You’ve Waited Long Enough to Clean Your Stovetop

Cleaning your kitchen doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Dare we say it could be fun? Welcome to BA’s Cleaning Week: Consider this your trusty guide to the nooks and crannies that you definitely are not scrubbing often enough, plus the pro-approved tools and products to get the job done.

My stovetop all too easily becomes a graveyard of past meals. The inevitable splatters, spills, and boil-overs crystallize into patches of crust that run the risk of burning—and, in my finicky apartment, setting off my smoke detector. But with a bit of elbow grease, plus some soap, warm water, and a sponge, that stovetop can look spanking new with an easy cleaning session. No matter what type of stovetop you have—whether it be gas, smooth-top, or coil—we have you covered.

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Gas Stove

Most gas stoves are outfitted with removable grates: the metal element that sits above the burners. For a run-of-the-mill clean, a quick wipe-down with soap, warm water, and a non-scratch sponge will suffice, says GE Appliances cleaning expert Amelia Hensley. For a deeper clean, you can toss the grates in your next dishwasher cycle (just check your stove’s user manual first). Or spray each grate with an ammonia-based cleaner and seal in a plastic bag to soak, ideally overnight. After removing from the bags, simply rinse the grates with soap and water. If your gas stove grate has a rough rather than smooth surface, you might opt to clean it with a nylon brush.

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As for the stovetop surface itself, if it’s colored enamel (i.e., not stainless steel), you can wipe it down with warm soapy water and a non-scratch sponge. For a particularly stubborn stain, lay a paper towel or dishcloth soaked in water over the stain and let it hang out for 30 minutes or so, then wipe it down with a wet sponge. Some suggest adding baking soda to the water here, to lift stains even more efficiently as it soaks. For stainless steel surfaces, make sure you wipe in the natural direction of the grain to avoid scratching—and no sharp tools, please.

Smooth-Top Stove

The two most common varieties of a smooth-top stove are induction and electric. The same cleaning wisdom broadly applies here—use dish soap, warm water, and a non-scratch sponge. The key difference, Hensley says, is timing. If you spill or drop food on a smooth top surface—particularly with electric stoves, which get quite hot and can bond to the debris rapidly—you’ll want to wipe it up as quickly as possible. Conversely, if the stain sets and you attempt later to scrape it off, you run the risk of “pitting,” or eroding your glass cooking surface.

As soon as you notice spillage, she says, turn off the stove, move your food to a different burner, and wipe down the stain with a thick rag to avoid burning your hands. For any stuck-on debris, Hensley recommends employing a plastic scraper (rather than metal) for gentler, scratch-free removal. And while a simple concoction of soap and water can usually do the trick just fine, stovetop top cleaners like Cerama Bryte are good subs for tougher cleaning projects, she says.

Coil Stove

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Coil stovetops, like gas, will often boast removable parts—meaning you can lift out the coil itself to scrub it down with soapy water. Wiping down this particular contraption requires just a bit more care and restraint, Hensley says, since it’s attached to the heating element, which can become damaged if its cavities fill with water.

“You don’t want to introduce any water into the assembly,” she says, nor do you want to completely soak the apparatus with water as you wipe it. The drip pans that lie underneath the coils can be cleaned with soap, water, and a sponge that won’t scratch its stainless steel surface—and if it’s enamel, not stainless steel, it’s probably dishwasher-safe.

The entire stovetop will often lift up, so you can wipe down any mess underneath it with (you guessed it) soapy water and a sponge.

Messy kitchen? More sparkling stories from Bon Appétit’s Cleaning Week:

• Our Cleaning Week Hub Page
• Yes, You Need to Clean Your Coffee Maker for the Best Flavor
• When’s the Last Time You Cleaned Your Dishwasher Filter?
• How to Clean and Care for a Wooden Cutting Board So It’ll Last Forever
• All Cast-Iron-Pan Obsessives Need This Scrubber Immediately

Source: https://gardencourte.com
Categories: Kitchens