Nothing is quite as exciting as breaking out your FIREDISC® cooker to craft culinary masterpieces for friends and family in the great outdoors. Although your durable propane cooker can accompany you wherever life’s adventures take you, it will require some tender love and care to remain in tip-top shape. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the cooker care best practices which will keep your FIREDISC® cooking incredible meals far into the future. We will also explore the process of re-surfacing your cooker to make a rusted cooker practically new again.
COOKER CARE 101
Fortunately, keeping your FIREDISC® in peak operating condition doesn’t require a lot of time, hard work or expensive equipment. Below, we’ll explore four of the best ways to maximize your cooker’s lifespan.
1. CLEANING YOUR COOKER
Undoubtedly, cooker care begins and ends with cleaning. Each time you cook with it, remove all leftover food and food particles while the cooking surface is still warm. Then rinse the warm surface with water and some paper towels and allow it to dry thoroughly.
2. SEASONING YOUR FIREDISC
Keeping your FIREDISC® clean is only the first step in your long-term cooker protection plan. To keep your cooker primed to produce mouthwatering meals, you’ll need to season and re-season it over time. Seasoning not only helps add some delicious flavors to your meals, but it also helps keep your cooker rust-free. Start by gathering the following essentials:
- Heat-resistant gloves OR tongs
- Cooking oil of your choice (vegetable, olive, canola, coconut, etc.)
- Timer
- Mild dish soap and a bucket of warm water
- Paper towels
Begin with a clean cooker and then heat the cooking surface on high for 20 minutes. Then allow it to cool down until the surface becomes warm. Next, apply cooking oil liberally with a paper towel held in your gloved hand or with tongs. Turn the heat up to high again until the cooker begins to smoke. Cool the surface to warm and repeat several times. Then wipe off the excess cooking oil and you’re done!
3. STORAGE OPTIONS
Be sure to select a clean, cool and dry area of your home to house your FIREDISC® when it is not in use. Keeping it out of the elements is essential to prolong the cooker’s life and to keep its cooking surface rust-free. Some areas of your home you might want to consider are:
- In a storage shed
- Under a covered patio or deck
- In a garage or basement
4. COVERING YOUR COOKER
In addition to selecting an ideal location to store your cooker to prevent rust, it is helpful to invest in a FIREDISC® cover. A durable cover helps protect the cooker’s finish from scratches and dust accumulation when it is sitting idle. Be sure to select a cover with the right shape and size to ensure your FIREDISC® remains completely covered when in storage.
RE-SURFACING YOUR COOKER
Although the tips above will help keep your FIREDISC® in good working order, if rust accumulates on the cooking surface, you can re-surface it to make it practically new again.
To resurface your cooker, follow the steps below:
- Heat it on high for 15-20 minutes to loosen the accumulated rust
- Allow it to cool to warm and use a metal scraper to remove the top layer of rust
- Add a thin layer of cooking oil and scrape it again with a grill stone or steel wool
- Clean the cooking surface with water and a paper towel
- Repeat the process above several times
- Finish the process with several rounds of seasoning
