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Ready to cook outdoors? How to clean and season your grill

By Elizabeth Karmel associated Press - | Apr 7, 2020

Unless you are like me and grill year-round, the warmer weather signals the start of the grilling season. This spring, especially, as millions of us are told to stay home, a trip outside to the backyard or patio is a welcome change.

If you have a new grill or have taken one out of winter hibernation, you’ll need to clean and season it before you cook.

Remember, outdoor grills are like cast-iron skillets: They get better and more seasoned the more you use them. When food cooks on the grill, the fats and juices are vaporized by the heat and create the smoke that flavors the food. The smoke accumulates on the inside of the grill and is “seasoned,” making your food “sing” with grilled flavor. For this reason, you don’t want to over-clean your grill.

If you’ve had your grill for a year or two and use it frequently, you may notice that the inside of the lid looks like the “paint” is peeling. This is simply the accumulation of layers of smoke, and not paint at all. You will want to remove this build-up so it doesn’t flake off and fall into your food. Scrape the inside of the lid first. If the grill still has layers of left-on food on the grill grates, turn all the burners on high for 30-45 minutes, or until everything has burned into a white-gray ash. Brush the grates with a grill brush while they are still hot, and let the grill cool before continuing to clean.

Warm soapy water, a scrubbie and a little elbow grease will take the excess grime off easily. Don’t scrub so hard that the grill becomes shiny again. Be sure to leave the first layer of seasoning on the grill, but get rid of any excess soot and ash.

If you are someone who forgets to clean your grill regularly throughout the season, print this out and put it on your refrigerator or somewhere close to remind you:

Cleaning Your Grill

(Follow these steps and grill maintenance will never be a big job.)

Preheat every time you use the grill.

After removing cooked food from the cooking grate, allow residue to burn off for 10 minutes.

Before and after each use, use a grill brush or crumpled aluminum foil to loosen and clean residue on the cooking grate.

Remove accumulated ashes from charcoal grills each time you cook out.

Check the drip pan and clean and replace it when it is half full.

Clean your grill once a year with warm soapy water but no harsh abrasives.

And, remember, a grill is like a cast-iron pan: The more you grill, the better your food will taste!

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