Flat Top Grill Tips for Beginners

[@jacobsladderpa]

My griddle arrives tomorrow and I’ve been watching videos so that I’m ready to go. I’ve settled in here because I like your presentation style, voice, and that you’re. COOKING! Theory is all well and good but I’m here for the visual demonstrations!

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Hey I appreciate the support...really do...reach out if we can help

[@TheDrunkenBBQ]

Thanks for the tips. I bbq a lot but this is new to me. Everyday is a schoolday.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Just like math. Keep the basics and add from there.

[@jaybooth4815]

Great tips on using the flat top! Especially bringing up the temp slow. Nicely done! Shout out to the artist in the family, looks great! Cheers!

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Thanks Jay.

[@jaybooth4815]

Neal, just read your bio very impressive!

[@rodderbob]

Good vid for those that haven't figured it out yet. Should help them get up to speed better.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

That’s the goal.

[@cedaroakfarm8596]

Again, super for us beginners Found out that if I use a Stainless Steel bowl next to the griddle, on the shelf, the heat coming from the grill keeps the prepared food nice and warm. A 1/4 turn every few minutes keeps it even. Did this for veggies and potatoes while I get my timing better.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

hey great trick...i will steal it..

[@richardeldridge1099]

This is the 2nd video I stumbled across and I subscribed because I need to learn more tricks about the gridle. Great videos.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

TY Richard

[@kendawa2918]

Great tips, love the bloopers, shout-out to your artist, and thank you for your service to this great nation of ours.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Well thanks Ken.

[@healingheartpeaceandrelaxa4836]

Shout out to the FTK and family!! Great job and extremely helpful tips...Peace

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Thanks Grant.

[@andersot72]

Thanks for this video i am new to griddle cooking this was super helpful 😊😊

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Glad it was helpful!

[@bobfitzgibbon6822]

Great info. Thank you. Just took delivery of my griddle and this video will save me a lot of time, as well as money mistakes. The current market prices of food are too high to screw up your griddling technique.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

TY Bob. Welcome to the family. Reach out if you have any questions.

[@oconnellbob]

Thanks for Great Great Tips!!

[@TheFlatTopKing]

You bet!

[@Lovinglifeinseattle]

Excellent

[@Half-Track07]

Great tips, now a subscriber. Awesome job by your daughter on the FT design 👏

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Ty. Welcome to the family.

[@npbcrawlerz]

Great ideas, thank alot..

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Most welcome

[@averageoutdoorguy2737]

Thanks sir

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Welcome

[@SteveFromWyoming]

Great comments Neal, but looking at all that food made me soooo hungry!

[@Specteet]

Another great video! All great tips!👍🏻😄

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Glad you like them!

[@Arlene20122]

Thank you very much for the tips I have a charcoal pit And a regular propane pit was thinking about getting me a flat top grill thx for the help 👍🏽

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Glad I could help I just released things to consider before buying a flat top grill....maybe worth a look. I use Camp Chef, Blackstone and Pit Boss

[@7yrsbadluck]

Great video! Learning a lot from your channel.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Awesome, thank you!

[@wat3rdog25]

A while back I bought a Lodge round flat cast iron pan for inside. I just got a 3 burner camp chef to enjoy. All your heat and cleaning tips directly translate to my stovetop flat pan and my other cast iron pans as well. Great video and I would suggest for smaller quick meals to practice with a good cast iron plat pan. They are awesome for all sorts of quick one person meals that translate over to a flat top griddle. Keep the videos coming.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Yes sir great comment

[@vasilisvasiliou967]

Very good tips.thanks.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mikea7942]

good stuff

[@TheFlatTopKing]

TY

[@derekd532]

Thanks for the tips.....FTK

[@robertjackson323]

Just started watching your videos you are very informative and I feel as a beginner I will be able to cook at lease eatable food until I get experience

[@TheFlatTopKing]

You can do it! If you need specific ideas or help don't hesitate to reach out. Welcome to the family.

