For people who love grilled foods, a grill mat can be a real-life saver sometimes. This tool can help you reduce the loss of fragments of your food. In addition, this product helps you cook your food thoroughly.
Is grill mat safe? How many times can you use a grill mat? Many people tend to use grill mats every time they grill their food. But a lot of people worry about the safety of grill mats. We will provide you with the right answer to this question in the article with Sunset Bar and Grill.
Let’s find out what you need to know!
Is Grill Mat Safe?
The answer is Yes. It’s safe if you know to use it in the correct ways. Manufacturers mostly use fiberglass cloth to make grill mats. And on top of these mats will have a coat of PTFE. Scientists prove that PTFE is non-toxic.
They also state that people use it mostly in making non-stick kitchenware.
The real danger comes from a chemical named PFOA. Manufacturers often use this chemical to make PTFE. That’s the reason if you misuse these non-stick tools, it can cause serious health problems.
Keep on reading and we will show you what PFOA is and how dangerous it is. Also, we will show you how to protect your health while using grill mats in the next part.
Perfect grill mat for grilled food
What Are Grill Mats And What Are They Made From?
This section will show you different materials that use to make grill mats. We will also give further information about the materials and point out they are safe for you or not.
Please keep in mind that not all grill mats are the same. The quality depends on the materials that the manufacturers choose. And there are various materials for them to choose from.
In this part, we will only show you the most common materials.
Fiberglass
This is one of the most common grill mat materials. Many manufacturers choose this material to make grill mats. This kind of material is very long-lasting and lightweight. Grill mats made with this material are also simple to store and clean.
Using fiberglass mat to grill
Silicone
Silicone is another great material to choose. It’s very similar to rubber. It has high flexibility and high resistance to moisture. The best about silicone is that it has no natural counterpart.
Silicone grill mats are entirely manufactured. But they contain silicone. And you can rest assured because silicone is non-toxic.
Copper
Except for fiberglass and silicone, manufacturers can also choose other flexible materials to make grill mats. They will often mix this flexible material with copper strands. Copper grill mats are usually thicker than other grill mats.
PTFE
PTFE is the most important material to make grill mats. They appear to be the topcoat of the mats. This chemical will make the mats nonstick. When buying grill mats, you may come across the name Teflon PTFE in the mat’s ingredients.
Using copper grill mats to grill
How To Use Grill Mats In Safe Ways
Pay attention to the temperature
You should avoid overheating. Never heating your grill mats at a high temperature. We are sure that in the instruction, your grill mats will show you how high of a temperature that safe to use them.
Why do you need to pay attention to the temperature? Because as we mentioned above, PTFE will break down in high temperatures. And when they break down, they will become a very toxic chemical.
To protect your health, always check the heat while using grill mats.
Use suitable tools while cooking with grill mats
PTFE protects the top of your grill mats. So if you use the wrong tools, they can harm the PTFE coatings. Metal utensils that have sharp or rough edges are banned. They will have your grill mats in a bad way. You won’t want this to happen so please choose specific tools.
But if you can’t use metal utensils, then what should you use? Various tools are made with plastic, wood, or rubber. You can choose them to use. They are very good and suitable while use with grill mats.
Some recommended tools for you to use:
- Tools made of plastic. The plastic should be heat-resistant. And they should have no sharp edges
- Spoons that are made from wood. Round spoons are the best so you can consider getting them.
- Tongs and spatulas. You should choose silicone ones.
- If you don’t like silicone, you can consider getting nylon utensils. They are very good while using grill mats.
Using silicone tool while grilling
How Many Times Can You Use A Grill Mat?
You can use grill mats again and again. Every time you grill, anytime you like, you can use them. You can use them on charcoal, electric, or gas grill. They are quite simple to clean and dishwasher-safe.
The way you use and care for your grill mats will decide their lifespan. But normally it should last for at least 2 to 3 years.
Tips For Keeping Your Grill Mats Clean
You should clean your grill mat in the same way that you clean your grill. Manufacturers ensure grill mats to be non-stick tools. So it will be pretty easy for you to clean them.
There are some guidelines that you could follow for cleaning grill mats safely:
- Remember to wash your mats right after using them.
- You should not use steel wools, or pads, and powerful chlorine detergents. Since they will damage the top of the tools.
- Whether you have problems with stubborn residue, soak the mats in water is mixed with soap. Let’s them sit there for at least one hour. After that, we recommend using a paper towel to wipe the mats.
- You can choose scrubbing pads to clean your mats. They are the best cleaner for your mats.
- We recommend buying dishwasher-free grill mats. It will help you clean them up easier. What you need to do is placing it on the top rack and soak it with hot water to remove any persistent remains.
Conclusion
As we mention above, grill mats are completely safe for you to use. What you need to do is pay attention to the temperature and use the right tools. You should also read the product’s instructions carefully too.
Thank you for following this post!
See more:
