Why Does Cleaning The Exterior Of A Stainless Steel Grill Matter
Many people think that the exterior of a grill is not necessary to clean, but this is not true. The exterior of our grill can get dirty and rusty after we use it for several days this can cause problems like rusting out, holes in your grills and make it hard for you to clean.
Cleaning your stainless steel grill regularly will help you maintain its exterior in good condition and keep it shiny so that when you use it, everything will look good on the inside and look new again.
Hope you get all the information on cleaning the stainless steel grill exterior. Next, whenever you have to clean the exterior of your grill, do it properly, as mentioned above.
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Turn Off The Gas Supply
First things first, make sure you turn off the gas supply.
While this might seem like an obvious step, its often a forgotten one thats very important.
So, locate the source of the gas, whether thats the gas supply valve on a propane tank, or the connection point for natural gas supplied grills, and turn it off before you do anything.
And if in any doubt, as good ol Grandpa taught me, righty tighty, lefty loosey.
How To Clean A Gas Grill Inside Outside Grates And All Parts
In this guide, we take you through cleaning your gas grill inside and out in a few easy-to-follow steps. We cover the cleaning of all parts, surfaces, grates and all, to keep your grill looking immaculate and performing optimally while adding potentially years to its life.
In this article, we provide step-by-step instructions on how to clean a gas grill.
Because a clean gas grill is a safe grill, a good-looking grill, and guess what? It produces better food than a dirty grill too!
You will hear many people say when you ask about their dirty grill: Oh, thats all flavor that is!
Its not, it is old grease and grime. And when it burns after turning on the grill, the smoke produced is acrid and bitter, and it does taint the taste of the food.
While cleaning might be the last thing on your mind after an indulgent meat feast, its a skill and practice that every grill master should conquer.
That desired charred finish on your food leaves carbon deposits on all of your grills surface areas, even the ones that you cannot see.
Grime, dirt, and bacteria will stick to these deposits and gradually accumulate.
Over time this will result in uneven heating and uneven grilling, which can ruin your grilling experience altogether. And if left for too long, it can ruin a grill completely!
Contents
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How To Clean Bbq Grill Grates
These are the workhorses of your cooker and because they come in direct contact with your food, they need to be clean. Start by removing the cool grates and wiping or brushing off as much of the big, loose debris as you can with a mesh or nylon scrub pad or a brush. In a sink or large bucket, mix up a sudsy solution of a grease-cutting dish liquid, like Dawn, and hot water and place the grates in to soak. If they dont completely fit in, immerse one half, soak, then flip it over to get the other side. After soaking 15 to 30 minutes, put on some rubber gloves and scrub the grates clean with a sturdy grill brush or scrubbing pad. Take extra care with porcelain grates, because you don’t want to damage them.
Cleaning The Lids Outside
Mild and warm soapy water is good enough for most grills as it is a very effective yet safe cleaning technique. Just clean the surface of the grill lid exterior with this soapy water. Use a towel soaked in water to wipe that soap residue. The next step is to dry the surface with a dry cloth thoroughly.
If your lid has a stainless steel surface, then you need to choose a cleaner made for such a surface material. And use a microfiber towel over it because paper towels can scratch the steel surface of your grills lid. Just buff the surface of your stainless steel lid using steel grain for shining finish.
For a lid with porcelain coating, only use a cleaner that is specifically for porcelain surfaces. You can also use a paper towel on this porcelain surface. You can also do the cleaning using a nylon cloth and warm soapy water.
Make sure that you do not use a lemon cleaner. Oven cleaners are also not recommended for this purpose. It can damage the paint coating present on the lid.
So no abrasives at all!
The best practice is to use Webers grill lid cleaner to clean such exterior parts. This cleaner has ingredients that can dissolve grime and fat. Apart from that, this cleaner will leave your lid with a protective layer that will allow you to keep your grill clean easily.
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How To Clean An Outdoor Electric Grill
Barbecue parties are fun. But no one enjoys cleaning up afterwards.
Outdoor electric grills can either be a tabletop, a freestanding, or a portable model. They are great for outdoor activities such as family cookout and picnicking.
Here are the eights steps to clean an outdoor electric grill:
Step 1: Turn the grill off.
Step 2: Unplug it from the power outlet.
Step 3: Wait for five to 10 minutes for it to cool off.
Step 4: Scrape the cooking grates with a brush.
Step 5: Take the removal liner off if yours has one.
Step 6: With a damp cloth, wipe off residue.
Step 7: Dry every part before returning it to the grill.
Step 8: Reassemble as needed and plug back in for use or put away for another familycuisine.net process is different if youre using an indoor electric grill.
What You Need To Know About Cleaning Stainless Steel Grills
Regular cleaning of your grill or any stainless steel tools or appliances is essential to prevent corrosion and to maintain the shiny surface. How often you clean your BBQ grill and other stainless steel items depends on how much you use them and your environmental conditions inside and out. The harsher the conditions, the more cleaning your stainless grill requires.
