What Can You Use To Clean Grill Grates

Scrub Away The Grime With A Wire Brush And Water

Weber Grills – Cleaning Your Stainless Steel Grates

If your stove grates have some buildup or have begun to show their age with patches of rust or weathering, get them back into fighting form using a wire brush, water, and elbow grease. Do not use this cleaning method on enamel-coated cast iron, however, as you will scratch the finish. Because you are removing a protective layer, always season your cast iron after scrubbing with a wire brush.

Vigorously scrub your grates with the wire brush until you remove all grime and rust. Rinse the grates under hot water and repeat until the grates are completely clean. Dry the grates thoroughly, and coat them in a light film of vegetable oil.

Place the grates in the oven over a layer of foil to catch any drips, and heat at 350°F for an hour. Recoat the grates, and cook for another hour at 450°.

Use Cleaning Solutions Recommended By Your Grill Manufacturer

Most grill manuals will come with some cleaning recommendations. Usually, the cleaners listed are going to be fairly gentle, like ordinary dish soap combined with water. However, you can make your own DIY grill cleaners, too.

For instance, try mixing an even amount of white vinegar and water. Spray the solution on your grates or racks. Wait 10 minutes for your degreaser to work. Then, spray a folded square of aluminum foil with more vinegar mix and rub down the grates. Wipe them off and discard the foil. You dont need to rinse everything off because vinegars naturally nontoxic.

Along with those grill cleaning tips, some preventive measures can save you from dealing with a gunked-up grill. Be sure to:

  • Cover surfaces with aluminum foil.
  • Use a grill pan or basket.
  • Use cooking oil, either on the grates or the food itself.
  • Clean out ashes from pellets or charcoal.
  • Use a grill cover when you arent cooking.

With proper care, your grill will last longer and your food will taste better. The steps above will also save you from having to scrub extra hard the next time you clean. With an easier cleaning job, you wont need any harsh chemicals to clean your grill.

Certain tools or chemicals may be a bit too harsh for your grills surfaces. Whether or not these cleaners are harmful depends on how you use them and the type of grill you have. Here are some general tips for proper cleaning.

How To Keep Your Grill Clean

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To love grilling is to love your grill.

Like any good relationship, you need to put some work into the one you have with your grillluckily the time spent keeping a happy grill is minimal and the payback for the effort is enormous. It doesn’t matter if you’re dealing with a top-of-line model or a cheap knock-off, with proper maintenance, any grill is bound to keep you cooking for a good-long time.

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Can Grill Brushes Be Hazardous To Your Health

Yes, grill brushes can be bad for your health. While those that come with nylon or synthetic bristles arent too bad, the ones that come with metal bristles are almost lethal.Unfortunately, the bristles of these brushes tend to fall out after a couple of uses. And of course, whatever goes on your grills comes into contact with your food. Its very likely that you might ingest one of those metal bristles if you do use a wire grill brush to clean your grill grates.Were sure that we dont have to explain how deadly it is to consume metal. Its always safer to use a stainless steel BBQ scraper or a stiff nylon scrub brush to clean your grill grates.

What Are The Solvent Cleaners

How Do You Clean The Inside Of A Gas Grill?

SOLVENT CLEANERS Solvent-based cleaners remain popular in industrial applications due to their cleaning power they remove thick, baked on oils, dirt, containments, solder flux, and greases. Some examples of strong cleaning solvents are acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, toluene, nPB, and trichloroethylene .

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Safe Clean And Environmentally Friendly

Not only does it do a thorough job on metal, ceramic, plastic, and many other surfaces, it also disinfects and sanitizes.

Vinegar doesnt affect the environment negatively and is safe if it contacts the skin or food.

Some cleaning compounds can leave a residue on the grill grate that is later transferred to food. Vinegar doesnt leave any residue and doesnt produce an aftertaste as a result.

How often do you clean your grill grates?

Deep Cleaning Grill Grates

Twice a year, deep clean your grill grates. You can do this at the beginning and the end of the summer season.

  • Vegetable oil

Spray Weber Grate Grill Cleaner on the porcelain coating on your grill grate and let it sit for a few minutes. Then start scrubbing off the grime with your soft bristle brush. Flip the grate over if possible and repeat on the opposite side.

There will most likely be debris leftover. Hose down the grate using warm water. Use a paper towel or washcloth to dry the grates and remove the remaining grease.

To season cast iron grill grates after cleaning, apply a thin layer of vegetable oil. It is not necessary but helps to keep food from sticking the next time you cook.