[@williamjohnson6152]

Dang good info! Thx👍

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Yes sir thanks William

[@matthewarnold3922]

Fantastic!!!

[@TheFlatTopKing]

TY

[@FoxyJeff]

Love your videos…

[@TheFlatTopKing]

thanks Jeff...

[@TheFoodExperience]

Totally enjoying your videos! I have a unique situation in which I am not allowed to have any propane cooking devices on my patio. I really want a flat top for quite a few items. I used to have the indoor electric Blackstone E-Series. While it was okay the non-stick surface eventually was not okay. With that said I just purchased an indoor electric 22 inch flat top which features an ironclad cooking surface. It should arrive in a few days and I figure I might as well study during that time. I have a feeling that everything you talk about in your videos should apply to my situation.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Yeah i hate that for ya brother...the gas Definitely has advantages...especially how fast it recuperates when food is applied...hope you have great success with that unit..reach out if we can help

[@TheFoodExperience]

@@TheFlatTopKing thank you so much for the quick reply. Yeah it totally sucks brother! I definitely will reach out if I have any questions. Right now I'm watching your hash brown omelette.

[@2Wheels_NYC]

Excellent.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Dang its just now showing up

[@2Wheels_NYC]

@@TheFlatTopKing lol... That was a half year ago!

[@TheFlatTopKing]

@@2Wheels_NYC They just popped up out of know where

[@scottswan3722]

Don't know what happened, but KZbin used to show the posting date of a video. Now you can't tell if it's 2 days old or 2 years old, lol. Anyway, 'nuff complaining. I have a camp chef 2 burner stove that I bought mainly for canning food. Works great on making stock also (beef, ham, turkey, etc..). After seeing some of your videos and some from other posters (I guess that's what you call them), I got the griddle that fits my stove. My biggest problem is getting the 'zones' to a low temp (less than 300?) for keeping food warm without burning. Seeing your vid on using a rack was a smh moment, lol. But even on low it runs higher than 350+. What is the (approx.) temp for a 'warm zone'? Thank for any insight you can give me. Also keep up the good work, your vids are very helpful.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

You are 100 percent correct ON IS HOT as I say. YOU can reach hot temps even on low, all the way up to 500 plus.... All 3 griddles I have have different temp zones and my blackstone has the biggest difference. Warm sometimes might be as you say 350ish but 1 ft over could be 500 plus...

[@Curiousmindedtales]

This was so informative! Thank you!

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Thanks bud

[@Bojan850]

Hi, I like your videos, what would you recommend an electric flat top grill or a gas one? Are there big differences? Thanks and regards Bobby

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Yes, Gas has a lot more heat/energy...plus a lot of things that you cook should be cooked outside because of the smoke and heat. Its a win win.

[@jackgriffith9229]

Good morning ☀️! Thank You for the posts as I now have a more clear Idea of cooking with a flat top grill. I have found accessories kits for flat top grill cooking and they all seem like a good choice. Do you recommend a specific kit that I can order from Amazon?

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Just to be 100 honest as I try to do. I do not like kits. I like to target my specific needs and buy exactly what I like or need. I swear buy my spatula, any water bottle will do and I would always recommend a bench scrapper.

[@jackgriffith9229]

@@TheFlatTopKing Thank You 🙏!!

[@frankmarullo228]

You should put out for sale a HOW TO VIDEO. this like all your video's are good Thank you Frank from montana...

[@skulfire92]

This is a great vid/channel. It's obvious you know what you're talking about. Food looks great. Camera work and editing are awesome too. Keep it up.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Thank you so much 👍

[@bjbrunetti]

Great tips

[@stillxbully945]

I watch your videos an looking to buy 1 flat top grill if u could only have 1 grill.. which 1 would you go with

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Well we have updated information since this video...and it all comes down to the actual person buying it...what you like and dont like...I have a few videos that explain that...I will also be updating the pros and cons list to have the new griddles involved..

