Usually, immediately after preparing a barbecue, there is no desire to scrub all surfaces of fat. And then cleaning the grill grate is much more difficult, especially if you try to do it the old fashioned way. Fortunately, today many ways have been invented that make it easy to wash even a device without removable panels. Let's compare the best folk recipes and store-bought cleaning products and tell you how to properly wash an electric grill.
What do you need to clean your grill?
In fact, Weber grills “do most of the work themselves” - you just heat the grill and keep it hot until all the leftover food burns itself. After this, all dirt can be easily removed with a brush.
But there are also more severe cases when calcination alone is no longer enough. Then, to simplify the cleaning process itself, you will have to additionally stock up on certain products and tools:
- Latex gloves. They will allow you to avoid direct contact with fat and food residues.
- Cleaning brush. Such a tool will greatly simplify the removal of old contaminants.
- Plastic scraper. Perfect for cleaning burnt-on dirt on gas grill burners.
- Cleaning compounds. Weber's range includes products for both grates and external grill elements.
- Microfiber cloth. Makes it easier to clean and polish the outer surfaces of the grill, both stainless steel and enameled.
With this set of tools, you can safely start cleaning your grill!
Means for washing barbecue grills
Household chemicals
Barbecue outdoors is a favorite form of recreation for people. When this event is held at the dacha or in a rural house, there are no problems with how to clean the grill grate at home. Usually they use traditional dishwashing detergent, such as “Fairy”, “Gala”. They are in every kitchen. Since sprays and gels perfectly break down fat, this procedure does not take much time. The only condition is not to leave the process for another day, do it quickly. Dried remains of meat and sauce are difficult to wash off.
Coca Cola
Soda is perfect for cleaning equipment in the field.
It’s more difficult when you need to wash the grate from carbon deposits in nature. A reliable way is to use a carbonated drink such as Pepsi or Coca-Cola. Usually they are stocked up for recreation, and one 1.5 liter bottle should be saved for washing the grill or skewers. A barbecue is placed in a plastic whole bag, a drink is poured, tied, placed in a place where no one will step on or tear it, and left overnight. In the morning all you have to do is rinse it, maybe in the nearest body of water.
Incandescent or oven
There are even simpler ways to get your grill in order - heat it over a fire. Any remaining meat and sauce will burn. The problem will be to clean the scale from the rods. This can be done at home using dishwashing detergent. At the dacha or in the village, you can use the oven for the same purpose. If you put the barbecue in the grass overnight, all you have to do in the morning is wipe it down. But the dew must fall, otherwise this technique makes no sense.
Soda and vinegar
It is recommended to leave the lattice in the mixture for several hours.
If it happens that you don’t have any detergent at hand, you can use the available products that are available in every home. Take a wide container to fit the grill, put it there, fill it with water, add baking soda and vinegar. You can pour and sprinkle by eye. Let soak for 1-2 hours, then wash. Wipe with a kitchen towel to prevent rust.
Ammonia solution
Ammonia also perfectly breaks down fat. It is often included in a car first aid kit. Place the grid in cellophane, pour a bottle of product into it, tie tightly, and leave overnight. In the morning, rinse in the nearest body of water. If this is not the case, then lubricate the grill with any available detergent - liquid, laundry soap, give it time to soak, then wash it in the usual way.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=GwEK0Q8ssvU
Cleaning the charcoal grill
Cleaning a charcoal grill is carried out as follows:
- Let the grill cool completely.
- Apply Weber's special cleaner to the grille and wait 30 seconds.
- Use a brush to remove any food or grease from the grate, then wipe it with a damp sponge.
- Clean the grill bowl and grease pan using a sponge and detergent.
- Allow all components to dry and then reinstall them.
- After cleaning, you can spray the grate with Weber non-stick spray.
It is important to note that the manufacturer himself has made sure that you can clean the grills as simply as possible. For this purpose, their design uses the One-Touch system. It consists of petal-shaped blades, which are driven by a special handle and remove ash/food residues from the bottom of the grill boiler. Therefore, in most cases you can do without even any additional detergents and brushes.
Metal brush or brush
The simplest way, but quite effective, is to arm yourself with a regular metal brush or brush. To enhance the effect, you can add detergent.
However, if the utensil has not been used for a long time, its surface may turn black or even begin to rust. In this case, you will need professional household chemicals.
