Remember Before You Proceed
Its generally best practice to gently clean your grill grates after each grilling event. If you fail to do so, at least a few and far between, youll eventually end up accumulating burnt-on debris on your grill grates.
This debris will keep on compounding and become hard to clean. While most stainless steel grates lack a surface coating, some do contain fine polish.
- Using a wire brush or steel wool on the grate surface can lead to the formation and development of pits and scratches. These pits and scratches are a sweet spot for debris.
- Another thing to remember is not to use a bleach cleaner. Sodium hypochlorite is the active or sometimes sole ingredient of bleaches that can damage stainless steel. In addition, it doesnt appear to have good degreasing properties.
- Another material to avoid while cleaning stainless steel grill grates is sodium hydroxide, sometimes referred to as caustic soda or lye. Its a strong base that is also toxic for humans. It can also pit the stainless steel surface.
How To Clean Stainless Steel Grill Grates Easily
BySaba Akbar
Have you got your dream grill with stainless steel grates? And, your worry is, how to clean stainless steel grill grates?
Well, your happy grill grates are just 7 mins read away. Weve gathered the best methods to clean the stainless steel grill grates.
Among these, you can pick the one that your grates need the most. Here we come.
Contents
How To Clean Grill Grates With Coffee
For this method, youll need a cup of strong coffee to clean the caked-on grates.
This procedure works well for washing both surfaces of the grates and should be used at least once every season. It makes no difference what sort of coffee that you use, but the stronger it is, the better.
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Clean All Parts Once Each Year
At the beginning and end of each grilling season, or at least once a year if you grill year-round, give your charcoal grill a thorough cleaning with hot soapy water and a stiff nylon brush or fiber scrub pad.
For complete cleaning, perform this work systematically, beginning with the surfaces up under the hood and moving down to the side walls and bottom of the cooking chamber. Make sure to thoroughly clean the drip pan.
Conclude by wiping down the outside of the grill from top to bottom, using warm water. Wipe dry to prevent rust.
Wash The Grates Clean With Hot Soapy Water
In addition to using the burnoff method, we recommend scrubbing your grill grates down with hot, soapy water at least every month.
Burning off the grease and grime from the grates is a quick way of keeping the grates somewhat clean, but soaking the grates in on hot water and soap will ensure every inch of the grate is touched.
This method is straightforward. Fill a container with very hot water and add dish soap. Dish soap with grease removing additive works best.
Scrub the grate, give it a light wash, then let it soak in the hot soapy water for at least 30 minutes. After allowing the grate to soak, scrub and rinse the grate.
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How To Care For Cast
At Char-Griller, we really like cast-iron for grill grates. They hold heat efficiently and evenly and there is nothing quite like a good sear on cast iron.
Unlike stainless steel grates, cast iron grates do need a little more care. Heres how to care for your cast-iron grill grates so you can keep grilling at your best.
First thing’s first, cast-iron grates and porcelain coated grates are NOT the same thing. This guide is for cast-iron grill grates not porcelain coated grill grates. Alright, now that we have that out of the way, lets get going.
Cleaning With Vinegar And Foil
Vinegar will disintegrate the burned food and clean your grill racks gently. Foil may be a highly efficient way to remove dirt from the surface without damaging it.
- Allow the grill on your barbeque to cool before cleaning with vinegar.
- Within the spray container, combine 2 cups vinegar and 2 cups water.
- Spray the grill with a solution of water and vinegar, coating both the top and bottom.
- Allow about 10 minutes for the solution to sink into the racks.
- Aluminum foil should be folded in a thicker manner to prevent it from tearing.
- Prior to cleaning the grill, spray the foil with a vinegar solution.
- Utilize the foil to scrub the grill racks.
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Which Grill Brushes And Grill Cleaning Tools Work
We highly recommend that you invest in a stainless steel BBQ scraper or a stiff nylon scrub brush. These not only work on stainless steel grill grates, but theyre okay to use for cleaning cast iron cookware.To avoid intense cleaning sessions, you should begin cleaning your grill grates as soon as the cooking process is complete.You wont want to wait too long for them to completely cool down because thats when the food bits will harden. It becomes even more challenging to remove. Cleaning your grill grates regularly is very important. Clean grill grates not only preserve the great taste of your food but it ensures that youre not consuming anything that you shouldnt be eating.
How To Clean A Gas Grill
Grills take a lot of wear and tear over time.Extreme temperatures, buildups of grease, carbon and food debris, rust andenvironmental factors can all wreak havoc on your grill over time.
