Grill Mat Use and Care

The BBQ grill mat is a nonstick cooking surface for your barbecue. The Cestari BBQ Grill Mat is a high-quality product and a high-end cooking and barbecuing tool.

Don’t use BBQ grill mats to replace techniques you are already using on the grill. Instead, use the BBQ mats to expand your grilling options; Use them to grill things that weren’t possible without a BBQ mat. And try slow cooking pork or chicken on a BBQ mat to retain flavor and moisture. The results are phenomenally better.

Caring for your Grill Mat

In many ways a BBQ mat needs to be cared for like any other expensive nonstick cookware. Keep the heat on low or medium and never expose the BBQ mat to temperatures above 500 degrees Fahrenheit. There are some manufacturers out there that are claiming their mats are good up to 600 degrees, but all BBQ grill mats are made from the same material. The 500-degree limit is set because a BBQ grill mat will begin to break down under higher temperatures.

Use the Correct Tools

Don’t use metal tools and even when using the correct tools, silicone or soft plastic, don’t scrape the surface of the BBQ mat excessively. Turning foods with a pair of silicone tipped tongs is preferable to flipping them with a spatula.

Be Smart About What You are Cooking

Use the BBQ mats to cook fresh vegetables, chicken, certain fish, shrimp, hash browns, bacon, sausage, pancakes and fried eggs, for example. But I don’t cook steak on them because I like my steaks cooked on high heat and cooked quickly. The high heat cooking is not appropriate for a BBQ mat. And some whitefish is just too sticky and will make a mess of the mat.