When you cook (at least if you cook like I do), things can get a bit messy. And the messiest part is the cooker, specifically the cooker grates. Most stovetops you’ll see are covered in dirt and old food left over from last week’s dinner (at least I am).
With this little trick, you can have perfectly clean stovetops in just a few hours. It’s simple, inexpensive and can even be done overnight, so you don’t have to worry about it! And when you’re done, you’ll feel like you have a brand new hob.
To start, all you need are Ziploc bags and ordinary ammonia. Both are relatively cheap and available in any shop. In short, if you don’t already have these common products at home for this DIY, they are easy and cheap to find anywhere.
Remove your greasy grids and put each one in its own Ziploc bag. Fill the bag with ammonia and turn it upside down so that the grids are facing down; this will allow the ammonia to build up around the toughest dirt and food and remove it easily.
But, let’s face it, it’s not just the top of your cooker’s grates that see the worst of your cooking problems. The whole of your grill is probably covered in some sort of substance, or at the very least, it’s probably a bit dull or rusty from age.
Don’t worry about filling the bags to cover the whole grid (you don’t want to waste the ammonia!), just make a small puddle at the bottom. The direct contact will help the thicker parts dissolve faster, but the ammonia vapours will also play an important role in cleaning the grid, so there is no need to submerge it completely.
Leave the bags overnight. When you take them out in the morning, you will see that all the dirt has fallen out of the grids and is swimming around in the bottom of the bag. It’s disgusting, we know, but it’s a lot less disgusting than having that dirt on your cooker!
Remove the grates from the bag and scrub them well with soap and water – it’s not recommended to cook with ammonia-soaked grates. But once the grates have been scrubbed and dried, you can put them back on the cooker and use them normally.
You will find that the dirt and food residue that had accumulated on your metal grates has completely melted away. You should also notice that the overall quality of the cooker has improved; your grates should be shinier and less foggy, making them look like new. You can also have peace of mind knowing that the ammonia has disinfected your hob, not only giving it a clean look, but REALLY ridding it of potentially harmful bacteria.
Try this tip once a month or so to keep your stovetop grates clean.
What do you think of this handy household tip? Do you use any other method to clean your cooker grates? Share your ideas in the comments .
