# Does anyone cook on a Keating Grill?



## paradisegirl (Jul 7, 2011)

I sure could use some advice on cleaning my Keating Grill.  I have contacted the company several times, used their methods and am still having problems.  I would love to know if anyone here uses one and what you do for cleaning.   Thanks


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## rgm2 (May 28, 2011)

I do not have a Keating grill but on my flat top at work I use a cleaner and pad from 3M. The other thing I do that makes a HUGE difference and I know it sounds weird but after i scrape the soap off the grill I rinse it with diet sprite. It makes it shine like water just can not touch. It gets all the stains off and takes about 5 cans. I have been told it is the lemon/lime in it so you might be able to do it with a solution of lemon and carbonated water.


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## someday (Aug 15, 2003)

Try a salt/oil mixture. Pour a good amount of kosher salt on the griddle, then oil, then proceed to use a towel (or two) or even a griddle brick and vigorously scrub the surface. The salt acts as an abrasive and should go a long way to removing any stuff on the griddle. 

Griddle bricks are pretty standard, but I'm assuming you are using those.


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

NO! No cleaners! No grill bricks or anything else heavily abrasive. It will ruin the surface. A Keating grill has a chrome surface. I used to just clean mine by putting ice on it and wiping it off. Keating does have a brush and cleaner that they recommend, but I never needed either. The cleaner is a very fine cleanser something on the order of Bon Ami, as I understand it. In my dealings with Keating's customer service, I found them to be the best I have ever dealt with. Is your grill new, or did you inherit it or buy it used? If so, that may be your problem. Someone may have used a standard method of cleaning and ruined the surface. If that is the case, call Keating back and tell them you don't know what's been used on it. They may have more ideas on what, if anything you can do. The grill is designed with that surface to reduce residual heat. You can cook on a Keating flat top all day and never feel any heat from it. You have to almost lay your hand on top of it before you feel the heat from it. It is a very nice piece of equipment. I hope you can get yours straightened out as that is one of the nicest things about them, they're a dream to clean compared to other grills. Some ice, scrape it off, wipe it down and 5 minutes later it looks like new. Needs no seasoning of any kind after cleaning.


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## left4bread (May 8, 2009)

RGM2 said:


> I do not have a Keating grill but on my flat top at work I use a cleaner and pad from 3M. The other thing I do that makes a HUGE difference and I know it sounds weird but after i scrape the soap off the grill I rinse it with diet sprite. It makes it shine like water just can not touch. It gets all the stains off and takes about 5 cans. I have been told it is the lemon/lime in it so you might be able to do it with a solution of lemon and carbonated water.


Hmmm....

Did a bit of foundation work for a while. Exposed aggregate was always finished with diet Coke.

Makes me think that the "diet" is part of the figure.

Back on topic, sounds like Greyeaglem knows the unit.


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## paradisegirl (Jul 7, 2011)

Thanks greyeaglem.  I did buy it used from a closed Bob Evans.  It was in very good condition and I believe the surface is not ruined.  I will try the ice.  I have the scraper, the brush and the Keating Klenzer.  I scrape it during the day, then cold water and brush once it has cooled for 15 min.  There is always a few brown spots or fat spots.  Sometimes the Klenzer takes it off and sometimes it doesn't.  It seems that I only have the problem in the areas that are the hottest...where I cook burgers, and chicken breasts.  I never have problems with pancakes, eggs, grilled sandwiches etc.   Did you ever have days where you could not get spots off of the grill?  How long do you let it cool before the ice?  I do love the grill.  Thanks for your help.


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

I used them at the last full time job and we used the Keating powder to clean them with.  It took a bit to get used to it but what we did was turn the sucker off and then depending on the station to a pre-scrub with a grill brush (soaked in degraser) and water that was splashed on the grill. That loosed a motherload of debris then the next step was to rinse the brush and use the Keaing powder on the grill.  I used it dry and then wet the grill to rinse and  clean... I'd wet clean most of the time then buff with a bar mop towel.   I never had troubles with eggs on the flat top if I cleaned the egg gril that way.  Just a tip though.. be very very careful when buffing with a towel.. one slip can mean quite the burn and well I have the scars to speak for that!


