OT- rusted griddle

RiverDoc

needing some advice here. I was at my MILs today and I noticed her griddle sitting in the floor of their gazebo. I asked why it wasn't on her cart that she cooks on in the gazebo and she said it rusted and she was done! So is there any way to clean this up for her? And how do you keep it from rusting? I have been drooling over all the Blackstone posts and am going to buy one, but is this preventable? Any help is greatly appreciated, she cooked on this all the time earlier and she really likes it if it can be saved 

blasting

Can't see how bad the rust is, but shouldn't be a big deal.  Find someone in your area that does blasting.  As in media blasting.  Some glass bead (among many other choices) would clean that right up.  Re-season and I would think you're good to go.

I'd do it for you (free) if you lived near me. Same goes for other forum members.

RiverDoc

Thanks @blasting I was curious if blasting it would work . It's hard to see its got all kinds of " stuff" on it I'm gonna take it and start getting it cleaned up for them

blasting

You're welcome.  I'd like to see how it cleans up for you if you have time to snap an after pic.

RRP

It looks like it is made of stainless steel, which should not have rusted, but I also notice some serious deep, scratches. My guess is for some time she has used some ferrous (iron or even steel) tools and though minute over time the iron wears down and fills the tiny voids in the scratches. That iron is what has rusted and can be lifted, but the surface may need to be polished to remove all but the worst scratches and then treat that griddle with kindness! 

If fishlessman wasn't out on the lake somewhere I bet he would chime in here and tell you how to resolve the problem. BTW fishlessman is in the metal biz, but stays away from this forum on the weekends. My advice is give him a holler come Monday.

RiverDoc

Will do @RRP ! There is no telling what she has used- thanks

Doc_Eggerton

Rust doesn't hurt anything in cooking.  Scrape any scale off, oil it, and cook.

RiverDoc

I'm going to clean it up some and then post pics of the rust. The first pics are really bad and I just snapped them as it set with lots of debris on it. 

RRP

You might look for a model number and then Google Avantco - me thinks that is some quality equipment that appears to have been abused. She may have piled ferrous pots or tools on top of it which may explain the rust, but from what I read about Avantco I'm sure it is stainless steel and it isn't junk! Good LUCK!!!

fishlessman

looks to me to be a thick carbon steel plate in a stainless housing. the picture isnt good enough to see if its deeply pitted, i would do the initial cleanup with a da sander and see how bad the pitting is. can the plate be removed, if it could i might hit it with a belt sander being careful not to let the ends dig in. the da would work but it might take some time if deeply pitted

SmokeyPitt

I'm definitely no expert but it looks like much of it is on the surface.  I think I would start by getting it hot, pouring boiling water on it and scraping off as much as you can.  Perhaps use a putty knife.  Perhaps get some pictures then so you can see what is left on the surface.  

fishlessman

SmokeyPitt said:

I'm definitely no expert but it looks like much of it is on the surface.  I think I would start by getting it hot, pouring boiling water on it and scraping off as much as you can.  Perhaps use a putty knife.  Perhaps get some pictures then so you can see what is left on the surface.  

it really does need to be cleaned up better to see if there is any real damage, cant see enough with those pics

DaveRichardson

I'll bet a good scrubbing like they do at the Japanese Hibachi places would do it wonders....  Does look like SS, and with the high heat generated on the griddle, will cause it to get surface crudding.  Just like the KAB's will get some surface crusting due to the wide heat swings from blazing hot to room temps - a good scraping and polishing with a fine wire brush will make it look new again!

gamason

Go to RD and buy a box of "grill screens". Usually they are about 4x6in size and will take care of your surface. It is what they use at the Japanese steak house, and I used many years ago during my time at Mickey Ds. Just put a little cooking oil on it and go to work. It may take several attempts to get it back to usable condition. Good luck!