Weber Gourmet Griddle question?

[JDD]

Just took my new gourmet griddle out of the carton and noticed it is very coarse. It feels like an unseasoned CI skillet. Is it supposed to feel like this? Has anybody else had the same experience? Should I season it? The owners manual says it has a porcelain enamel finish? I expected it to feel much smoother and similar to my Weber gas grill griddle. Is it possible the factory did not finish it?

[mcgolden]

Being cast iron, it is relatively course.  Although it may not be necessary I would suggest an extra coating of vegetable oil or something similar.

[JDD]

I guess I just expected it to feel smooth like my 300 series griddle. It just does not feel like it has a porcelain enamel finish.

[OoPEZoO]

I could be wrong, but I don't believe any of the cast iron gourmet pieces have a porcelain finish on them.  At least I know my griddle most certainly doesn't.  It is just a regular old cast iron griddle......just like if you bought something new from Lodge.  I stripped mine using the self cleaning cycle on the oven and seasoned it just like i would any cast iron.  It works well, but not as well as my old smooth finish Griswold or Wagner cast iron.  One of these days I'm going to go at it with a power sander and polish the cooking surface to a smooth finish and reseason it, but thats pretty low on the priority list.

[dwnthehatch]

Mine is enameled.

[Troy]

The weber gourmet cast iron pieces are porcelain enameled.

Mine is also rough, but surprisingly stick resistant (as long as there is some oil or animal fat in there)

[OoPEZoO]

Really?  So.....if you guys have pieces that are definitely enameled, then they won't accept any sort of seasoning/oil either correct?  The oil would just bubble up and dry to a sticky mess (I have a waffle iron like this).  My Weber griddle soaks up oil and seasons just like any other piece of cast iron have.  Weird

[Troy]

I think they can be seasoned, just not as easily as untreated.

I had a nice seasoning on my Stok grates, they're enameled the same way

[JDD]

Thanks for the info guys. I guess I should have tried it before I freaked out.  I really thought the factory may have mistakenly skipped the porcelain enamel finish because it is not even close to as smooth as my gasser Weber griddle.
I'm glad to hear that they are supposed to be a little rough.

[Jammato]

You would think. With the nonstick properties of porcelain, that a rough surface would be needed for the carbon to stick to and season the surface

[aguyindallas]

Mine seems like a raw and unseasoned piece of cast iron cookware.


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[OoPEZoO]

Glad I'm not the only one who thought this.  When I ran mine through the oven cleaning cycle it came out dull and rough, just like any old piece of CI.  After reseasoning, it has a nice glossy finish, but thats not how it started out.  Anything I've ever had that was porcelain enameled always had a hard shiny coating on it no matter what was done to it.

Another example is with my Q100 gas grill.  I believe the newer ones have a different grate than mine.  Mine is older and has a serious heavy duty solid cast iron grate on it.  It takes two hands and some effort to lift it, and I love it.  I almost bought a newer (and larger) Q grill last year on clearance, but I bailed on it because the grates have now been replaced with light weight porcelain enameled grates.  They feel like cheap toys compared to the grate on my old one.  Regardless of the weight......there is a very distinct difference between the finish (or lack there of) on the grates.  Maybe the same might be true for the gourmet accessories?  Beats me, as I don't know the answer.  I only see what I have in front of me and cook with on a regular basis.

[Troy]

raw and unseasoned cast iron will be a rich oxidized red. uncoated cast iron will rust within minutes of being exposed.

the porcelain finish on these isn't the typical glossy enamel, its a more durable method