Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:29 pm
After the barbecue comes the work: To enjoy your barbecue for a long time, you need to clean the cooled grill grate. We explain how to do this and which home remedies are best for cleaning the grill grate.
Just as you clean the ceramic hob of your stove or the oven after cooking, the grill grate must also be cleaned as soon as the grill has cooled down after grilling. Not only for hygienic reasons should you clean your grill after use – a well-maintained grill is more durable and can be an integral part of your summer for many years.
Contents
- Cleaning the grill grate
- Home remedies for a clean grill grate
- Burn out grill grate
- Prevent contamination
Another reason why you should clean the grill grate regularly is convenience: if you clean the grill grate directly, the grill will be ready the next time you want to grill. It is also easier to remove oil, soot and the remains of the grilled food, as long as they are not yet deeply burned.
To clean the grill grate, you do not have to buy special cleaning products first. Read here how to clean your grill grate with home remedies.
By the way: Here we explain how you can make cleaning agents yourself.
Contents
Cleaning the barbecue grill properly
In order for the home remedies to work properly, you should follow the following procedure when cleaning the grill grate:
Wrap the grill grate in newspaper and dampen it.
Let the grill grate soak for several hours, preferably overnight.
Afterwards, you can simply wipe off the dirt.
Alternatively, you can soak the grill grate in water or leave it in the grass overnight so that the dew soaks the grill grate.
Cleaning the grill grate with home remedies
If you want to get rid of stubborn stains, you can additionally use the following home remedies to clean the grill grate:
Ash: Simply use the cooled ash from the grill to clean the grill grate. To do this, use a damp rag to pick up a little cooled ash as needed and rub it on the grill grate to clean it. Wood ash acts as a mild abrasive and has a high grease dissolving power.
Tip: Burnt-on food in normal stainless steel pots can also be easily removed with ash.
Aluminum foil: Instead of using a wire brush to remove coarse dirt from the grill grate, you can also use a little aluminum foil: Crumple the foil into a loose ball and use it to rub the grill grate clean.
Coffee grounds: coffee grounds are also suitable as a scrubbing agent to clean the grill grate. Pick up a little coffee grounds with a damp rag and rub the grill grate with it.
Baking soda: Mix equal parts baking soda and water to make a paste and spread it on the grill grate. After a few minutes of exposure, you can rinse everything off with water.
Cola: The cleaning properties of cola are well known. The lemonade is also suitable for cleaning the grill grate. Just put the dirty grill grate in cola and let it soak for about a day. After that, you can simply rinse the grill grate with water. This method is especially useful for removing stubborn grime from grill grates.
Pumice stone*: You can use a pumice stone for foot care to clean the grill grate quickly and easily. To do this, use a new pumice stone and rub it over the cooled grill grate. Due to its soft texture, the pumice stone adapts to the grill grate and removes dirt particularly thoroughly.
Vinegar: Dissolve two tablespoons of sugar in 200 milliliters of apple cider vinegar and spray the mixture onto the grill grate with a spray bottle. This should still be hot. Then carefully work the mixture in with a sponge. Be careful not to burn yourself. Let the vinegar-sugar mixture soak in for about an hour and then rinse the grill grate with water.
Onion: Onions are also used while the grill is still hot: Cut an onion in half and rub the cut surface over the hot grill. For added safety, you can skewer the onion half on a fork. The onion treatment makes it easier to remove burnt-on dirt from the grill grate later.
In addition, you can of course use other standard household cleaners to clean the grill grate. The grill grate can also be cleaned with dishwashing detergent and scouring milk.
Tip: What works in the oven also works on the grill: oven spray* makes it easier to clean the grill grate.
Cleaning the grill by burning it out
The easiest way to clean the grill is to simply burn out the dirt. This way you can clean not only the wood grill, but also the gas grill.
To do this, simply fire the grill again so that the dirt burns off.
With the gas grill, wait until all the remaining fat has burned off. You will know this when there is no more smoke.
Once the grill has cooled down, you can remove any remaining dirt.
Preventing soiling on the grill grate
With the right preparation before grilling, you can make cleaning afterwards even easier.
Apply a thin layer of cooking oil to the grill grate before grilling. This will prevent stubborn crusts from forming.
Be careful not to use too much oil, however, so that falling drops do not stir up the ash.
The oil layer should be paper-thin.
With home remedies and the right preparation, you can easily clean the grill and grill grate. So nothing will stand in the way of the next barbecue party.
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