Your annual outdoor grilling session with the neighbours is around the corner, and you might not be ready enough. Besides getting the essential grilling accessories, you need to understand how to season a gas grill, which is crucial for keeping it in good condition for years.
Here is what you need for gas grill seasoning:
- Grill brush for smearing oil across the grates.
- Oil spray bottle.
- Paper towel for absorbing excess oil on the grates.
- Cooking oil- there are different types of cooking oil suitable for seasoning a gas grill, such as; coconut oil, avocado oil, peanut oil, grape seed oil, and canola oil.
Note: Olive oil shouldn’t be used for seasoning a gas grill since it cannot withstand high heat cooking.
Seasoning is everything your gas grill requires to last longer and deliver delicious meals that your neighbours will be drooling over. You will have saved some extra pennies that would otherwise be used on getting a new grill or professionally cleaning the current one from complex debris accumulation from the previous meals.
Let’s learn how to season a grill properly:
Seasoning a Gas Grill
Remember how your gas barbecue was when you first got it? You would undoubtedly wish to maintain that look forever, and that’s where seasoning comes in. Seasoning significantly contributes to the life and functioning of your gas grill while ensuring the health and safety of the users.
Seasoning a gas grill is easy and essential after understanding its various benefits. Seasoning should be done before and after every grilling session, alongside regular practices (at least thrice a year), even when the grill is not in use. Here are the benefits of seasoning a grill:
Wash away toxic residuals
Like any other manufactured, shipped, and retailed product, a gas grill is prone to paint chemical and dirt residuals that could cause a mess to one’s health when in direct contact with human food.
Enhance the grill’s life and operation
Seasoning prevents rusting and dirt accumulation, thus a long and stable grill life.
Enhance the meal’s taste
Make it a habit to season your grill before the primary cooking and watch how savouring the pieces will be. The annual grilling event might also shift to semi-annual or monthly.
For easier cleaning after cooking
seasoning creates a non-stick coat on the grates, ensuring no food pieces are left behind after grilling. Otherwise, food particles on a rusty and non-seasoned grill can be challenging to clean and might kill the fun of grilling.
Appeal
The eyes love what they see. Your regularly seasoned gas grilled will be appealing to the eyes of your guests, and they will love the meal even more. Non-seasoned grills appear darker, burnt, and greasy from a load of dirt accumulation from past cooking and dust.
Cleaning the Grill
For a pre-existing grill, you can start by cleaning it with a sponge, soap, and water to wash away any dust and contaminants from the previous cooking. The grill brush and towels also need to be clean enough to prevent possible contamination; air dries the grates or wipes them until completely dry.
Cleaning is also applicable to brand new grill (regardless of how perfect it was wrapped or packaged) to wash away dirt from the shipping containers, manufacturer’s toxic chemicals, and other contaminants.
Smear or Spray Oil on the Grate
With an oil spray bottle, spray heat oil on the grates adequately to cover every corner bar. Proceed to smear the oil across the grates, then use a towel to wipe off any excess oil. Turn on the grill and let it heat for about 10-20 minutes, within which the grates should turn darker progressively.
The dark colour, which is the newly formed non-stick coat, signifies a greater taste of the meal at hand, depending on the level of darkness. Kindly don’t let the grill overheat for more than 40 minutes, as this might burn or darken the food you’re about to grill. Moderate temperatures are best for pre-heating a gas grill to avoid excess burning.
After you’re done grilling and enjoying your tasty pieces, clean the grill to eliminate any food particles, then repeat the above oiling process before storing it in a cool and dry place, safe for the next event. A tip: Porcelain gas grills don’t require seasoning as they barely host any food particles after grilling.