Frequently cleaning your grill will improvethe safety of your grill, taste of your food, cut down on extra smoke, and ensure your burners areburning clean and heat is being distributed evenly. It will also give you achance to inspect your grill from top to bottom, and make sure its in goodshape.
An important part to inspect is the grill manifold. The manifold is the pipe that holds the valves. On some grills you may need to remove the control panel to see the manifold. Spray some soapy water around the valves and along the manifold. If you see bubbles you may have a leak. If the steal pipe feels soft or has any holes, you do NOT want to proceed further. This must be replaced. Contact the manufacturer for availability.
Heres how to clean a gas grill in a few easysteps.
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The Best Grill Grate Cleaner
If your grill grates are beyond some elbow grease and mild detergent, you may need specific cleaner designed for grill grates.
When you are looking for the best grill grate cleaner there are a couple of things to remember:
- While you will of course rinse your grill grates after cleaning them, you are cleaning a surface you cook with. Avoid harsh chemicals.
- Be sure to try the Nothing But Elbow Grease Method before advancing to grill cleaner.
- Are you sure your grates are cleanable? If they are cast iron and full of rust, it is time for a new set of grill grates. You can learn more about the different type of grill grate materials here.
I have two go to products that I have used when my grill gates were a especially dirty.
Grill Grate Cleaning Method: Aluminum Foil
- Total time: 15 minutes
- Rating: 1
The method: Crumple up a ball of aluminum foil, then use the ball to scrape warm-but-not-hot grates clean.
How it went: I found this method to be an excellent way to get down into the grooves and knock big chunks and flakes off your grates before using one of the other methods. I loved it because I was able to mold the foil to the shape of the grates to get down in between each one. It didnt do a great job at removing grease which wasnt surprising, and why I like this method in tandem with another method. Just keep in mind that using excessive force can strip away the enamel, so proceed with caution!
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Clean The Heat Deflectors
Many gas grills have thin steel plates, angled in the shape of a “V,” that separate the burners from the cooking chamber. These heat deflectors serve to distribute heat evenly around the cooking chamber and prevent the gas flames from burning the foods directly overhead. Grease and food residue often drips down onto these deflectors.
Clean the deflectors after every three of four uses of the grill by removing them from the cooking chamber and scrubbing them with warm soapy water and a nylon brush or scrubbing pad. Dry them completely before putting them back in the grill.
Clean Rusty Grill Grates With Vinegar And Baking Soda
For more stubborn or more significant rust spots on your grill grates, make a baking soda and vinegar paste. Mix two parts baking soda and one part vinegar until you have a thick paste. Using a brush or a rag, apply the paste to the rust spots on the grates. Let it sit for an hour.
When you come back to it, some of the paste should be absorbed. Scrub the affected areas with the rough side of a sponge, steel wool, or a scrub brush. The rust should come off quickly. If it doesnt, try the next method.
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Can You Use Vinegar To Clean Grill Grates
There are dozens of different ways to clean grill grates all of them involve scrubbing with something. However, the problem with most materials is that they scratch off the nonstick coating. Vinegar, however, does not have this issue.
How to clean grill grates with vinegar? Vinegar is a mild acid, which will effectively break up the burnt-on food without harming your grates surface. The acetic acid in vinegar actually helps prevent future buildups by killing bacteria and other microorganisms that live off fats and starches on dirty surfaces.
Of course, you can just use soap or another household cleaner to get rid of large amounts of stuck-on foods, but what about when comes time to cook something? When the food starts to burn, if its left on the grate for more than a few seconds, there is a chance that it will leave behind small carbonized crumbs which are almost impossible to remove. Enter vinegar, whose mild acidity can once again save you from having to scrub away at your grill afterwards.
Vinegar works great on its own when dealing with large amounts of stuck-on food. However, if you want an even more powerful cleaner/degreaser, try using baking soda. It has enough power to make food fall right off of metal surfacesyes, even cast ironand can be used either with or without water. Baking soda mixes well with vinegar to make a powerful cleaner.
Deep Clean With Vinegar And Baking Soda
Sometimes, nothing but the most robust option gets your grates clean and happy. Most grates come clean with less powerful cleaners, but if you run across a particularly tough customer, go for a vinegar and baking soda solution.
Baking soda is an amazing natural scrubber and contains mild abrasives. When you combine it with vinegar, you get an unmatched DIY cleaner that cuts through all kinds of stains. Its an excellent deep cleaning option.
- Rubber band
Add baking soda and vinegar to the trash bag, and then add the grates. Seal the top of the bag with a rubber band, and leave it overnight. When you open the bag the next day, any food or grease should fall off the grates. Rinse the grates, and re-season them if needed to prevent rusting.
