Grilling Safety Tips | Clean the Teppan Grill
Cleaning up your teppan grill on a sunny summer day should mean fun, family, and some delicious cooking food. However, this could also mean a fire in the house or going to the emergency room if you did something wrong.
If you don't plan to make this year's home video a feature of "The Greatest Grill Fails Compilation", then check out these teppan grilling safety tips.
1. Only use propane and charcoal grills outdoors
This may seem obvious, but considering the data we quoted above, it may not be obvious enough.
Open flame fuels such as propane and charcoal can only be used outdoors. Although they are safe to use in a proper environment, they are easily splashed and spit anywhere, which is not compatible with carpets and soft furniture.
There is also the fact that burning charcoal in a closed space can cause death or brain damage.
If it rains or is cold outside, you have to get dressed.
2. Leave enough space for your grill
When you set up a teppan grill, consider the space around it.
It emits heat when cooking, and you don’t want anything to accidentally touch it. In the worst case, having a lighted teppan grill near a wall, fence, overhanging tree branch, or under an awning can cause a fire.
Even if there is no real fire, improper placement of your grill will leave unsightly burn marks, cause damage, or severely wilt your significant other’s precious tomato plants!
3. Keep the grill stable
If the grill is shaking...you may get injured.
It's not like the other one, it's similar, it's appealing to say, but it still deserves attention. It is very important that you make sure that your teppan grill is based on a stable surface. The last thing you want to see is to turn it over and sprinkle hot fat, perfect food, and overheated charcoal blocks everywhere.
If you don’t have concrete or paving materials for grilling, it’s best to buy a grill mat.
4. Keep a safe distance from children and pets
Toddlers and pets have many of the same issues regarding grilling safety. They don't understand the danger, but they are very enthusiastic.
It is best to set the teppan grill away from the main social area to prevent small people or dogs from being stepped on and causing accidents when you carry hot food with you.
5. Keep your grill clean
Grilling meat means grease. Although this is not anyone’s favorite job, cleaning up old grease on the grill can make you safer. The accumulation of grease can be used as additional fuel, causing sudden and dangerous outbreaks, which actually account for 20% of all grill fires.
Once the cooking is over, it's best to scrub the teppan grill well before you clean it up.
6. Don't leave the grill unattended
You will not be distracted at other times and leave open flames unattended. You should not start doing this just because today is a barbecue day.
7. Open the lid and start the gas grill
When you start your gas grill, keeping the lid open allows the excess unburned gas to escape harmlessly.
Closing the lid will create an anaerobic environment. The gas gathers under the grill lid. Only when the lid is opened and oxygen floods in, it will suddenly burn.
8. Light charcoal in the charcoal chimney
A charcoal chimney not only allows your coal to start quickly and easily, but it is also a safer way to start grilling it does not require the use of accelerators such as lighter liquids, and you only need to ignite a small part of it. Coal that is easier to manage.
Remember that the heat and smoke from the chimney will rise directly, so before igniting, make sure that there are no overhangs, and remember to put the hot chimney in a safe place after use.
9. Never apply lighter fluid to hot coals
Lighter liquids are dangerous, and careless use of it, especially on hot coal, can cause it to suddenly burn into a big fire. The fire will also flow along the liquid back to the bottle in your hand, causing catastrophic consequences.
For grilling safety, the best way to use lighter liquid is to pour it on a pyramid before igniting the coal, or not at all.
10. Shut down your grill properly
Many fires are caused by the grill being closed by mistake. Even if charcoal is completely ash, it can still be very hot. The best way to avoid accidents is to follow the correct grill shutdown procedure.
For the gas grille, after use, remember to disconnect the propane tank and remove it from the grille, making sure all valves are firmly in the "closed" position to avoid gas leakage when restarting.
For charcoal, wait at least 48 hours to make sure the ashes cool completely before you can process them and clean the teppan grill.
11. Is there a plan to put out the fire?
The right plan can prevent bad performance...and fires.
If you are using a grill, be sure to know how to best extinguish it in an emergency. Prepare the correct type of fire extinguisher on standby. If you are using a gas grill, you must know where the emergency cut-off switch is before you start cooking.
12. Beware of emergencies
Grilling with some fire
As mentioned earlier, cooking means fat, and fat means the possibility of outbreaks.
If the grease does get stuck and spills, you need to react quickly on the spot, use tongs to remove the food from the teppan grill, and use a lid to extinguish the flame by reducing the amount of oxygen that the fire can reach.
13. Learn some basic food safety knowledge
Grilling food to the right temperature is not as simple as cooking in the oven. The temperature is not stable, the teppan grill is prone to hot spots, and if you prepare food outdoors, the possibility of cross contamination is greater.
By learning some basic food safety knowledge, you can avoid any unfortunate incidents related to food safety.
First use a meat thermometer to check whether the food has reached a safe minimum temperature, prepare food indoors in advance to avoid cross-contamination, and ensure that all food is kept above 140 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.
Wrap it up
Grilling is not entirely a dangerous activity, but, like any activity involving an open flame, teppan grilling is also risky. By following our barbecue safety tips, you can manage your risks while enjoying a good time.