This is the best way to clean grill grates because of the intense cleaning power of Weber Grate Grill Cleaner. It is also beneficial for charcoal grills, which may build up extra debris on the gratesâ underside, unlike gas grills. Now your barbecue grill is as good as new!

Now you know a few new ways to get your porcelain grill grates looking brand new during cookout season. This summer, show off your pristine grates at family cookouts and barbecues and share. Keep your grill lines sharp with clean grates.

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How To Clean Your Grill Grates Like A Grill Master

4 easy methods.

You looked up the recipes, prepared your grocery list, and then performed what can only be described as genius, Olympian grilling technique mastery.

Standing over those hot flames with guests just a few feet away, you had allll the right moves. We donât think itâs bragging to say the food was aah-maaazing.

But now, the guests have gone, the plates are empty, and those grill grates look a little, shall we say, worse for the wear? Donât worry grill warrior. Dirty grill grates are just part of the game. Itâs perfectly normal to go full throttle into cooking without considering what youâre going to do with the dirty grates when the partyâs over.

All it takes is a little, tiny effort to return them to new. And next time, when youâre ready to get your grill on, youâll know exactly how to clean them.

Before we get ahead of ourselves, the first thing you need to do is assess what material youâre dealing with. Are you grill grates porcelain? Cast iron? Or are they stainless steel? How you clean them will depend on this factor.

Porcelain grates are the most delicate of all. We recommend a soft-bristle or nylon brush to scrape them clean. The good news is that porcelain is rust-resistant, so gentle tools like these will do the job. For more tips cleaning your porcelain grates, consult your ownerâs manual and follow the directions precisely. The worst thing you can do is long-term damage youâll regret.

Remove The Smell And Season Them

How to Clean a Gas Grill | The Home Depot

Food preparation on the grill can create a specific smell. If, after washing your grill grates with soapy water, you still smell the putrid odor, put vegetable oil or lemon on a paper towel and pass it on every wire.

Oil is useful for seasoning, and it will create a non-stick surface.

When your cast iron grill gates get dry, cover them with something large enough to protect them from dust. Put them in a cool place, away from water, to prevent rusting.

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Can You Use Simple Green On Grill Grates

Simple Green Heavy-Duty BBQ & Grill Cleaner is a fast-acting formula that removes baked-on grease, food and carbon deposits from your grill and grill grates. You should clean your gas grill grates or your charcoal grates after each use, and do a deeper cleaning at the beginning and end of each barbecuing season.

Clean Your Grates With Vinegar

Vinegar is one of the most potent household cleaning agents around. Thanks to the acetic acid it contains, vinegar slowly eats away at grime and dirt. Vinegar is perfect for cleaning up coins, tiles, and laundry, and itll clean up your worst barbecue grill grate issues. Use it to remove corrosion from aluminum, too.

It also makes a fantastic natural stove cleaner. Cleaning stainless steel grill grates with vinegar keeps them looking sharp. You can use this method with cast-iron and porcelain grill grates, as well.

  • Gloves

Dip the brush in vinegar. Scrub the grill with the brush until its clean and all the food particles are gone.

You can add a teaspoon of table salt if youre working with cast-iron grates and need some extra cleaning power. Repeat until the grate is clean, rinse the grate and re-season it if required.

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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.

The Obvious Approach: Brushing

How To Clean Grill Grates  The Ultimate Guide On Grill ...

This method works best if it is done immediately after grilling while the grate is still hot. Before the grates cool off, scrape each grate with a brush, both top and bottom sides. You can also dip the brush in water which will create a steam that loosens the grease. Not only will this make cleaning time shorter, but it will discourage insects from hanging around your grill. Depending on your grate you may need to wipe them down with a cloth after scrapping.

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Use An Onionto Season Grates

One of our favorite tricks is to cut an onion in half and rub down the tops of the rails of clean, hot grates. Onions contain many sulfur compounds that when heated, creates a super slick, rock-hard surface which is good to 1000°F before it degrades. Onions also contain antibacterial compounds that help keep your GrillGrates safe to cook on.

Why We Dont Like Brushes For Cleaning Grates

Everybody thinks that wire brushes work best, but in reality, they can be dangerous if not used properly. You need to use a scraper to knock down the dried-up stuff that a wire brush cant do easily. Like brushing your teeth huh? Not really, since little wire hairs can snap off and stick to the greasy spots you cant get to. You wont see it there until it gets in your food. Sending your BBQ guests to the hospital is never part of the plan.

