Clean the grills of your barbecue: all useful tips
Barbecue grills: you have used them and reused them, but do you remember the last time you cleaned them? If the answer is no then bad, really bad! Joking aside, cleaning the grills is an important step to keep a barbecue clean and safe. It can indeed help to improve the cooking capacity of the grill and the taste of the food you cook. Moreover, if you regularly clean your barbecue, then you will not have to spend hours rubbing the food residue that has hardened and will never come off. Here we will give you some tips on how to clean grills, whether they are made of porcelain, cast iron or stainless steel, that is the three most common types on the market.
Porcelain grills: use brushes with soft bristles
Porcelain barbecue grills are common and rather appreciated because they isolate the heat well and, at the same time, are resistant to rust. It is however necessary to clean them periodically to keep them in excellent condition. If your barbecue has grills of this type, try to be careful about chips and scratches in the finishing of porcelain. For example, you will need to be particularly careful when using spatulas or other metal tools to cook food. If then water comes into contact with the metal under the finish, it could cause rust. A really good way to clean these grills is to use a nylon brush with soft bristles. Instead, absolutely avoid metal scouring pads, otherwise the porcelain could be permanently scratched.
Cast iron grills fear water: avoid immersing them
Cast iron grills are known to be incredibly durable. Their main characteristic is to tolerate any high temperature, which is ideal for a barbecue. However, you should always keep in mind that water is not a friend of cast iron, as it can cause rust more easily than other materials. Therefore, one piece of advice that we give you is to avoid immersing cast iron grills in water to clean them. A better method is to wrap the grills in aluminium foil, heat them, then remove the foil and brush them with a soft nylon brush. Later, wipe the grills with vegetable oil. As with porcelain grills, avoid metal brushes or steel wool (the scouring pads). These tools are too abrasive and can damage the finish.
Stainless steel grills: our favourite because the easiest to clean
Stainless steel grills can withstand over 400 degrees of temperature, which is a real record for the materials of which the grills are made. That is why we think that steel barbecues are the best in the category. Moreover, unlike cast iron, stainless steel is very resistant to rust. The convenience of this material also lies in its cleanliness. Indeed, the easiest way to clean stainless steel grills is simply to brush them. Again you can use a soft nylon brush (preferable as a second step), or a wire brush. Although steel is a very durable material, when cleaning do not press too hard on the brush or the scouring pad: you run the risk of scratching the grates. Furthermore, if you press too hard the bristles could break in the grill and cook into the food, which is highly dangerous for your health. So be careful how much pressure you use. Finally, a truly infallible method to make your stainless steel barbecue grills shine is to soak them in water, vinegar and bicarbonate for a few minutes, then rinse. You will have grills as new and you can start preparing delicious meals of grilled meats or vegetables in your outdoor kitchen again.