Salty air speeds up rust and corrosion, while chlorine damages the finish. If you live near the ocean or have a pool, clean your grill inside and outside weekly. Once clean, invest in a cover so you can protect it from the elements when its not in use.
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Where Should I Store My Grill In Winter
Grills can be stored in many different areas. Charcoal grills can be stored just about anywhere: a shed, garage, the side of a home, or in a secured spot on a patio or balcony.
With proper winterization steps and a durable grill cover, gas grills can stay outside. For indoor storage of gas grills, the recommended locations are shops, sheds, and garages.
For grills using natural gas, make sure to disconnect the line from your grill before winter storing.
Grills using propane tanks can stay connected as long as the propane is turned off at the tank, and the tank can be stored appropriately under a durable grill cover with the grill.
Another option is to disconnect the propane tank, make sure the tank is turned off, unscrew the hose and regulator from the grill, cover the ends of the hose with plugs or a plastic cover, and store the tank outdoors next to a garage, shop, shed, or house.
What Is The Best Grill Cleaner
The best grill cleaner is the Citrusafe BBQ Grill Cleaner. It cuts grease with ease on any part of your grill. You can use it for the outside, inside, the grates, burner plates, bottomyou name it!
It will save you so much time that you would otherwise spend scrubbing your grill.
Check out the Citrusafe BBQ Grill Cleaner on Amazon here.
Another popular grill cleaner is the Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaner and Polish, which you can find on Amazon here.
To browse more effective cleaners for your kitchen, click on the links below.
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Dont Forget The Briquettes
The briquettes in gas grills take the place of charcoal and ensure heat distributes evenly across your food during the grilling process. While these briquettes require minimal maintenance, periodic cleaning is critical to enhancing their performance. A good indication its time to clean them is if food no longer cooks at an even temperature.
Heat these smaller pieces in the grill first to loosen up any dried on particles. Wash with soap and water and use a soft scrub brush to eliminate all traces of grease and dirt. Rinse the briquettes with warm water, then dry them with a cloth when finished.
Now you have quite a few different options to choose from when it comes to cleaning a gas grill. No matter which of these convenient options you choose, remember that regular, proper maintenance is crucial to keeping your appliance running smoothly and efficiently.
Plus, the payout is a delicious barbecue. Who doesnt want that at the end of a hard days work?
Cover Your Gas Grill Between Use
Be sure to cover your grill in between uses with a cover as this will help to keep it clean and presentable, as well as prolonging its life.
A cover stops dust collecting, insects and even animals getting inside, and just generally protects it from the elements.
A good grill cover might seem like an unnecessary expense, but they more than pay for themselves by lengthening the time between grill replacements.
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Degrease The Upper Cookbox
- Disconnect the gas supply from your grill, then put on a pair of gloves to protect your hands from grill grease and cleaning products.
- Mix a solution of 20 percent dish soap and 80 percent water in a spray bottle, then open the lid of your grill and spray down the inside of the upper cookbox. Leave the solution to dissolve the grease for a few minutes, then brush it thoroughly with a stainless steel brush.
- Next, carefully remove the cooking grates and balance them on top of an open garbage can lined with a garbage bag, to prep them for cleaning.
How Often Should Traeger Pellet Grill Firepots Be Cleaned
How to clean traeger grill ash. Deep cleansing is not necessary. Can traeger grills get wet? Spray the grill grate and the inside of the grill with a natural degreaser/cleaner.
Included vacuum attachments allow you take on a wide variety of surfaces and applications that would be harder. Using the traeger grill cleaner, spray all sides as heavy as needed, allow to soak for 1 minute and wipe down the grill from top to bottom. I recommend you clean your traeger grill after every cook.
Wipe spilled sauces or marinades off the surfaces using a warm damp cloth. Take a grate cleaning brush and scrape the grease away. It would also be neat seeing your total cook hours!
This step can be fast and easy by using a standard shop vac. Quick and easy to do, use a vacuum to clean out any remaining ash from the firepot. Open traeger lid and using a grill brush scrub the top of the grates.
Expect the suction to be just what you need for your home, garage and renovation cleanups. However i just bought a bottle of traeger grill cleaner and this stuff is amazing. Open pellet hopper lid, place 5 gallon bucket under the back pellet door and drain pellets into a bucket.
We recommend cleaning out your grill at the very least every 20 hours of cook time. Wet/dry vac is a compact and portable vac for wet and dry applications. Periodically remove the porcelain grill grate, grease drain pan, and heat baffle to clean the ash in and around the firepot.
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Home Products To Clean Grills
Look throughout your kitchen, and you will find items to clean your grill. Theres no need for cleaners that only work on your grill when you can clean with home products. Use these multi-taskers to get a spotless clean.
