Just realized I was preheating my flat top wrong for 3 years
I always cranked the burners to max and waited like 5 minutes, then wondered why my pancakes stuck in the middle of the griddle at my diner on 5th Street. Last Tuesday our new line cook Maria watched me do it and said I should run it at medium for a full 15 minutes and let the whole plate heat evenly, not just the middle. Tried it the next morning and the difference in my eggs was honestly kind of embarrassing. Anyone else learn this the hard way or is it just a me thing?
Wow, three years is a long time to fight with a griddle every single morning. Honestly though, medium for 15 minutes sounds like a lot of waiting when the breakfast rush is piling up, and plenty of diners crank it hot and still turn out fine food just by watching their timing. If the slow warm-up works for you, great, but I would not call it some big secret that everyone else missed.