Dear Home Ec 101,
How in the WORLD do you clean off the reflectors on the stove top after you’ve successfully made them the most horribly dirty items in your house? I am down to one burner that I can use without setting my fire alarms off!
Signed,
~Smells Like Smoke in Smallville
Heather says:
Oh, how I love my ceramic top stove. You, my friend, have just reminded me just how much I hated that chore. I have several methods, but your electric range’s drip pans are as dirty as you say, I’d pull out the big guns.
The nearly fool proof way to get greasy and grimy drip pans clean is to spray each pan thoroughly with oven cleaner. Then, place the pieces in a garbage back or a pail with a lid and close tightly. Place the bag or bucket outside over night, then wash with regular detergent.
For not quite so dirty electric range reflectors Barkeeper’s Friend comes in handy. The oxalic acid, a safe and non toxic chemical, will help remove grease.
Another option I have heard repeatedly, but not tested, is to soak the drip pans in a dishpan with a dryer sheet. If you try this version, email your results, I’d love to read a testimonial.
Lastly, if the oven cleaner method does not work, drip pans are reasonably priced between $1 and $6 each. Don’t beat yourself up if they don’t come clean. File it under live and learn, just don’t let them get quite so filthy next time.
Send your household questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.
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After you get them cleaned, cover them with tinfoil and then you won’t have the problem again. My mother always did this, and I do this on my little stove in my basement (I have a ceramic top in my main kitchen).
Hooray for ceramic stovetops! But I remember, all too well, the joy of having to clean those drip pans.
I, personally, would use salt to help scrub off the burned on debris that wouldn’t come off during cooking. I’d soak the drip pans and then go to it with a little salt and a scouring pad.
Back in the rental days…..I would keep a pair of “new” ones in the cabinet to be swapped out with the everyday stained ones for special occasions. This way when company came over, etc…….my stove top could look shiny clean. (I was in college and working 2 jobs….& appearances matter). Once the folks go home….put your dirty looking ones back on the stovetop!
Becca and Jackie,
Both of these are excellent suggestions. I used to do the foil trick. I remember being amazed the day I discovered the whole metal top of the range was hinged and I could scrub under the burners. I don’t know if it’s true for all models, but even with drip pans it was nasty under there.
In addition to regular foil, they also sell foil covers made to fit pans, your mileage may vary, of course.
I use a few teaspoons of Cream of Tartar, and a little hot water. It even removes the little spots of rust!
My drip pans are in serious need of scrubbing too and the first thing I’ll try is to boil them in some water with baking soda. That helps loosen the gunk. Then maybe I’ll try the barkeeper’s friend or see if I can borrow a dryer sheet from someone who uses them.
A ceramic stovetop is very high on my wish list!
yeah well ladies, I wish i had a ceramic one (its me wish list) but for now, its rusted, yuck looking, but try to keep it clean..in actuality, i need a new stove! but have to live with what i have for now, but those suggestions are great! thanks!
I’ve never lived in a house with both electric stove & dishwasher, so I’ve never tested this theory:
if you put the drip pans in the DW nightly, would the buildup not get so bad?
I relied on the foil method, & occaisional replacements justified by company coming. Or when moving out.
I have a smooth surface cooktop now, but for years had to deal with the drip pan thing – usually in rentals with really OLD stoves. The tinfoil thing works, but on some models, it prevents the elements from sitting down flat so they rock when you’re trying to cook on them. When that’s an issue, try this: start with a new set of drip pans, spray them with cooking oil spray, and then wash and respray them after every use. It adds to your dishes, but it keeps the drip pans from turning into huge messes. Eventually the oil will form a nonstick sort of coating on the drip pan, like seasoning cast iron. It will be brown, but will wash off very easily.
I don’t wash the drip pans nightly, but I do throw them in the dishwasher whenever I have a pot boil over, or its been too long between cleanings (you know, you can’t ID the spots and its been months since I have cleaned them).
Last time I bought new ones, I got black ones instead of the shiny metal ones. It hides the burnt on bits, and I can go longer between washes. They were a bit more than the metal ones, but they are also more heavy duty, and trust me I can be quite the whirlwind of destruction in the kitchen.
Oh, and another solution that works until you turn the wrong burner on, the decorative burner covers.
I agree with Melissa. A little Cream of Tartar and hot water. It’ll definately do the trick.
I have used both oven cleaner and cream of tartar and water and they do work, but they can take a long time to get the job done. I really like to use Dawn Power Dissolver. This stuff destroys baked on grease and grim. It works great on the oven and microwave too. Give it a try.
My GE manual says not to cover the drip pans with foil. It says "Using foil so close to the receptacle could cause shock, fire or damage to the range."