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How to season a griddle plate

Updated: 23 October 2026

The first breakfast stuck, or the iron went orange after one wash, and the listing had said pre-seasoned. How to season a griddle plate depends on the surface you actually own. Bare cast iron wants a very thin oil film and heat. A ceramic coating, a granite hob pan, or porcelain enamel wants a wash and a dry, not a seasoning bake. A thin stainless sheet that has bowed is a different problem again. The [griddle plate comparison](/hub/grill-accessories/griddle-plate) is where the twelve listings sit, with GBP prices from amazon.co.uk on 20 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The first breakfast stuck, or the iron went orange after one wash, and the listing had said pre-seasoned. How to season a griddle plate depends on the surface you actually own.

Our top picks

Onlyfire Onlyfire Spirit cast iron

Best overall

Onlyfire Onlyfire Spirit cast iron
7.2/10about £59.99
View offer
Onlyfire Onlyfire stainless (51 cm)

Rank 2

Onlyfire Onlyfire stainless (51 cm)
7.4/10about £59.99
View offer
OVERMONT OVERMONT reversible (51 cm)

Best value

OVERMONT OVERMONT reversible (51 cm)
7.0/10about £29.17
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On this page
  1. 1.Which plates you season
  2. 2.Coatings you do not season
  3. 3.A thin oil film, then heat
  4. 4.Rust, sticking, and a sheet that moves

Which plates you season

Season the bare iron. In this set that is the OVERMONT OM-Griddle-II, the nuovva model 106, the Dayacoco pan, the NutriChef plate and the Onlyfire reversible Spirit insert. UK reviews of the nuovva still wash and oil it again, because the first cooks stuck. One of five UK reviews of the Dayacoco says pancakes stuck on the first use. Pre-seasoned means the factory put something on the iron. It does not mean your first egg will release. Which metal you should have bought, if the plate is still a choice, is cast iron vs stainless steel griddle.

Coatings you do not season

Do not season a coating as if it were bare iron. The Campingaz Camp Bistro plate is die-cast aluminium with a non-stick coating. Two UK reviews say that coating blistered or came off. The Kordisen pan is granite-coated aluminium. Treat it as a non-stick pan: lower heat, a wash, no oil bake. The Onlyfire Spirit ceramic insert sells a ceramic surface for cleaning, not an oil routine. Wipe a honeycomb stainless face. Do not turn it into a seasoned skillet. Porcelain enamel is easy to confuse with bare iron because both are heavy and dark. Weber part 6790 is porcelain-enamelled cast iron. Weber’s care line is to clean it after use and not to immerse it, and enamelled grates are described as not needing seasoning. If the coating is intact, oiling it like a skillet is the wrong recipe.
Onlyfire Onlyfire Spirit cast iron

Testsieger

Onlyfire Onlyfire Spirit cast iron
7.2/10about £59.99
View offer

A thin oil film, then heat

Wash off the factory film, then dry the plate on a low burner or in a warm oven before any oil goes on. BBC Good Food’s skillet method is a very thin coat of sunflower, vegetable, peanut or light olive oil. Broil King UK names avocado and rice bran for grids. Wipe the oil on, then wipe it off until the surface looks almost dry. A puddle becomes a gummy patch. Heat until a light smoke fades. A wide sheet will not fit a domestic oven, so heat it on the barbecue with the lid down, about 200 degrees Celsius. The first proper cook should be fatty, such as a smashed burger, not a dry pancake on a cold plate.

Rust, sticking, and a sheet that moves

Orange dust after one wet night is the usual complaint on the nuovva and the OVERMONT, and it is usually recoverable. Scrub back to dark metal, dry the plate on heat, and season again. Keep bare iron out of the dishwasher. Sticking on the second cook is often a plate that was not hot, a film that was thick, or food that was wet and cold. Sticking that arrives with a crack is different. More than one UK review of the NutriChef plate says it cracked on the first or second heat, that a handle split, and that one unit sparked. Stop using it. Re-seasoning will not close a fracture. A stainless sheet that moves is not a seasoning fault. UK reviews of the WUDLEP plate describe a warp and a weak weld, worse after three months in one update. Frozen food or cold water on a very hot top is the usual shock. Do not quench a hot thin sheet. A permanent bow is a return.

Common questions

Do I season a plate that says pre-seasoned?
Yes, if it is bare cast iron and the first cook sticks. Wash off the factory film, dry the plate on heat, and add a very thin oil coat. No, if the surface is ceramic, granite, aluminium non-stick, or intact porcelain enamel. A blistered Campingaz coating is a return, not a second oiling.
Which oil, and how thin?
Sunflower, vegetable, peanut or light olive oil, wiped on and then wiped until the metal looks almost dry. Extra-virgin olive oil is a poor main coat. A puddle smokes into a sticky patch. Add a second coat only if the first cook still sticks.
Can the plate go in the dishwasher?
Bare iron in this set is marked No, or the field is missing, and a missing field is not permission. A cycle strips seasoning and leaves the plate wet. The Kordisen pan and two Onlyfire stainless listings print Yes. When the field says No, hand wash, dry on heat, and oil bare iron.
What if it rusts after one wash?
Scrub back to bare metal, dry the plate on heat, and season again with a thin film. That is ordinary cast-iron care. It stops being ordinary if the casting has cracked or a handle has split. Do not oil over flaking enamel and call it seasoned.
Why did the stainless sheet warp?
A thin sheet warps when one area is much hotter than another, or when cold water or frozen food hits it while it is very hot. A weak weld will not iron out with more heat. If the plate rocks on the grates when it is cold, send it back.
When is a crack a return rather than a care mistake?
When the metal has split, a handle has broken, or a weld has left the cooking face permanently uneven. A rust film and a stuck egg are care. Stop cooking on a cracked plate. If the seller disputes a fault that was there on arrival, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the route.

Related pages

Griddle plate buying guide

Weber Spirit griddle plate

Griddle plate

Best BBQ griddle plate for the gas barbecue you own

Cast iron vs stainless steel griddle: heat and rust

Sources

Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures for these ASINs. Retrieved 20 October 2026.

  1. Food contact materials regulations, GOV.UK (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  2. Regulation (EC) No 1935/2004 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  3. Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2012 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  4. General Product Safety Regulations 2005: Great Britain (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  5. Emba cast iron cookware recall 2502-0151 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  6. Weber UK full-size griddle 6790 (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  7. Weber Spirit 2025 accessory compatibility (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  8. Which? how to buy cast iron pans (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  9. Which? non-stick frying pans, PFOA note (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  10. BBC Good Food: how to season cast iron (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  11. Nisbets griddle buying guide (retrieved 20 October 2026)
  12. Norwich Camping: Campingaz Camp Bistro 3 griddle (retrieved 20 October 2026)