Rust can form on your griddle surface if the steel is able to interact with oxygen and water. This is also known as oxidation. The oxidation process can happen if there is a break or fault in your griddle seasoning or if water is able to sit on your griddle top for a prolonged period. You can find ways to prevent your griddle from rusting here.
The good news is your griddle top is not ruined. We have done extensive testing on rust on our griddle tops and have never found one to be unsavable. In fact, we have rusted griddles purposefully and found the rust can be completely and safely removed.
There are two effective methods to completely clean your griddle top from rust. Either one will safely remove rust without damaging your griddle top.
Griddle Top Restoration Kit
Our R&D team has completed extensive research and testing to produce a rust removal solution to attack, bond to, and easily remove rust without heavy scraping to save you time.
You can find our Griddle Top Restoration Kit on our website here or at select retailers including Walmart and Lowe's.
The restorer solution works through selective chelation which removes rust, but will not affect your seasoning or non-rusted steel. You only need to apply the griddle top restorer to areas with rust. For best results, you will need to:
Clean your griddle top. You can remove any loose rust with a metal scraper, then wash your griddle surface with soapy water, rinse, and then dry.
Apply the griddle top restorer. Make sure to cover all the rust-affected areas with a generous amount and spread with the applicator pad.
Allow the restorer to sit for at least 5 minutes. Agitate the restorer with the applicator pad to ensure it gets in good contact with the rust particles. Repeat 2-3 times.
For thick or stubborn rust, repeat steps 2 and 3.
Wipe off the restorer product and clean the griddle surface with soap and water.
Once the rust is fully removed, you can reseason your griddle top. For more information on griddle seasoning, please seehere.
Griddle Top Cleaning Kit
Rust can be safely removed using:
Cooking oil
Water
A metal scraper
An abrasive tool such as steel wool or a griddle stone
Paper towels
Note: we do offer cleaning kits that can help make the cleaning process easier.
First, scrape away any rust, chips, or cracks on the surface of the griddle top and push debris toward the grease cup. Once no more debris are coming off, put some of your cooking oil on the griddle cooking surface and scrub at the rusted areas with your steel wool or griddle stone. The oil will bond with the rust particles and pull them away from the griddle cooking surface. Use your scraper to push any oil saturated with rust into the grease trap and add more oil as needed.
Once there isn't any more rust coming out of the griddle surface, push and leftover oil into the grease trap and remove any leftover grease with a paper towel. Then, put a little water on your griddle surface to wipe it off with a paper towel until the griddle top is clean.
At that point, you can reseason your griddle top. For more information on griddle seasoning, please see here.
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