Barbecue steaks on the glass plate

Vacation season – Indian Summer – Soccer. The ideal time to fire up the BBQ. Why should you even try to grill steaks, bacon or vegetables on a glass plate at 400 °C? Because it tastes good, because nothing drops down – and because the glass plate is incredibly easy to clean. But first things first.

Glass for the BBQ

To be exact: Nextrema from SCHOTT. This is high-performance material for industrial use. It can withstand temperatures of up to 950° C, withstands thermal shocks, is resistant to acids, alkalis and corrosion, has a high permeability for thermal radiation and is very mechanically resilient. It has not been developed for barbecueing – but it is perfectly suited for it!

First try

Bring the grill to normal temperature, i.e. until the thermostat shows anything between 350 and 400 °C. Next, position the glass plate with the grooved side down. Just like that. Without preheating. The safety goggles can stay in the basement; the protective gloves in the box. Although we will need them later.

First test: Bacon

“A BBQ to make a crispy bacon, forget it” is the old barbecue knowledge. But the glass plate does it without any problems. The bacon turns crispy-crunchy; the fat stays on the glass plate and does not simply run off (unless the BBQ is at an angle). And even if it drips and burns with a jet of flame: The glass plate protects the food. …and now a fried egg? No problem. The glass plate allows you to grill anything that will not hold on a grate. The glass remains inert – nothing bonds with the egg; it can be removed without leaving a mess. The excess bacon fat can be easily removed with a piece of paper towel.

… and the steaks?

First of all, turn the glass plate over – this works best with the protective gloves mentioned above. Then put on the steaks – and marvel. A glass plate can conjure up roasting aromas – no flame has to be applied to the meat.

Clean thing – all residues removed in no time After grilling, the glass plate looks like any grill plate on which intensive grilling has taken place. The ultimate tip: Before the glass plate has cooled down, roughly remove the remains with a scraper. Afterwards, it will be as good as new again in a few minutes with a normal sponge and lukewarm water. If you wish, you can also use the scrubbing side of the sponge – or a steel pad. And all this without leaving any lasting marks. This material is really tough.