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## greyeaglem (Apr 17, 2006)

I never had trouble with spots on it, although I didn't cook burgers or chicken on it. I had a broiler for those. I did cook sausage and bacon on it though. I never used anything but ice on it. I put it on right after I shut the grill off, while it was still hot. Not a huge amount, but enough to cover the surface. Don't worry, it won't warp, another advantage of the chrome. I'd let the ice melt a little and scrape it with a grill spat (a heavy one with a square end. Only thing that spat was good for.) Then wiped it down with a damp towel. The reason for the ice is the gum comes off better with steam, but if you use water it evaporates before it has a chance to work. The ice creates steam but stays on longer so it has a chance to work. I had never seen this type of grill. It came with a restaurant I re-opened. I was lucky that I happened to ask someone else who had one how to clean it, otherwise I probably would have used a chemical cleaner and ruined it. This grill will never turn black like a normal grill, it will just get hamburger "gum" buildup on it.You can steam that off occasionally as needed with hot water (so you don't cool it down too much during service) They use Keatings a lot in advertising and food videos because they always look good. And as I said, the low heat factor was a great bonus. I truly loved that grill although it was probably around 20 yrs. old and needed rewiring. I always thought it didn't really work right because it was designed for 1 phase electric and we had 3 phase, although Keating said that didn't matter.


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## leeniek (Aug 21, 2009)

Keatings do not lose their shine, that's for sure.  The Cora's chain here in Canada uses them in their kitchens and the shine is why... the kitchen is open and no one likes to see a black grill  and even after cooking on them all day (including meat and potatoes providing the grill is scraped now and then during the day)  they are nice and shiny for the customers to see as they wait to be seated.  At one of my jobs I'm back on a flat top that is definitely much older than I am and well.. it's not a Keating that's for sure!  The Keatings I used were gas fired... and like all appliances every one cooked to a different temperature setting so we would have to alter the settings on the egg grill for sure to get the desired results.


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## grumpygirl (Oct 11, 2012)

We use bon ami just rinse with water. Or we use vinegar and water mixed...do not use bricks or anything scratchy or abrasive..u will mess up your top...


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## phaedrus (Dec 23, 2004)

I use the razor blade scraper to keep it clean and do the first pass.  Then hit it with water & blade it.  Wipe it down, use the Keating powder and the brush.  Wipe the powder off with a block knife.  Then hit it with the brush again briefly.  Finish with a green Scotchbrite pad and a wipe with a clean damp cloth.


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## phaedrus (Dec 23, 2004)

BTW, no don't use a grill brick- that will ruin it instantly.


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## mike turk (Feb 9, 2013)

let grill cool.what i do i don't clean when it's hot.i do clean mine mornings takes 2 minute.do not used any brick and order stuff.


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## dinos (Jun 5, 2013)

paradisegirl said:


> I sure could use some advice on cleaning my Keating Grill. I have contacted the company several times, used their methods and am still having problems. I would love to know if anyone here uses one and what you do for cleaning. Thanks


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## dinos (Jun 5, 2013)

Sorry for the break. I have found that if you follow the mfgrs advice that every time you start. To cool , everything sticks to the surface. I don't wash the grill. I. Use the scraper blade and scrape the grill asclean as possible and wipe with a cloth to remove excess oils. If you wash the grill you remove all the seasoning that the days cooking has created. That seasoning will prevent and greatly reduce sticking the next day. Try it and let me know it works for you.
[email protected]


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## carolyns362 (Sep 9, 2015)

I just purchased a new Chrome grill, I have always worked where the griddle was older then dirt.  My problem is how do I season this beautiful griddle?

I put oil on it and turned it up to about 375 and let it just sit for like an hour or more and then wiped it off and repeated it.  Then I cleaned it with water, brush and Bon Ami like to instructed us to do.  The next day everything stuck, eggs, hashbrowns etc;

I don't want to cook with a ton of grease under my food, which doesn't really help with eggs sticking anyway.

So what am I doing wrong?  How do I season this beautiful grill so my food will just slide around.

This is a beautiful piece of equipment, I love how it just shines and keeps my kitchen clean but if I can't get my customers eggs off the grill well I look pretty stupid.

help!


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## phaedrus (Dec 23, 2004)

In the years I've used them I've found you don't really "season them" like you would a steel one.  You do need to use a very light coating of oil on it.  Or at least that's what I have found.  But it doesn't take very much at all.


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