How do I care for my cast iron grates?


 
J

Jim Mathews

TVWBB Member
My wife bought me cast iron cooking grates for my Weber 22.5 inch kettle, it says it is pre-seasoned. I have the one that's one grate with 4 removable sections.

Question - how do I care for this and clean it, as I want it to last? I have a very stiff wife brush I was using on the standard grate. And how will I know if it ever needs re-seasoning?
 
I can tell you what I've done for 4 years, and that's virtually nothing. Cooking on it will keep it seasoned. I don't brush it off after use. The next cook, I heat the unit with the inserts in place for about 10-15 minutes, then a light brushing to get off any bits from previous cook that are still there. Heating the unit usually burns off residue so often no brushing is needed. Every once in a while I clean where the inserts sit and that's it, maybe 3 times a year. I don't oil the grate at all, just the food if necessary
 
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Best way to take care of them is to cook on them. If the seasoning burns off from them from too high of a temp I will move that section to an indirect section and hit with some Pam.
 
If you are not going to use them for some time, I would brush/spray on some vegetable oil before you store the grates in a dry place. You can wrap them in some oiled parchment paper if you like. Be sure to heat the grates before you put food on them again, to burn off the oil. Vegetable oil can taste and smell quite nasty after some time.
 
I give them a light brushing with peanut oil after they are preheated. After cooking I brush them off with a stainless steel grill brush, and then after I've eaten dinner and head out to clean up the grill, etc. I give them another light brushing with peanut oil. I keep the vents open on the grill to help prevent rusting (with that said I store my grills in my garage, but still, I have heard this is a good thing to do). I live in rust central, so perhaps you don't need to do these things, but I am a cast iron destroyer and so I take these extra steps.

Enjoy - I love my grates, my grilling tastes like I know what I'm doing when I'm using them! ;)

Laura
 
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