Jun · Griddle back in use
How do I season and clean a Wolf griddle?
Season it before the first cook and re-oil it after every one. Wolf's routine is half an hour at 350°F, a cool-down, then a thin film of peanut or vegetable oil wiped on while the plate is still warm, and back up to 350 until it just smokes. If the plate heats unevenly once it is seasoned, that is hardware: ring Wolf Repair Denver on (720) 575-1433.
- Two electrode pins left standing where the burner was. This is the spark end of the job.
- The cap on the counter. On a black deck the seat shows every crumb that stops it sitting flat.
The griddle is the one part of a Wolf top with an opinion of its own. A burner simply passes gas at whatever rate its valve is set to; the griddle reads its own surface and switches the flame underneath to hold the number you dialled in. That is what the little light above the knob is reporting — steady while the plate is still climbing, then going out and coming back once it is holding.
So a griddle complaint is rarely the same shape as a burner complaint. Sluggish usually means a thick, gummy seasoning insulating the plate. Patchy usually means a wide pan parked in one place. A light that flashes, though, is the range saying it lost the flame.
How to do it
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Wash the plate before you ever heat it
Hot water and a mild detergent, rinse, then dry with a soft cloth. A new plate carries oil from the factory, and Wolf asks for it to be washed off before anything is cooked. Turn the ventilation on now and leave it on.
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Half an hour at 350
Push the knob in, turn it round to 350°F, and leave it for thirty minutes. Then Off, and let the plate cool on its own. Nothing is being cooked here — the heat is opening the surface up so the oil has something to key into.
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Oil it while it is still warm
Peanut or vegetable oil, a very small amount, spread thin and even with a paper towel. Thin is the word that matters: a heavy coat is what goes gummy later and has to come off again.
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Back to 350, until it smokes
Knob to 350°F a second time, and watch for the first wisp of smoke. Off again, let it go cold, then wipe the surplus away. A seasoned plate looks dull and even, not shiny and patchy.
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After every cook: scrape, wipe, re-oil
Scrape what is on the plate into the grease collection tray while it will still move. Once the surface has cooled, lift the rest with a paper towel and put a little oil back. Three minutes, and the seasoning never has to be built again.
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Strip it when it goes sticky
Half a cup of warm water and a teaspoon of griddle cleaner onto the plate, scrape the residue into the tray, and empty it. Let the plate dry, oil it again, and you are back where step three left off.
Past that point it is a tool-and-meter job. Call Wolf Repair Denver on (720) 575-1433 and we will bring the parts that fault usually needs.
Asked about this one
What oil should I use on the griddle?
Wolf names peanut or vegetable oil, and either works as long as you put on far less than feels right. The oil is meant to soak into the surface, not sit on it. Olive oil and butter burn off too low to build anything that lasts, so keep them for the pan.
My double griddle is cool on one side. Is it broken?
Probably not. Wolf gives the double griddle a separate control for each side, so one half sitting at a lower setting than the other is the commonest answer by a distance. Match the two knobs, give it ten minutes, and if the cool side stays cool, ring Wolf Repair Denver and we will bring a thermostat with us.