Distilled white vinegar: You may have used vinegar to clean your home before. Bring that bottle outside to get your grill spotless. Use an even mix of water to white vinegar to avoid that harsh smell and shake it up in a spray bottle. Be sure your grates are cool before you spray them with the solution. Saturate the racks of your grill, letting it sit for 10 minutes. Resting the solution allows the vinegar to break down grease and grime, since it is a de-greaser. Take a folded square of aluminum foil and spray it with more vinegar to rub the grates down. You dont even have to rinse the racks, since vinegar isnt dangerous to ingest.
Lemons or onions: Yes, the delicious additions you use to flavor your grilled food make a great DIY grill cleaner. If youve got half a lemon or onion, use it to clean your grill. Dip the lemon in some salt to give this homemade grill cleaner a scrubby boost. Only use salt if your grates have a lot of buildup, since it is an abrasive substance you dont want directly on your grills surface. Use tongs or a grill fork to hold the half of lemon or onion and carefully scrub away at warm grates. The acidity in either piece of produce will break down residue.
How To Maintain A Gas Grill
- Before grilling, let the grill preheat for 15 minutes to burn off the baked-on food and grease.
Its best practice before every use to burn off all the excess food on your grill. This also makes it easier to clean. Most of the baked-on food will be ash so you wont have to worry about scrubbing the grates vigorously.
- Invest in a grill cover.
For the cold winter seasons, you probably wont be using your gas grill too often. Invest in a grill cover to protect it from the elements and keep it in good condition for the next summer.
- Brush your grill grates off before grilling.
A grill brush is a must. Brush off your grill thoroughly before every use before putting meat on the grill.
Looking for a durable grill brush? Check out the .
- Use a stainless steel polish to protect the gas grill from rust.
When you clean your grill, you might as well apply a polish as well. It keeps your grill shiny and beautiful for years to come. Many grill cleaners double as a cleaner and polish, like this one from Weiman, available on Amazon.
- Empty your drip tray every couple of weeks.
Most gas grills have a drip pan or drip tray that catches grease and oil that drips off your grill grates. If you neglect this, youll have to deal with a nasty grease-coated tray that will be difficult to clean.While youre cleaning your gas grill, remove this tray, dump the excess grease into the trash, and soak it in some warm water and dish soap.
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Clean The Cooking Grates
- Use the putty knife and wire brush to remove all debris from the cooking grates, brushing it straight into the garbage can the grates are balanced on. Scrape the biggest pieces of gunk first, then use a wire brush on the top and bottom of the grates to get what’s left.
- Once all debris is removed, spray the grates thoroughly with grill cleaner, then wipe them clean with a heavy-duty disposable shop towel.
Use Glass And Stainless Cleaner To Polish Such Surfaces
If your grill has any glass windows or stainless steel surfaces, spray with glass or stainless steel cleaner, wipe them with a sponge and wash away with the hose again.
Be sure not to use standard detergents as they can make your grill look dull, or even worse, cause damage.
Youve gone through this whole process to make your grill look fantastic, so be sure to treat your grill with specific cleaners that are right for the job if they do have glass or stainless steel components.
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Clean The Flavorizer Bars
Most grills have some sort of cover over the gas burners, and these are often named Flavorizer Bars, or sometimes heat diffusers, or simply metal plates.
Before their invention, lava rocks were used instead, which were a nightmare to clean and prone to flare-ups.
Nowadays, the Flavorizer Bars spread the heat more evenly and direct drippings away from the burner tubes. This not only creates more even cooking, but it helps to prevent flare-ups and stops the burners from clogging, so its essential to keep these guys clean.
The Flavorizer Bars are the most chastised part of the grill, because not only do they take full whack of the heat, but they also collect all the marinade and drippings so do tend to get and look a bit grim over time.
Again, theres no secret technique here, just make sure these guys are removed from the grill and then scrub both sides with a scourer and warm soapy water.
Disassemble Your Grill And Remove Any Large Lumps Flakes And Dirt
Before we get any water near your grill components, it pays to remove the bulk of any dirt and debris with a scraper, and a dustpan and brush.
During grilling, grease and carbon build up on the inside lid and the sides, as well as the base of the grill.
As you scrape down the inside the lid and the sides, you might see what looks like flakes of paint coming loose. But dont worry, this isnt paint, it is the carbonized grease and smoke that has collected over time.
So, take out all grates, any Flavorizer bars, burner assemblies, drip trays everything that can be removed and place them aside for cleaning shortly.
Then with a scraper, go around the inside the lid and the sides, and scrape away at the bottom of the grill to remove as much debris and build up as you can while its still dry.
Its easier to get any dry bulk out now before we get things wet with soapy water, and will reduce the amount of greasy water leaking out onto the surrounding floor.
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