Only use a wire brush after youve scraped off all the grease and given the grill a good inspection. Dip your wire brush into water before doing any scrubbing after the grill is free from oil and junk. If the grill is still hot, the water will vaporize and causes steam to remove anything left-over. This will also prevent little wires from sticking to the grill surface too as theyll drop down into the grill bed.

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Best Ways To Clean Grill Grates

Cleaning grill grates is a nasty job, but not if you want your food to taste nasty too!

Ive heard people say they dont mind a little leftover grime on their grates, with the claim that it adds flavor. No, this is not a thing. Only lazy people say that. Grease, oil, and marinade get caked up during grilling. After they sit there for a while, they turn rancid and will make your food taste bad. Just clean the grates, its not that hard.

You never think of using a frying pan and want to cook something that has left-over gunk and dried sauce everywhere. Well, your grill is pretty much the same principle and should have proper hygiene you need for a fine BBQ.

Lets talk about heavy metal for a second. Not the kind that you listen to that makes the neighbors wonder if youll ever grow-up. The kind that gets hot enough to put an excellent sear and crust on your steak. Below well cover everything you need to know about grates, DIY cleaning hacks, maintenance tips, and our top picks for the best grates and cleaning tools.

Cleaning Tools & Grate Upgrades, Reviewed & Ranked

Product
Kettle Grate

Steer Clear Of Steel Wool

How to Clean Grill Grates SAFELY Without a Grill Brush | The Barbecue Lab 4K

Heres the thing. Steel wool is an excellent grate cleaning tool for cast iron grill grates. Its pretty effective in getting all that nasty grime off. However, it may not be safe to use on stainless steel grates, and heres why.

Stainless steel has a fine finish. Steel wool leaves fine scratches that ruin this pristine finish which, after a while, makes it harder to clean the grates. Food particles and grease become wedged into those minute crevices, making it virtually impossible to get rid of. Ensure that the clean tool you choose keeps your stainless steel grill grates in mint condition.

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Learn How To Clean Grill Grates The Right Way Follow These Tips And Your Grilled Food Will Taste Better And Be Saferjust In Time For Burger And Brat Season

Its grilling season! Whether youre a grill master or a newbie to outdoor cooking, all grillers need to know how to clean grill grates the right way. Dirty grills arent just a health hazard, they also change the flavor of your food and can slow down your cooking time! To avoid carcinogens we provided four easy ways to remove even the toughest of grime. And while youre at it, be sure to follow these tips on how to get your grill ready for grilling season, too.

What Is The Easiest Way To Clean Grill Grates

Whether you have food that wont come off with a grill brush or youre doing your annual deep cleanse, soak the grates in a mix of vinegar and baking soda. The vinegar and baking soda will work together to break apart burnt-on food.

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Choosing Methods For Cleaning The Cast Iron Grill Grates

First of all, the cast-iron grill grates need to be-cleaned after each use. It will take you just a few minutes and it is worth it. There are several methods to clean them:

The salt method

The salt method consists in sprinkling coarse sea salt over the hot grate which makes some steam come out of the pores while they cool down. The steam carries the burned residues with it along with the salt, so old fragile layers are -removed easily without damaging too much new seasoning on top of them. After that scrape everything off with a thin steel brush . You can repeat this procedure if there are still greasy parts left, but do not repeat it too often because you could remove the seasoning all over.

Using a wet paper towel

You could also use a wet paper towel instead of salt, but only if the grates are still hot and theres enough moisture in it. Otherwise, you will have to wait a bit before they cool down to be able to scrape. This method is easier though since you can leave the paper towel on for a few minutes without any risk of being-burnt by the heat. After scraping clean with water or vinegar then dry them well and oil them immediately to prevent rusting, thats important!

The soap method

The oven method

How to clean cast iron grill grates? Although this article is about cleaning cast iron grill grates, you could also use this method for stainless steel grill grates, but be careful if they are very hot.

How To Keep Rust From Coming Back

Can You Use Vinegar To Clean Grill Grates?

After any good cleaning coat your grill surface with vegetable oil on both sides. The oil can keep moisture from attacking the metal. If you want to store your grill for long-term over the winter, put your grill grate inside a plastic bag. When youre ready to use the BBQ again, take them out of the bag and give them a good wipe down with paper towels. Youre then ready to fire-up the barbecue again and start cooking.

Since you dont have to put them in a bag all the time, always wipe the grill down before cooking on them. Vegetable oil also attracts little bugs, dust, and debris. Clean surfaces work better if they dont have any kind of build-up. The oil just helps you keep rust from ruining an afternoon BBQ.

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