Have difficulty cleaning grill grates covered with rusts? It happens more often than you think and it can spoil your barbecue plans significantly. First of all, rust is something that not only affects the taste of your food negatively but can be dangerous for your health if it is just left unattended.
Luckily, now you can keep your favorite outdoor cooking equipment operational for a longer. Whether you own a very expensive grill or just a plain backyard charcoal unit, you still have the opportunity to bring life back into the rusty grates. In this article, I will help you to clean your grill grate with household items.
Are Rusty Grill Grates a Big Deal?
Rust, comprising of iron oxide, can be scratched off and can get transfers to your food while you’re grilling. It would cause a stomach irritation or even poisoning in worse conditions. Furthermore, the metallic nature of rust significantly impacts the taste of your food. It leaves an unpleasant aftertaste that ruin the whole flavor.
However, it is not just about the aesthetic, maintaining the grates of your grill is of major importance to your well-being and to enjoying those meals off the grill.
Removing Rust from Grill Grates
The first thought that comes to mind when thinking about cleaning rusty grill grates is that it’s a very difficult task. But you don’t have to worry because there are amazing methods to make the work much easier. The good thing is that you can usually achieve shining grills without getting with chemicals or lots of money on the expensive specialized products.
Rust removal from everyday household items such as baking soda, vinegar, salt combine to become a powerful tool for this purpose. This do-it-yourself technique help you save money but more than that, it is more safe and natural compared to the commercial products in the market. This investment of a bit of your time and attention to details will allow your grill grates to revert to the great condition. Such techniques will give you many more enjoyable grilling experiences.
The Vinegar-Baking Soda Method
Make a mixture of vinegar and baking soda in equal amount to prepare a thick paste. Then spread this paste on the grill grates rusty area and leave it for several hours. The acidity of the vinegar destroys the rust. The rigidness of baking soda helps to scrub the rest of the rust from the grill Grates.
When the paste has done its job, get a wire brush or a steel wool to scrub off the remaining rust from the grates. Drain and also rinse them thoroughly using water then ensure they are completely dry the next time you use the grill.
The Salt Vinegar Soaking Method
The salt vinegar soaking method requires a container enough to soak the grill grates with equal parts of salt and vinegar.
Add salt in a generous proportion while stirring until it is completely dissolved. Submerge the rusty grill grates in the solution for about 3-4 hours or overnight. The vinegar interacting by its acidic properties with salt acting as abrasive solution help loosen and dissolve the rust from the grills.
Next take off the grates and wash them with a wire brush or steel wool so you can eliminate the remaining rust. Thoroughly rinse the grates with water and dry them out completely before placing them back onto the grill.
The Baking Soda Paste
Baking soda paste can also be used as a cleaner for rusty grill grates. This simple solution is capable of doing everything to solve the rust problem.
Combine baking soda and water to get a smooth paste. Apply the paste on the rusty areas on the grill grates. Let it soak for several hours or overnight to work properly. In this period the baking soda will contribute in the process of breaking down the rust and will make it easy to remove.
After that, get a wire brush and remove the paste and remaining rust from the grates. Rinse the grates well with water until there is no residue left, and you are done.
Steps for Removing Rust from Grill Grates
Prep the Grates
Take the grill grates off your grill and put them on a large utility tub, a bath tub or a flat trash bag. The focus on this stage is to create a secured place for cleaning, which allows easy access and helps prevent the mess from occurring.
Initial Scrub
You can use either wire brush or steel wool for the cleaning. Yet, you should pay attention to the fact that the grates should be scrubbed completely to get rid of loose rust, debris and food remnants. Make sure to clean between the grates as well as along the edges for a thorough cleaning.
Rinse It Clean
Once you finish scrubbing, entirely rinse the grates with clean water till all the rust debris has fallen off. This final step leaves your grates clean and ready for your next cooking session without any leftover residue affecting it.
Tackle Tough Rust
Since the strength of the rust ranges from mild to severe, you need to apply a particular technique depending on how hard it is to completely remove tougher stains. Whether it’s light-weight surface rust or more stubborn deep-down stains. There’s a suitable method to match your needs. By figuring out the scale of the rust and picking the right remedy, most of the grime on the grill can be quickly taken off.
Final Rinse & Dry
Now that you have applied your selected rust removal method, make sure to rinse your grates one more time. When you are done with rinsing, dry it completely before putting them back into your grill. Don’t keep grates wet, because this enables additional corrosion and rust production.
Why Is Cleaning Your Cooking Grates Important?
Health and Safety
Health and safety are always our top priority. When it comes to grilling, rusty grill grates are significant danger. These grates may produce sources of harmful bacteria which would lead to food poisoning. In order to deal with this factor, you have to keep your grill grates clean by removing rust. In this way you will minimize the risk of consuming contaminated food.
Improved Taste and Cooking Performance
Rusty grill grates could leave a disgusting stench in your food, thus diminishing the taste of it. By timely grate cleaning, the best smoky flavors of the grilled foods are achieved. The food cooks evenly on a clean grates and it improves the heat distribution. Therefore the final result is satisfactory and your grilling experience gets much better. By always having clean grill grates you are able to guarantee perfectly grilled food of your desire with confidence and satisfaction.
Extended Life of Your Grill
Regular maintenance and cleaning extend the life of your grill. Both the factors also contribute to the safety and flavor of your grilled food. By keeping your grill grates rust free, you can delay corrosion and as a result increase the life-span of your grill. More than that, it will also prevents you from unnecessary spends on making a grill repair or use spare parts.
Must Follow Tips to Avoid Rust on Grill Grates
Make sure to clean your grill grates immediately after every use. You want to get rid of all the food and grease residue before it forms rust.
Ensure to dry the grates completely before reinstalling them. It prevents the moisture accumulation and rusting process. Correct drying will help you to retain the metal integrity and continue using the grill grates for quite a long time.
Preheat the clean and dry grates with a thin layer of oil before usage. This thin coating of oil has a characteristic function of acting as a barrier. The oil prevents corrosion and inhibit the formation of rust, especially for periods of inactivity.
Cover your grill with the grill cover. Thus, protect it from the elements such as rain, snow, and humidity. If you only keep the grill covered from moisture and alternative weather conditions, you will for sure cut off the possibilities of rust forming on the grates and other parts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Grilling over rusty grates is not advised. Rusty grill grates impart an awful taste to your food and infect it with harmful bacteria. Cleaning your grate before usage is highly recommended. If you keep your grates free of rust, you can grill with confidence knowing that your food will be tasty and secure.
When the grill grates are unprotected from moisture, humidity, or even acidic foods it gets rusted. It is necessary to completely clean and dry them after every use to stop the rusting. You can make sure that your grill grates stay in excellent shape and are prepared for your next use by following the above-mentioned easy DIY steps.
Conclusion
In grilling it is mandatory to clean your grill grate regularly for protecting your health and safety. Clean grill grate preserves the nutrition and flavor of your food. Simple household materials like vinegar, salt, baking soda can be used to eliminate rust accumulation. In addition, routine cleaning and maintenance can increase grills life span as well as improves outdoor cooking safety and enjoyment. You can also make your grill grates rust free by cleaning them with any of the above-mentioned methods at home.