Does food really stick badly to an SS plate?

[James Bond]

Hi, can anyone who cooks on an SS plate tell me whether they really stick worse than a CI? I do get problems with chicken especially sticking on my current CI and before I upgrade to an SS I would like to know if it will be worse for this, and what can be done to mitigate this?

Thanks

JB

[Gumb]

Cleaning may be OK and you don't need to worry about rust, which is why they are used on public BBQs in local parks etc. I had some SS grills on my gasser and they cleaned up OK.
But the problem with SS plates is that they don't hold or distribute the heat well and you end up with hot spots above the fire while it's cooler in other areas. So it's hard to get your food cooked evenly. My advice, go with CI.

[urbangriller]

Explore why your chicken is sticking....is the plate too hot?...not seasoned?...is the chicken oiled before cooking? You could start the chicken on some baking paper to seal it.

Cheers
Chris

[food&fish]

Probably oil will stop sticking on even temps here is one of 2 stainless bbq tops from the local park[ the local idiots decided to attack them with there 4 wheel drives ]
Notice these were electric and you can see the heat marks

Picked one up for $5.00
What for don't know

[AussieBBQSmoke]

G'day Fellas,
I have successfully cooked many BBQ's for large Corporate groups on the Melb Council stainless Steel BBQ's using the following technique:
- Cut a sheet of Cooking/Baking Paper (preferably non stick), then cover the SS Plate with it and poke a hole over the grease drip hole.
- Spray cooking spray over the top.
You can now fry eggs, chicken satay sticks etc without them sticking! Change paper for each new lot of meat.
This also keeps the Gluten Free and Vegan customers very happy.
At my office job, I used to fry burgers, schnitzels/Parmas, and eggs on sprayed cooking paper on the large Sandwich Press!

My brother in law never cleans his BBQ hot plate, he just uses clean baking paper each time he cooks..

[Mixin]

Baking paper is definitely the answer on those sorts of BBQs, and many more.

We do a fair bit of travel with a vintage car club I'm in (from annual weeks away to longer trips, like 5 weeks in Tassie, 4 weeks doing the Mallee, Barossa, KI, and Limestone Coast). In our travels, I've used a lot of caravan park & public BBQs all over most of the east & middle of Oz. Often times they are left filthy from the mongrels who used them last, and usually with all manner of sugary marinades burnt onto the surface just itching to spoil your cook

Because of that, I've always used baking paper on them. Even if it looks spotless, I still use it, simply for the cleanliness it offers (and it leaves it clean for the next person).
The added bonus is you can often do pockets up with the paper - add butter, lemon & herbs to some fish, cook it, then open it onto your plate.

Funny you mention the press - at work, I won't touch the sandwich press with a bare sandwich like others - anything of mine that goes in there is wrapped fully in baking paper first. (One guy turns the toaster on it's side to reheat pizza slices - that gives you an idea of the inventive grubs I work with....)

I've never had food poisoning, and don't plan to!


Oh - only one time I've had an issue - a gas BBQ started a fat fire down the hole (which we couldn't get into to extinguish), and the flames licked up & caught the paper on fire.

[AussieBBQSmoke]

Here's a great Group entree that can be cooked on a Council stainless steel hot plate in 20-30 mins.
'Lobster Fish'
large Snapper – 4kgs
½ cup chopped onions
¼ cup finely chopped celery
1 clove garlic
2 tbsps chopped chilli peppers or jalapenos.
1 small can prawns chopped
1 small can crabmeat with liquid
½ cup breadcrumbs
Salt & pepper
Oil
Lemon juice
Paprika (smoked paprika)
Lime or lemon slices

Prepare the fish by making a slit along the backbone, then cut a pocket by sliding the knife along the ribs on both sides of the backbone.
- Mix onion, celery, garlic, chilli, prawn, crabmeat, breadcrumbs, salt/pepper.
- Add enough oil to moisten. Stuff the mixture into both pockets and into stomach cavity.
- Sprinkle with lemon juice. Rub skin with paprika, salt, pepper on both sides.
- Place half the lemon slices on some foil and place fish on top, then place rest of slices on fish. Sprinkle white wine over fish.
- Wrap fish in 4 layers of foil.
- Cook on BBQ hot plate for approx 20-30mins, turning several times,
or bake in oven at home for 45min at 180c.
- Spoon onto crackers to serve.

[Gumb]

and you can see the heat marks

:

Yep, my point exactly. The heat does not distribute well so as a BBQ hot plate they make good boat anchors. As do most flat plates anyway.

[Jkspinner]

Food does stick more to SS than other metals, and yes, I am told that SS does not conduct heat as well as other metals, but there are a few things you can do. Companies like Topnotch make their SS hot plates from a different grade of SS, which conducts heat better, you can use a paper or film, but I do not see the point in that, or you can prepare it better. Heat the SS plate up first to a temp of around 200deg, ( you can buy a hot plate thermometer), use a high temperature oil lice rice oil and not olive oil. I have been using this method for about 12 months and have very little stick to my plate. The manufactures recommend you clean the plate after ever use, whilst still very hot with an industrial gauge stotchbrite, not the finer stuff you get at Bunnungs. But, I find just scraping it clean with a heavy duty paint scraper after every use works best, the plate is always coloured, but nothing sticks. And cook your marinated foods on the grill, and almost everything else on a grill, only bacon and eggs should be cooked on a hot plate?