Attention! If you use any chemicals, you should carefully read the instructions and safety precautions. As for the household chemicals themselves, the usual products that everyone is used to seeing in the kitchen can only cope with minor stains
As for the household chemicals themselves, the usual products that everyone is used to seeing in the kitchen can only cope with minor stains.
In order to completely remove dirt from barbecue or grill utensils, you should use stronger ones: special gels or spray. Their main advantage is simplicity and economy, and the disadvantage is high price.
Cleaning a gas grill
To clean the inside of a gas grill, follow these steps:
- Disconnect the gas cylinder from the grill.
- Use a wire brush to remove any food residue on the grate, then spray it with cleaner and wait 30 seconds.
- Wipe the grill with a stiff sponge, rinse with water and leave to dry.
- Spray grill bowl and Flavorizer plates with grate cleaner and wait 30 seconds.
- Burnt-on food residue can be removed with a plastic scraper.
- Remove the Flavorizer plates and wipe them with a sponge.
- Carefully clean the bowl and grease container with a brush so that no water gets into the burner tubes.
- Leave all components to dry completely and then install them in their places.
At this point, the internal cleaning of the gas grill can be considered complete.
What if you didn’t wash it right away?
There are no ideal people. Therefore, it happens that the grill is not washed immediately after use. And then - you have to cook something again, but it’s dirty.
Metal grates can be washed with vegetable oil. To do this, you need to heat the panel so that the food remains turn black, and then remove them with a scraper. Then take a special brush and clean the surface. Then saturate a paper towel with vegetable oil, but not too much: if it is oversaturated, the oil will start to drip and smoke will appear. Use this towel to lubricate and clean the grate. Finally, close the grill lid and warm up the device for a few minutes. That's it, you can cook!
If there are residual food odors, to remove them, wipe the work surface with a vinegar solution (2 tablespoons of vinegar per 1 glass of water).
Cleaning the electric grill
Despite all its manufacturability and design complexity, the electric grill is as easy as possible to clean:
- Before you start cleaning, it is advisable to heat the grill to a temperature of 250+ degrees.
- Then, after allowing it to cool, you should walk over the surface of the grate with a brush, removing any remaining food and grease.
- You can additionally spray the surface of the grill with non-stick spray.
What to use
You already know how to carefully clean an electric grill grate and why using a dishwasher is not recommended. As well as completely immersing the device in water, or individual removable panels.
The question is also how you can effectively but safely wash the grill in order to rid it of grease and not harm the equipment itself. Still, an electric grill is not a cheap device.
You can wash a dirty electric grill yourself using various means. They are divided into folk and special.
Among the popular solutions are the following:
- Lemon. Well suited for those who need to clean a Redmond or Tefal type grill that comes with non-removable panels. The lemon is cut in half. But you need to work on still hot panels, disconnected from the network. Generously grease the grate with half a lemon. Fat is broken down by acid. All that remains is to remove any remaining dirt with a sponge or paper towels.
- Onion. The principle here is the same as with lemon. But practice shows that sour lemon can be used to quickly and easily clean any electric grill from stubborn grease. Plus, onions leave behind a characteristic smell. But the effectiveness of this remedy cannot be denied.
- Coca Cola. This highly carbonated drink eats away dirt well. This is due to the presence of orthophosphoric acid in the composition. Suitable for removable panels. You need to pour cola into a container or bag, put the panel there and leave for 5-7 minutes. Shake the bag a couple of times, or run a sponge soaked in cola over the element. And then under running water and dry.
- Foil. Great option. But it is not suitable for all panels and grilles. Foil can only be used to clean grills without a non-stick coating. Otherwise, friction with metal will destroy it. But this is a good choice for those who do not know how to clean old soot from the grill grid.
Be sure to check the manufacturer's instructions. It describes in detail how and how to properly remove dirt from the device. Also look at the warnings.
90% of panels cannot be washed with the same abrasive powders and pastes.
There are special products for caring for grill grates and panels, hobs, gas stoves, etc.
Some of the products include Prosept Cooky Grill and Shumanit.
Common liquids in the form of concentrates. They must be used strictly according to the manufacturer's instructions. Usually you need to apply the product, spread it over the surface with a damp sponge, then remove all residue and rinse with water.
How to clean the outside of a grill?