We hope you had a blast exploring our grill grate cleaning tips. A grill is a beautiful addition to summer nights in our backyards, but we need to know how to clean grates to continue enjoying healthy and delicious meals. Our guide shows you how to clean cast iron grill grates and other grate types to keep your grill looking and acting its best.
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Effective Techniques On How To Clean Grill Grates At Home
You need to have proper grills to make tasty foods for your family. Anybody who thinks this is gonna work without good clean-up rituals, is probably dreaming. You need to do something about problems like rust build-up and stains. Theres no other way then devoting a good amount of time to wash your grill grates.
You need to follow a good clean up habit at least once a year. These deep cleansing methods are going to be a savior for people who are far away from the cleanup mess. It does not have to be a chore for anyone. However, you need to be sure with the type of grill you are using and go through the manufacturers guidelines.
Heres everything you need to know how to clean grill grates. Make sure you stick till the end. Its time to glow up the grill, buddies!
Cleaning Grill Grates With Baking Soda And Vinegar And A Little Elbow Grease
Did you know you can also clean your grill grates with baking soda and vinegar? This is a great, natural way to clean your grill grates.
First, find someplace to put your grates, because this may get wet and messy.
You dont need to soak your grill grates, but you may want to catch the excess vinegar. An old towel is good.
Old baking sheets are also great, and do let your girl grates soak a little bit too. While you dont have to let them soak, it can make them easier to clean and require a bit less elbow grease.
Sprinkle baking soda over your grill grates, then pour vinegar on top. Dont just dump the vinegar, but pour it gently to allow the baking soda and vinegar time to react.
If you have a spray bottle, that is even better! Spray your vinegar over the grill grates that have been covered in baking soda.
Let them it for about ten minutes, then begin to scrub them. You will see all that built up gunk come off of them.
You may need to apply this method a couple times to get your sparkling clean grill grates.
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Wipe The Grates And Racks
Wipe the grates and racks with a damp rag to remove loosened bits, and make sure there are no loose brush bristles left on the grate .
If you have a cast-iron grate, clean it completely, then brush on some vegetable oil with a paper towel to keep your grate in proper shape. Bare cast iron needs to be inspected regularly, because it is more likely to rust.
Burn Away Food Scraps
The first step in cleaning your grill gratesis to burn off any food scraps left from cooking by heating it on high for5-10 minutes. Once youve done this, turn off the grill and allow it to cool.Iron grill grates and other heavy-duty grates can hold onto heat for a while,so make sure your grill is completely cool before proceeding.
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Item Have Been Added To Cart
Out of the many different types of grills, the varieties that heat using charcoal require the most cleaning. Keep charcoal grills in peak condition by cleaning them after each use and thoroughly cleaning before and after each grilling season.
After each use:
Charcoal ash gathers at the bottom of the grill every time it’s used, so you must clean the grill after each use. Built-up ash can block vents in the bottom of the grill, making it difficult to control cooking temperature and increase fire risks.
- Once the charcoal has cooled, remove the bricks and brush out the ash.
- Cleaning grill grates is best done with a long-handled stiff-wire brush. If you dont have a brush, ball up some aluminum foil and hold with long-handled tongs.
- Use a rag or folded paper towels to apply vegetable oil to the clean grates. This will help prevent rust and food build-up.
- Clean the inside of the grilling bowl and lid using mild dish soap and a steel brush.
Before and after each grilling season:
In addition to cleaning out old charcoal, keep your charcoal grill in peak condition with regular maintenance. Follow these cleaning tips at the beginning and end of each grilling season, performing more often as needed.
- Clean the outside of the lid and bowl using soap and water. You can also use grill cleaner. Towel dry to prevent rust.
- Keep the grill protected with a grill cover.
After each use:
Before and after each grilling season:
Grill Grate Cleaning Method: Baking Soda + Liquid Dish Soap
- Total time: 40 minutes
- Rating: 4
The method: Remove cooled grates from the grill. Fill a sink or bucket with warm water and approximately 1/2 cup of baking soda. In a bowl, mix up a paste of Dawn dish soap and baking soda. Apply the paste to the grates, making sure to get in all the nooks and crannies, and let the grates soak for at least 30 minutes. Then scrub, wash, and rinse.
How it went: The paste did an absolutely fantastic job of removing oil and getting the tops of the grates clean. I honestly wasnt expecting such dramatic results! It didnt work so well on the chunky burnt-on parts down in the grooves. When used in combination with aluminum foil, however, this method is really great, and helps to avoid using an aerosol or any harsh chemicals. This is the only way Ill be cleaning my grates from now on!
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