[@fedex405]

Great tips ... thanks! Do you guys ever 'go live' for a cook?

[@TheFlatTopKing]

That’s definitely in the works. Im on tic tok as well and have been asked several times. Do you know how to go live on KZbin.

[@fedex405]

No but, I’ll be in the front row when you figure it out! lol

[@JohnDoe-qf1ur]

pro tip - Uploader's tip on warping during pre heat... it only applies with cheap flat top appliances that use thin cook surfaces. like the Blackstone or similar grills. something with a thickness of 0.3" (8 mm) does not have this issue at all. you get what you pay for.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

I personally have not had the problem but there are several comments spread out on my channel about this topic and camp chef. No clue why it happens to some. Camp chef says could be difference of extreme heat from one burner to another as well as shock from a hot grill and adding ice to clean it. Any other options why this could be happening

[@JohnDoe-qf1ur]

@@TheFlatTopKing could just be a manufacturer defect.

[@rolandboyd.rb60boyd50]

The picture of the flat top grill on the t-shirt looks like the New Black Stone

[@TheFlatTopKing]

I hope not🤣🤣🤣 We took a pic of my camp chef and had my daughter use her iPad to recreate it so we could use it for clip art in the future.

[@44ryang90]

Are fajitas a good thing for the first cook on a new griddle? I've been trying to find all of the videos where you mention what to cook first and not.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Yeah I think so....just not the saucey kind...keep it dryer...the sauce will be acidic...and harder to clean once the sauce reduces...the vegetables are great and keep the protein to seasoning...not sauce at the time...

[@44ryang90]

@TheFlatTopKing thanks! I only did veggies on it so I went safe. Burgers are next. One more question. I seasoned with avocado oil. My seasoning isn't taking nearly as close to the edges as I've seen in your videos. I even was trying to get it seasoned close to 30 minutes into the griddle being on high heat. Could I possibly use a lower smoke point oil to season the edges since it doesn't get as hot there?

[@TheFlatTopKing]

@@44ryang90 some have asked about htat...I have never had a problem using the same oil for the whole griddle...I think just cooking on it helps a bunch as well

[@teresaacevedo1731]

When I was cooking rice for fried rice my rice was sticking to the grill. Any suggestions on what I can do so that doesn’t happen? It was cold rice that I cooked the day before . I am new to my black stone griddle . First time I cooked was the fried rice a few days ago.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Teresa I dont want this to sound rude. Honestly there are a ton of options on what could have went wrong. I will try to list some common ones. 1 did you rinse the starch off the rice before you cooked it first 2 if it was your first cook that is a no no when using flat tops they need things with grease or oil first 3 did you season your flat top first 4 the beginning temp 5 did you clean your flat top before you added your rice. if not the rice will stick to the food leftover on the flat top 6 cooking the rice to long and over cooking If you can narrow down some problems we might narrow down the cause Thanks

[@UPT.SHIIZI]

🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@TheFlatTopKing]

TY

[@jonathan1613]

I have noticed that bacon creates a sticky surface on my blackstone and when I put eggs they all stick to it idk what could be happening there but I now have to clean the area off before cracking then eggs

[@TheFlatTopKing]

You are 💯 correct. I think its the natural sugar or protein that the bacon expels when cooking. I always have to clean off before i cook eggs. Even in my cast iron pans. You can reuse the grease if u want but the fond has to be discarded. Same goes with sausage.

[@jshoota19ify]

Im thinking about buying a flat top, but just wondering, I noticed that restaurants use stainless steel flat tops. But I mostly see the cast iron flat tops being sold and bought. Why is that?Which one is better? Can you do a comparison and/or give your opinions on the Stainless vs. Cast iron? I assume, as a Navy chef, you cooked on stainless steel. At least that's what I always seen used in mess halls. Why did you go with the cast iron?

