Recently at Heatlie, we took some steps to streamline our manufacturing process by changing the way our cooking plate surfaces are finished. Our plates are now sandblasted rather than ground to remove the top layer and prepare the surface for cooking. This change was made out of necessity due to the unavailability of resources that are required to grind plate surfaces.
It is important to remember that this has no impact on the functionality or quality of the plates and is just another way of arriving at the same, high quality Australian made product. You will notice with your new cooking plate, whether it's an Island Gourmet Elite, Snappy King Hotplate or a BBQ, that it does have a very different appearance however.
The sand blasted finish gives the plates a matte look, almost as if something has been sprayed on them - but we guarantee we don't use any sprays, paints or coats on the cooking side of the plate, other than the food safe lanolin oil that protects it during transport.
You will also notice some dark spots around the corners of the plates. These are welding burns that appear once the stub legs have been welded to the bottom of the plate. These are unavoidable and like the new finish, do not affect the quality or functionality of the plate.
The difference in appearance is irrelevant however, as once you begin cooking on your plate and the seasoning process takes over, the look of your plate will change completely anyway, mostly hiding these differences in appearance.
If you notice a weird pattern on the plate, this is simply due to the plastic protective covering sticking to the lanolin oil. This can be removed with hot soapy water as we would always recommend before cooking anyway.
The plate's ability to conduct and retain heat remains and you'll still get that good old fashioned Heatlie BBQ experience. Cleaning still remains the same process, with our recommendation being to scrape away loose debris after each cook and re-season with oil to protect the plate. We do not recommend scrubbing the plate back to its brand new appearance each time. Seasoning is good and is needed to stop rust from forming on the metal.
See below for a comparison between the sand blasted plate and the ground plate.
Old style ground plate. You can see the definition of the ground lines up and down the plate - giving a shinier appearance.
New style sandblasted plate. It has a smoother, matte like appearance.
A closer look at the welding marks that can be quite prevalent.
All Heatlie BBQs are manufactured here in Adelaide, South Australia where we are always making strides to manufacture Australia's best, toughest BBQs in more efficient ways. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us at info@heatlie.com.au.