Halloween safety may be the last thing on your radar. After all, you're either out trick-or-treating, at home handing out candy, or hosting a spooky party. So, is there really anything that scary to consider?
Actually there is. And it's not ghosts, goblins, ghouls, or things that go bump in the night. When a homeowner takes the necessary steps for safety, then the worst that can happen is they contribute to the massive consumption of sugar!
Here's a list of tips for homeowners...
Keep it Clear – Clear steps and lawns of any tripping hazards (electric cords, hoses, etc.).
Lights On – While the temptation for Halloween is to make everything a little darker or more mysterious than usual, think again... Keep your sidewalks and paths clearly lit. This can reduce the likelihood of vandalism to your home, as well as increase visibility for costumed visitors who may have difficulty seeing where they are going.
Pet Protection – Put any pets away. The sights and sounds of Halloween may be frightening to them too, which could lead to aggressive behavior.
Neighborhood Watch - You know your neighborhood and what type of plan is needed. Talk to neighbors and have a plan to watch your block. Assign times and map out potential trouble spots. Invite law enforcement to your meeting to get additional advice, especially if your neighborhood sees an influx of trick-or-treaters from out of the area.
Griddle vs. Grill: Cooking Surface Sizes
Most grills offer a decent amount of real estate for cooking. Griddles like our Blackstone Griddle offer an excellent, large cooking surface ideal for cooking up a big meal. Because of the flat surfaces, you have more freedom to get different kinds of food going at once while keeping everything from overcooking and falling through the grill grates. A traditional grill isn't nearly as versatile as a griddle for outdoor cooking.
Summary
The differences between grills and griddles are extensive. Not only are they used differently, but you'll find that you get different results cooking on one surface over another. Having an excellent griddle is like having a great big frying pan that you can cook breakfast, lunch, and dinner on without hassle. The different cooking surfaces between grills and griddles also present opportunities for different flavors. A charcoal grill in particular is going to be a better choice if you want smokey, fire-cooked flavor, while a griddle is going to offer you the opportunity to make fried eggs on the patio, something that is nearly impossible on a grill.
The ease of cleaning and maintenance you'll get with a Blackstone Griddle makes it one of our favorite options for cooking large meals for our friends and family, and we think that you'll enjoy using your griddle so much, you'll find all sorts of excuses to fire it up all year long!
Most of the things you'll cook on a grill can also be cooked on a griddle, but not the other way around.
For instance, frying eggs and making pancakes is easy on a griddle, but it's not going to happen on a grill. We like to use the grill when we are making steaks because of the added smoke flavor, but cooking a steak on a griddle is just as easy as cooking one in a cast iron frying pan on the stove top.
In particular, a griddle makes for a fun and efficient way to make larger meals. We love using our Blackstone Griddle for breakfast foods because you can sizzle bacon, fry eggs, crisp hash browns, and cook pancakes all at once. A griddle is an epic way to make some of the best hamburgers you'll ever try and you can use neat accessories like a burger press to get excellent results easily.
One of the best reasons to have a griddle is if you like to eat fish. Flaky, tender fish is notoriously problematic on a grill -the fish tends to fall apart and end up in the burners rather than on your plate. A griddle solves the problem since the fish can flake apart when it is fully cooked without worrying about losing the best parts. We even have A Post Here where we share some of our favorite recipes for cooking on the Blackstone Griddle.
Some things we like to use the grill over the griddle for include hot dogs that benefit from the direct heat and smoke, vegetables, and cuts of meat that need to sear a little for the perfect texture and final results. A grill is the best way to get perfect grill marks on meat, veggies, and fish. Pan searing and grill searing are similar, but the results are noticeably different. A griddle makes an all-over sear rather than grill marks.
Differences in Cooking Temperature
A grill can offer a little more flexibility in the temperature you are cooking at over a griddle. Most often, a griddle is going to be hot – as hot as the gas burner will get it – when you cook. It is more of a challenge to get an indirect heat source with a griddle as the metal tends to retain heat and there is no way to prevent heat from soaking into your cooking area.
When your grill is used, you typically will burn off the little bits of meat stuck to the grill grates, then use a scouring pad or a wire brush and dish soap to clean the remainder of the stuck-on stuff. When it comes to cleaning a griddle, you'll have to use different tools and techniques to prevent damage and to ensure you have a good surface for cooking that is free of burnt grease.
When you have a brand-new griddle, you will need to season the surface before you can use it. There are several ways to season the surface and a few products specially-designed to make the process easier. At a minimum, you'll need paper towels or a lint-free rag and an oil with a high smoke point. Avocado oil, grapeseed oil, and peanut oil are good choices. There are also products designed for seasoning a griddle. One of our favorites is the Seasoning Oil From Blackstone. It works great, doesn't leave an odor, and produces a durable finish that makes griddle cooking easier.
Eventually, you'll need to re-season a griddle, particularly when the surface begins to blister or crack. The way seasoning works is that oil is burned into the surface of the metal and builds a layer that protects the metal and provides a nonstick surface. There are lots of ways the seasoning can have problems from overheating items on the griddle to scratches from using metal tools. The good news is that cleaning and seasoning a griddle is fairly easy to do.
Cleaning a Griddle to Apply New Seasoning Oil
Getting the surface of the griddle cleaned of old seasoning doesn't have to be a hard process. Sometimes, you'll be able to use a paint scraper to get loose bits of seasoning removed. A grinder with a wire wheel or a sander with heavy-duty sanding pads makes the cleanup quick and easy, if not a little on the messy side. Once the griddle surface is cleaned, you'll have to go through the seasoning process again.
Cleaning a grill may be a simpler process, but it can also be just as time-consuming and messy. We've found that once a griddle is well-seasoned, it is substantially easier to keep clean than a charcoal grill.
One of the key factors in how well a griddle works is the type of metal used to construct the cooking surface.
The most common material for home-use grills is cold rolled steel. Thicker griddle surfaces retain heat better and are more even, but they are also heavy, making moving a griddle around somewhat of a challenge. Professional griddles like you find in a restaurant are typically much heavier duty than their home-use counterparts as they are expected to be used daily.
If you think of a griddle surface like a cast iron pan, you will understand why thicker and smoother metal surfaces are ideal. Seasoning a griddle is a very similar process to that of seasoning a cast iron skillet and you'll get similar results when you correctly season a griddle.
