This
week I was given the opportunity to do a review on the Soapstone Griddle by
SPARQ USA. Which I was pretty intrigue in doing this review since I have never
heard of the Soapstone Griddle before and I was very anxious in try this griddle and writing this
review. Well two days ago I receive the
griddle in the mail and let me tell you they took great care in the packing the
griddle so no damage would incur during transit.
The
SPARQ Griddle is made of Soapstone and is pretty heavy in weight and is
extremely well built. Just looking at this griddle you can tell lots of care
was taken in manufacturing and its designed.
What is really nice about this griddle it can be used on any BBQ, Oven,
and cook top stoves!
Here's
some very impressive features this
Soapstone griddles has:
1.
It is rated to 1200 degrees Fahrenheit which is very impressive which means you
will not have to worry about the Soapstone cracking on your BBQ;
2.
It has grooves on one side of the stone which can be used for grilling meat,
fish, etc...
3.
The grooves design on the SPARQ griddles are self basting creating a non-stick
surface, and gets rid of non wanted fats;
4.
The soap stone retains heat extremely well and has even heat cooking area which
is actually pretty amazing;
5.
Using the SPARQ griddle you will not have to worry about any flare ups;
6. This stone is actually pretty energy
efficient and will save you money on propane or charcoal. What is really
impressive is that you can actually bring the stone up to desired cooking
temperature on the BBQ and ounce the temperature is reached you can turn off
the BBQ and the Stone will stay warm long enough to cook your steaks on it. It
actually retains the heat very well and for a long period of time! (It took 38
minutes before the stone actually started to cool off!!) Another energy saving
point about this griddle is that when you open the lid on your BBQ the temp
will be restored a lot quicker in your pit due to the Soapstone ability to
retain heat.
7.
You can actually warm up the SPARQ griddle to desired temperature on your BBQ
or stove and place the heated stone on a grill on your table to keep your food
warm. But ensure that you actually use very well insulated glove or pot holders
to do this task and handle with care since this tone is actually quite heavy;
8.
It is actually non-stick after being seasoned which we will talk about later in
this review;
9.
You can sear steaks at very high temperature using this griddle and it will
also produce nice sear marks;
10.
The other side of the griddle is flat surface which you can use to cook
pancakes, pizza, eggs, etc...
11.
You will also notice that food cooks allot faster on this griddle;
12.
Another very cool feature is that you can put this stone in the freezer and use
it as a cold serving tray for sushi or raw meats;
13.
It can also be used as a cutting board on the flat side of the griddle.
14.
the Soapstone griddle contains no Teflon or other Dangerous Chemicals and will
not rust like other griddles.
15.
Soapstone is inert to acids, chemicals and obviously, heat.
The
only issues that I found using this Soapstone griddle was its heavy weight and the
process of seasoning the griddle which took half a day to get done but don't
let that fool you!
Here's how you get the
SPARQ griddle seasoned:
Step 1
Scrub
your Griddle with soap and water then dry.
Step 2
Bake
the SPARQ griddle in the oven at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
Step 3
Turn
off the oven and let the griddle cool down for 4 hours in the oven.
Step 4
Bake
the SPARQ griddle in the oven again at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.
Step 5
Turn
off the oven and let the griddle cool down for 2 hours in the oven.
Step 6
Apply
a thin coat of good quality olive oil and bake for another 30 minutes at 350
degrees Fahrenheit.
Now
your griddle is ready for some action on your BBQ!
After
using the griddle for a few cooks I highly recommended you to use a laser
thermometer to check the stone for proper cooking temperature. In doing this it
will prevent you from burning your food accidently due to your stone being
actually warmer then you tough it was! This is what actually happened to me on
the first cook using it:). What I really liked about cooking with the Soapstone
griddle was its uniform heat distribution, that its naturally non porous,
odorless and tasteless, and will not alter the taste of your food in any way or
shape.
I
found the food to cook a lot faster and evenly using this griddle! Hamburgers
actually cooks all the way through without burning them which is very helpful for
the novice BBQer. What I really didn't like is the actual weight of the stone
when handling it which is minor. I haven't tested this griddle on a pellet BBQ
but have been told by a few source that this griddle work extremely well on it.
I was quite surprise to see that the Soapstone griddle actually work a lot
better than cast iron griddle. I made breakfast using the flat side of the
griddle and let me tell you it made the perfect golden pancakes every time and my
kids were in heaven.
Cleaning
of the SPARQ Soapstone Griddle:
They
are pretty easy to clean, dish soap and warm water can be used to wash the
stone. For tuff grime you can use a scrubby or a SKRAPR from TheSkrapr.
Conclusion
The
SPARQ Soapstone griddle was very impressive, versatile and fun to use on my
BBQ. I really liked the fact that it
actually save you money on propane and charcoal, its ability to retain heat for
long period of time, its uniform heat distribution and its versatility. What is
also a nice feature is that it can be used has a cutting board when not used
for cooking. The griddle is actually non-stick after being seasoned but it's
always a good practice to apply a light coat of good quality Olive oil before
each cook. What is also really nice is that on a rainy day you can grill inside
your house or apartment on your own stove!
The
stone is quite heavy in weigh so extra care handling the stone is recommended.
Also ensure you use well insulated gloves or pot holders while handling the
griddle when hot! Over all the SPARQ Soapstone griddle is highly recommended
and it will definitely impress you!
You can find more info on them on there website: SPARQ USA
Where to buy: SPARQ USA STORE
Contact info:
SPARQ USA
901 S. Jason St
Unit B
Denver, CO. 80223
Phone:
303-800-6591
Where to buy: SPARQ USA STORE
Contact info:
SPARQ USA
901 S. Jason St
Unit B
Denver, CO. 80223
Phone:
303-800-6591
Happy
Grilling!
Stay
tune for more great reviews, recipes and tips!
That looks pretty neat. Was that in your Kamado Joe? Not sure if I'd drop $100 plus shipping, but the idea of a big griddle is appealing...
ReplyDeleteyes that was in my Kamado Joe BBQ. I have used it inside my Big Green Egg aswell. This griddle is actually pretty impressive for its good heat retention and even cooking! A cheaper alternative is the Kettle-Q griddle!
ReplyDeleteThe kettle-Q looks neat, but it also looks like a PITA to clean.
DeleteWhat kind of temp did you get your Joe up to for pancakes?
I got the Kamado Joe to 400 Degrees F and held it there till Sparq Soapstone Griddle reached 375 Degrees F on my laser thermometer. Then I lowered the KJ temp to 250 to 275 Degrees F. The stone kept its temp at 375 degrees F with no problem which was nice!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletewow thats great
ReplyDeleteYou should mainly superior together with well-performing material, which means that see it flat design griddle
ReplyDelete