So, we've looked at how to clean grill grates and now we can start cleaning the outside. This procedure is almost identical for all types of grills, so we have included it in a separate section. External cleaning is carried out as follows:
- Apply appropriate cleaning agent to the surface of the lid and boiler. Weber's range includes products for porcelain enamel and stainless steel - you need to select it in accordance with the material your device is made of.
- Wipe the surface with a microfiber cloth. It is important to carry out movements in the direction “along the grain” in order to eliminate the possibility of scratches.
- Wash the frame/panels with warm water and detergent and leave to dry.
- You can also additionally wipe the surface of all components with a cloth to remove excess moisture.
- Return all parts to their place.
Types
In addition to species diversity, there are types of grills. According to this division, devices come in the form of a zigzag, two circuits and turbo. Let's look at each type in detail.
Regular zigzag
The grill affects the entire grate, and equally on every centimeter. Products can be placed throughout the entire area and not be afraid that they will not be baked. For cooking, you can use both regular baking sheets and frying pans or various forms.
For cooking, you should use the upper levels, and place a baking tray underneath so that fat accumulates there. This method will protect the bottom of the oven from contamination. Large pieces of meat can be roasted on a spit. They will taste like food cooked over coals.
With two circuits
The grill consists of two heat elements: small and large. The small one is located in the center, and the large one is located around the entire perimeter. The heating elements are located at the top of the oven. To prepare a modest dish, only a small grill is used; if the entire grate is occupied by food, both are turned on.
Separately, it is worth mentioning the features of the small grill. When using it, the middle section of the heater turns on. This provides the lower temperature needed just to achieve a crispy finish.
It is important to remember that the dish should be placed exactly under the grill, otherwise it will not cook completely. The small grill is perfect for making toast, hot sandwiches, frying sausages or pizza
Helpful Tips for Cleaning Grills
There are several helpful tips and tricks that will make cleaning your grill much easier, no matter what type it is. And we will share them with you:
- Don't put it off until tomorrow. Fresh dirt is easiest to remove. If you leave them for a few days or continue to use the grill with them, it will be much more difficult to clean the grates and pot later.
- Try to prevent contamination. If you're grilling on a charcoal grill using indirect heat, install grease trays underneath your food to catch juices without letting them end up on the grill surface.
- Use oil. If you want to minimize the chance of food sticking to your grill grate, oil it.
In addition, we strongly recommend that you use special tools and cleaning products. Not only do they cope with specific contaminants more effectively, but they also eliminate damage to the grill - scratches, damage to enamel, peeling of the coating, etc.
We hope that you learned something useful for yourself and now the question of how to clean the grill from soot and food residues will not be a problem for you.
We study the design, choose a method
Structurally, an electric grill can be made in one of two options. The difficulty of cleaning carbon deposits depends on the design.
Based on the degree of difficulty of cleaning, the structures are rated as follows:
- Grill pan;
- a classic grill with a metal grate, in which the grate panels can be removed;
- device with non-removable lattice panels.
In the latter case, it is most difficult to clean all surfaces, since many hard-to-reach places remain. The design may include a fat receiver (as, for example, in Redmond grills), but there are also options without this part. To understand how to quickly clean your grill, read the instructions.
Do not begin cleaning your grill without making sure the appliance is unplugged. Otherwise there is a risk of electric shock.
What not to do
Since you have an electric grill, as well as a device with possibly non-stick panels, during operation you will have to regularly wash it to remove grease and other contaminants.
But if you make mistakes and violate the manufacturer’s requirements, the device will successfully go to the landfill.
It is unlikely that anyone wants such a scenario to develop. To avoid it, consider the following important prohibitions and restrictions:
- A hot electric grill connected to the mains. In this state, you cannot begin cleaning. It doesn't matter whether you use dry wipes or wet sponges. Even with the dry method of fat removal, the device must be unplugged and allowed to cool.
- Metal brushes. Strictly prohibited for grills equipped with a non-stick surface. This will lead to rapid deterioration of the coating. As a result, all products will begin to stick. It’s unlikely that you’ll be able to cook normally anymore. Even if the surface is not non-stick, you should not use a metal brush either. A regular sponge can easily remove dirt.
- Water in the housing. It must not be allowed to penetrate inside the housing. This is why the electric grill is never washed in the dishwasher, and why damp sponges and rags are used. Do not use wet sponges that are dripping with water.
The process does not look complicated or time-consuming. But a number of requirements and conditions for proper care need to be taken into account.
Also, do not forget about what you absolutely cannot do with an electric grill.
