Cleaning your cooking grids is an important part of making healthy food for yourself and your family! But, it’s not as hard or tedious as it sounds.
It’s best to clean your cooking grids while they’re hot, right after you’re done cooking. If you forgot to clean your cooking grids the last time you grilled, don’t worry! You can also clean them right before you cook. Just get them hot again (450° F should do it) for 5-10 minutes. It just won’t be as effective of a clean as if you cleaned them before they cooled down.
There are many ways to clean your 304 stainless steel cooking grids, so below are just some of your options.
Cleaning Your Cooking Grids with a Wire Grill Brush
Cleaning your cooking grids with a wire grill brush is the standard way to clean your cooking grids. Here’s how to do it:
- With your grids hot, brush the grids with your wire brush.
- Inspect your cooking grid for any fallen wires.
- If cleaning before you cook and the grill is hotter than you want it to be, close the lid and slow the grill down with the Air Controls.
As wire brushes begin to wear, they may begin to loose their wires. Ingesting a wire from a wire brush that got stuck on or in your food can quickly turn into an emergency room situation! Always look over your cooking surface for fallen wires before putting food on your grill. If your wire brush has lost any wires at all, throw it away immediately.
Cleaning Your Cooking Grids with a Wet Cloth
Cleaning your cooking grids with a wet cloth is a good way to steam clean them. Note that unless you use a scrubbing cloth of some kind some hard stuck on grease can remain. Also note the cloth material, as plastic can leave plastic particles behind.
- Wet a cloth, fold it in half, and wrap it around a large wooden serving spoon. Use a rubber band to hold the cloth onto the upper half of the spoon, away from the end.
- With the cooking grid still hot, scrub the cloth along the cooking grid bars.
- If needed, close the lid and slow the grill down with the Air Controls.
Cleaning Your Cooking Grids with Aluminum Foil
Cleaning your cooking grids with aluminum foil is a cheap way to break up the grease without using a wire brush.
- Take some aluminum foil and roll it into a ball in your hand. Flatten the ball, and fold it onto the end of a large wooden serving spoon.
- With the cooking grid still hot, scrub the aluminum foil along the cooking grid bars, making sure to get all sides of each bar.
- If needed, close the lid and slow the grill down with the Air Controls.
Cleaning Your Cooking Grids with a Pumice/Glass Grill Bar
Cleaning your cooking grids with a pumice/glass grill bar (usually called a “stone” bar) helps to get rid of long baked on messes. It’s probably not best for using every time you cook, but it’s nice to have on hand when you need it.
- While your cooking grids are cool, wet your pumice bar and carefully rub it across all of the bars on your cooking grids. The pumice bar will slowly disintegrate as you scrape, turning into the shape of your cooking grids. This is normal, and allows you to get between the bars as well.
Cleaning Your Cooking Grids with a Drill-Powered Wire Brush
Cleaning your cooking grids with a wire brush attachment on your drill is the best way to quickly get your cooking grids back to that natural 304 stainless steel shine. It isn’t something you should need to do on a regular basis, especially if you’re cleaning your grill other ways right after you cook each time.
- Wearing safety glasses, attach the rotary wire brush attachment to your grill and polish away!
- Look over your cooking grid for any loose wires anywhere on your cooking grids.
As wire brushes begin to wear, they may begin to loose their wires. Ingesting a wire from a wire brush that got stuck on or in your food can quickly turn into an emergency room situation! Always look over your cooking surface for fallen wires before putting food on your grill. If your wire brush has lost any wires at all, throw it away immediately.
