One of the most important parts of being a BBQ grill master is taking good care of your grill. A clean grill is a must if you want to ensure that your means come out flavorful and as intended every time. While you can use many different tools to clean your grill, we highly recommend grill stones due to how quick and efficient the cleaning process becomes.
What To Consider When Shopping For Grill Stones
Before you grab the first grill stone that you come across, take a moment to read our buyer's guide. It contains all the factors you should think about prior to purchasing one of these cleaning tools for yourself and your grill. Also, even though the cleaning process might not seem like the most important aspect of grilling, without a clean grill, you’ll negatively impact the outcome of your food.
Why Invest in Cleaning Tools For Your Grill?
Keeping your grill clean is essential if you want to maintain the quality of your grill for years to come. Above all, you’ll need to clean your grill regularly to prevent rust and corrosion. This is because this makes it possible to preserve the original shape of your grill.
It is also of paramount importance to prioritize the cleaning process because this is a major way to ensure safe cooking protocols. You shouldn’t cook food atop a dirty grill. Otherwise, leftover gunk, grime, and goop will not only spoil the flavors of your food but you’ll also contaminate it.
The leftover particles that are stuck to your grill become hosts for bacteria, making anything you serve unsafe for consumption. Even if your grill isn't especially dirty, regular upkeep of your grill is a necessity if you want to ensure that the food you are cooking is safe for family and friends.
What Are Grill Stones?
Also known as bricks or pumice, grill stones are gray, rectangular-shaped cleaning tools that are typically made out of pumice. In some cases, grill stones are made out of recycled materials that help people clean dirty items made of steel, including grills, griddles, and various other utensils.
For a high-quality grill stone, look for models made of non-toxic materials, and make sure it is odorless. Ensure that it doesn’t contain any chemicals so that it’s safe for humans, pets, and the environment.
With the right grill stone, you’ll find that this type of tool is easy to use, and it can be valuable in many scenarios where you need to clean an array of surfaces. With one block, you can deep clean your grill like never before.
Other Types of Grill Cleaning Tools
While grill stones are our top pick, there are many other cleaning tools on the market. We want to tell you about brushes and scrapers to showcase why grill stones are an ideal choice. Let’s get started!
Brushes
Grill-cleaning brushes are a popular choice. These tools have long brushes, steel handles, and hard bristles. While the material of the brushes varies a lot, all of these brushes are intended to be rigid to ensure a deep cleaning session.
The good thing about grill brushes is that their long handles are easy to hold onto, allowing you to clean corners effortlessly. On the other hand, the main downside of grill brushes is that they might leave small bristles behind on the grill. This can impact the outcome of your food and detrimentally impact your BBQ experience.
Scrapers
Another tool that people use to clean their grills is a scraper. Scrapers come in all shapes and sizes. They also vary in terms of the materials they are made out of, ranging from metal and wood to a combination of the two. As the name suggests, scrapers directly scrape away residue and build-up that has accumulated on your grill.
However, this method requires a great deal of effort on your part. Plus, you won't be able to clean the sides of the grills very efficiently. Nonetheless, a quick scraping between uses can make a major difference.
How Should I Use Grill Stones?
Cleaning your grill isn't easy, but a grill stone makes it significantly more bearable. That said, before you start using your grill stone, take some time to eliminate any large pieces of debris or residue. After that, soak your grill using warm water, or any warm liquid, for a brief period.
Then, take your grill cleaning stone and lightly press it along the grill lines. Your grill stone should remove most of the food residue and grime so all you have to do after that is wipe down the surface. And just like that, you're good to go!
Must-Have Features For Your Grill Stone
When shopping for a grill stone, make sure it has the following features to ensure safety and effectiveness.
Things to prioritize
- Easy-to-use design
- Non-toxic and chemical-free
- Durable and long-lasting
- Environmentally-friendly
Things to avoid
On the other hand, it’s important to pass on grill stones if they contain chemicals, fail to clean surfaces efficiently, or fall apart after one cleaning session. As long as these qualities are not present in the grill stone, it’s worth considering and potentially purchasing. Best of luck!
