Griddling

What the bars do and do not do

Contact with hot metal is what browns food. On a flat pan the whole underside is in contact; on a griddle perhaps a fifth of it is. The bars get very hot and mark the food strongly, and the rest of the surface cooks by radiant heat and by the air between the ridges.

So griddled food has intense dark stripes and comparatively little browning elsewhere, where a flat pan would give an even golden crust across the whole face. The griddle looks more dramatic and produces less total browning.

The other thing the ridges do is let fat and juices drain away from the food into the channels. That is why griddling reads as a leaner technique, and why a griddled steak sits in less of its own fat than a pan-fried one.

What it suits, and what it does not

Suits it

Steaks, chops, chicken thighs, halloumi, courgette and aubergine slices, peppers, spring onions, flatbreads, peaches and pineapple.

Does not

Anything with a coating or batter, which sticks to the bars and tears. Anything that releases a lot of liquid. Small or loose items that fall between the ridges.

Fish

Only firm fish with the skin on, and even then it is prone to sticking. A flat pan is usually better.

Thickness

Thin things suit it best. A very thick chop marks long before the middle is done.

Cast iron

The right material. It holds heat, which is what a griddle needs when cold food lands on a small contact area.

Getting good marks and a cooked middle

1. Heat the pan properly — longer than you think, five minutes or more for cast iron. A griddle that is not hot enough gives grey stripes.
2. Oil the food, not the pan. Oil in the channels smokes and burns; oil on the food goes where it is needed.
3. Dry the food first, and season it just before it goes on.
4. Lay it on and leave it alone. Moving it early gives smeared marks rather than clean bars.
5. For crosshatch marks, turn the food ninety degrees halfway through the first side.
6. Turn once. Griddled food turned repeatedly never develops proper marks.
7. For anything thick, mark it on the griddle and finish it in the oven. Trying to cook a thick chop through on the bars burns the stripes.
8. Let it rest, as with any grilled or fried meat.

Practical notes

• It smokes. Griddling at the right temperature produces a lot of smoke. Extractor on, window open, smoke alarm considered.
• Do not use it for a sauce. The ridges make deglazing awkward and the fond is spread thinly across a large surface.
• Clean it hot. A stiff brush and hot water while the pan is still warm. Soap and soaking damage a seasoned cast-iron surface.
• A ridged pan is not a barbecue. The stripes look similar and the smoke flavour of charcoal is absent — griddled food tastes of the pan, not of fire.
• Flat is often better. For most weeknight cooking a flat heavy pan browns more of the food and is easier to clean.

Common questions