[@TheFlatTopKing]

I will answer in detail more tomorrow. I think the biggest thing is cost. The two biggest companies blackstone and camp chef i would assume created a product in a specific market demographic. The stainless versions are extremely expensive. Are the better maybe but for the cost i would not think so. Just quickly i have not thought one time that i need to upgrade my flattop for something better. Just my opinion.

[@jshoota19ify]

Ok, thanks

[@lesleyfitzpatrick1711]

Do you think one of the smaller single burner flat top grills can work effectively?

[@TheFlatTopKing]

I personally do not...thats just being honest

[@lesleyfitzpatrick1711]

@@TheFlatTopKing The one I have has one burner running the length of grill. so the middle gets epically hot and the top and bottom sections barely make 200. I saw that the Blackstone single burner has a "H" shape configuration so more of the griddle can heat up

[@TheFlatTopKing]

@@lesleyfitzpatrick1711 that can be true. Blackstone has a 2 burner as well. Are you limited on space. Do you travel with it. I personally have had just big ones.

[@lesleyfitzpatrick1711]

@@TheFlatTopKing My husband and I just bought a new 22ft Jayco and at the rear it has the slide out tray with a propane link to the main tanks just the right size for a 17" griddle. For just the 2 of us, we don't really need anything bigger (since every one we camp with has their own setup) and we would like to use it in our back yard for basic outdoor cooking when we feel like it. I tried to season the whole griddle plate on our first outing, and that is when (using my Laser Pro Infrared thermometer) I discovered the massive temperature differences (600 versus 200) across the griddle. We didn't need to cook on it that night. I spent (hours) some time on the internet trying to find Capital Griddle online to very limited effect (1 youtube video using the 3 burner model) and finally (yesterday) resorted to calling the phone number in the manual. I know, that is the last desperate act. We have set it up in the back yard to try cooking hamburgers on it, so will know pretty quickly if it has any value at all. Thank you so very much for responding to me!! I enjoy watching you cook on the videos, and wish you a great July 4th with so much delicious food!!

[@TheFlatTopKing]

@@lesleyfitzpatrick1711 sorry I couldn’t be more help.

[@glennrudolph9867]

I did a quick search on your youtube channel to see if you have a flat top buyers guide.. and didn't see one. It would be great to understand the flat top market... (1) a good, better, best, (2) pitfalls in purchasing a flat top and (3) recommendation as these things seem to range from $500 to $5,000! Who wouldn't want a Benihana's type grill but... $$$$$$ :)

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Great idea. Ill look into it.

[@daherfamily7163]

Great video! Gotta keep cooking on mine to get that griddle smooth like yours. Unless u did some sanding and re-seasoning their are some peaks in there original seasoning like a lodge cast iron pan

[@TheFlatTopKing]

No sanding. But continually re seasoning as needed. Definitely asks like cast iron.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Oooohhhh thanks for the kind words.

[@jaisonsanchez8715]

my 4 burner is hot hot hot on lowest setting

[@TheFlatTopKing]

I’m Sure it is. Thats why I preach cook on low. Its going to get hot anyway. My last three griddles I have reviewed are better but the Weber and the Traeger are the best right now. You can see the biggest differences in those.

[@jeffpotts2551]

Chicken parts recipe vidio

[@keith_dixon]

Blackstone says put it on high, out of the box.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Camp Chef says the opposite. They actually say they don’t recommend using high at all. Do u know if Blackstone has problems warping.

[@jay_vlogsalizar6259]

What flat top grill is this

[@TheFlatTopKing]

That one was the camp chef frg 600

[@timriley2734]

What did you do in the navy? Please don't tell me you were in the mess.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

Absolutely....

[@tukies6942]

P pop

[@justincred16]

I cringed when you used a paper towel to spread your oil after cooking.

[@TheFlatTopKing]

I honestly have had zero problems doing it with paper towels on my flat top or my cast iron.

[@seewhy7761]

You cannot preheat anything. Something is either hot or it is not, you are not preheating, you are heating.

[@sonnydee5135]

You should get a flat top haircut

[@TheFlatTopKing]

😂😂😂😂😂