(Food-Beverage-News.Com, August 27, 2014 ) Spokane, WA -- Chef Caron, a division of Rhotus.com had been researching the nonstick grill mats over the last year, with the intention of creating the highest quality mat available on the market today. According to Chef Dave Caron, Product Consultant for the company, "We researched the grill mat with the objective of creating a mat that would be of high enough quality to be usable, not just in the home, but in commercial applications as well. We made some rather surprising discoveries in our mat research."
Caron explains that he found some manufacturers are claiming their mats can be used at temperatures up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit, while also maintaining that other mats on the market cannot match that claim, and are therefore, inferior.
Caron points out that according to FDA regulations regarding the nonstick material used on all grill mats, regardless of the manufacturer, the top temperature allowed in food applications is 500 degrees Fahrenheit. As a result, in respect to heat resistance, all grill mats are absolutely identical, contrary to the claims being made. The nonstick material used on all grill mats is polytetrafluoroethylene, also referred to as PTFE, and it is regulated by the FDA for food applications with a temperature ceiling of 500 degrees (FDA Regulations (EC) No.1935/2004 and (EC) No. 2023/2006).
The redesign of the mat by Chef Caron focused on the aspects of the nonstick mats that could be improved to make them more durable and longer-lasting, usable with larger quantities of food, and generally appropriate for professional kitchens and not just backyard barbecues.
The company, Chef Caron, began their research by testing the thickness of the mats in relation to a number of factors, including the ability of the mat to distribute and maintain stable temperature, the quickness of heat absorption, and the durability of the mat. Their research showed the ideal thickness of the flexible mats to be around 2 mils, with thinner mats lacking sufficient structural integrity and demonstrating hot spots, and thicker mats being slower to heat and demonstrating unevenness in temperature distribution.
The company's version of the mat is the largest available on the market at 17 inches in length. All grill mats come in a width ranging from 12.70 to 13.25 inches. The Chef Caron mats are 13 inches wide.
The key element in the Chef Caron design of the nonstick grill mat was the decision to include additional layers of PTFE. Chef Dave Caron, in testing mats from other manufacturers was frustrated by the fact that the texture of the fiberglass understructure caused certain foods to stick, making food management more difficult and complicating cleanup. The duplex coating of PTFE, while providing the solution, resulted in a significant added expense in the manufacture of the mats, but Chef Dave insisted that to create a premium quality, commercial-grade mat, it was an essential factor.
Based on their pre-production research, Chef Caron recommends consumers look for grill mats with added length, extra PTFE coating, a thickness of 2 mils, and that they not be deceived by claims of "high-heat 600 degree mats," since no such thing actually exists.
Grill mats are used to cover the grill grates of the barbecue, and they offer a number of beneficial features in that role. They allow for the cooing of foods that were not previously usable on a barbecue grill, because of their tendency to break apart or fall into the flames, they keep the grates clean, and they significantly reduce the possibility of flare up from grease dripping onto the heat source.
About Chef - Caron
Chef Caron provides high quality indoor and outdoor cooking and grilling supplies and are the sole source of the Chef Caron BBQ grill mats.
