Rant: I spent 8 years scraping my grill grates wrong

Yesterday during a lunch rush at my spot in Portland, my line cook pointed out I was scraping my flat top at the wrong angle. He showed me how the grease was pooling instead of running off into the trough. I had been going back and forth instead of side to side for 8 years. The burnt residue I was fighting every night? Totally my own doing. How many other basic kitchen habits am I screwing up without realizing it?

2 comments

2 Comments

williams.kim7d ago

Well shit, I used to think the whole "go with the grain" thing on grills was just chef snobbery. I'd scrape my grates however felt right and fought with stuck-on gunk for years. But after watching a buddy show me how his flat top stayed clean with just a few quick passes the proper way, I finally gave it a real try. Now I can't unsee how wrong I was doing it. The grease literally flows right off instead of fighting me. Makes me wonder what else I've been stubborn about for no good reason.

the_matthew7d ago

Nah man, scraping against the grain actually digs out the crud better, I still do it my way and my grill works fine.