost mirror like. I've seen some cooking pans that have a textured finish that claim to be superior cooking surfaces. he question for the griddle is, "Is smoother better for cooking?"

 

[norgeskog]

I purchased a cast iron griddle/grill which covers two burners. It is a grill on one side that can put grill marks on meats; the other is great for pancakes, burgers, or whatever for a crowd. I have grilled corn on the cob which turns out great. It took me a long time to season this thing as it has two cooking side, but I love it. I also have a non-stick coated one II use occasionally, but plan to get rid of it.

 

[Michael in FtW]

I understand your explanation of finishing marks in metals ... but the question really goes back to 3 things: (1) what kind of metal, (2) how deep are the grinding marks, (3) what does the manual that came with your new "gizmo" say?

 

[lime]

I can't determine the exact type of steel other than it is a carbon steel. If you drag your finger nail across the surface you can easily detect the grinding marks. The manual only mentions the cleaning and seasoning of the surface.

 

[kitchenelf]

I'm inclined to think that it won't affect the cooking at all. If you have to drag your fingernail over it to detect it then I doubt it would be a problem. I'm sure the surface is smooth enough to cook on. But heck, I wouldn't listen to me - I'm just now beginning to understand what you're talking about!!

Why don't you call customer service for the manufacturer of your stove?

 

[buckytom]

I can't determine the exact type of steel other than it is a carbon steel. If you drag your finger nail across the surface you can easily detect the grinding marks. The manual only mentions the cleaning and seasoning of the surface.

lol, don't you end up burning your fingers?
just kidding.

i would do as elfie says and call the manufacturer. they'll know if it's a defect in the manufacturing process, or that's the way they all start out.

 

[lime]

I tried the manufacture and got no reply. I don't think it is a defect, but if smoother is better I wanted to fix it before it gets seasoned. I bet a fry cook that has cooked on one for a lot of years would know if smoother is better, just from experience.

 

[kitchenelf]

Is it really that gouged? Can you see these marks if you just look at it?

If it is a material that CAN be smoothed down without damaging the integrity then smooth it down. If you were to take a pancake turner and flip something over would the pancake turner stop at one of these marks?

 

[lime]

The marks are easily visible. Just like if you took a coarse grinding wheel to a piece of steel. A spatula would not catch on one. I'm probably making a mountain out of a mole hill, but just curious as to what "should" be better.

 

[kitchenelf]

I'm going to take a stab and say this is just fine and will cook with good results. You'll just have to cook a LOT and wear those marks out!!!

I do understand how when we buy something that is NOT cheap we expect everything to be perfect - and rightly so.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

As with any other cooking metal, as you use it, grease deposits will accumulate in the scratches or serface imperfections, resulting in a smooth surface. Lodge cast-iron is very coarse from the factory. Yet, when it's seasoned, the food jmust doesn't stick to it very well. And as time goes by, the surface seems to become smooth. I think that the durabilityl of casat iron makes it unlikely that my spatulas are grinding the surface smooth. rather, I think the little valleys are filling with grease, which hardens as heat is applied.

I think your griddle will work just fine as is.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[Michael in FtW]

.... The manual only mentions the cleaning and seasoning of the surface.

I would do exactly as the manual says. As Goodweed noted about cast iron, the seasoning process will fill in the grinding marks and you will have a perfectly smooth surface. And, since your manual instructs you on seasoning it, I would assume some minor "imperfections" in the surface are probably normal.

Unless you've got the proper equipment and experience to polish out any grinding marks you could wind up with an uneven surface (little dips and waves) that might be mirror smooth but would cause you more problems than you started with. And, I am sure, would void your warranty.