Cleaning rust from your grates may be boring to you, particularly in the exciting time before grilling! Don’t be wonder how to clean a cast-iron grill? You in the right place!!
As enjoying wonderful food, cast iron cookware is a crucial gadget; if you care properly a cast iron grill grate can exit over your lifetime.
Having the power to take high heat evenly for long periods; a cast-iron grilling grate is an absolute ingredient for grilling. However, regular cleaning and absolute maintenance is a must to keep this outer cooking device keeping good and well functioning.
Here, we are giving a solution to solve this dilemma in short time; continue reading to have an idea on how to clean a cast-iron grill? As well as How to take proper care to prevent rust forming?
Why do you use cast-iron grates for grilling?
Generally, Cast iron grill grates are tremendously durable & tough with different advantages.
- Firstly, cast iron is too much strong & sturdy than stainless steel. The material can withstand all kinds of abuse or punishment.
- Cast iron grill grates can lead to extreme heat well; also, keep the heat for a long period. For this criterion, cast iron grill grates are outstanding for roasting and making grill sing on food.
- Hence, if you use them continuously & maintain them properly with care, the best they get. If you grill more, their surface point gets non-stick; this is a bonus point.
- This sturdy appliance creates outstanding grill marks on our meat to give you extra enjoyment.
- You can scrape, brush, or apply various chemical substances, but even it won’t budge.
- However, the one difficulty of this cast iron is so easily rusting. It will ruin if you don’t care about your grates perfectly or continuous exposure to moisture or water.
- So it will be best to prevent rust instead of ignoring the forming of rust. This means your grates need regular cleaning, oiling, ordinary care & maintenance before & after cooking.
Let’s know How to clean cast iron grill grates.
How to save your cast iron gates from rust?
After using cast iron gates, you must need to clean them; But how to clean the gates? See the below:
Make your grates rust off after use (‘seasoning’):
- Once cooking is finished, just permits the heat to go inner of the grill to flame up the extra sauces & food which cling to the grate.
- Then apply a wire grill brush to clean & drug the grates
- We are telling you a secret weapon use a thin coat of cooking oil or vegetable oil.
- If you find the grill hot even after cleaning, spray a little vegetable oil on a piece of cloth, then wipe the grill— don’t take a too heavy one; simple, a thin coat is enough.
- Or, if you find the grill cooled-off after cleaning, it needs to turn on and roll on until the temperature touches almost 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- To polymerize the oil into the cast iron, high heat is required.
- ‘Seasoning’ means using vegetable oil to the grill; this system oil is applied to bake the cast iron pores to prevent rust.
However, there is wise saying prevention is better than the cure, so let’s move with us to know: how to clean rust from cast iron grill grates.
Suggested supplies you require to clean rust from cast iron grill grates:
It’s such a simple way to clean the rust set up in your grates. To complete this process, you need some time & the following supplies:
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Soapy water
- Steel Brush, steel Wool, scraper, or aluminium foil( crushed)
- Vegetable Oil
- Trash bag (elective)
- Oven cleaner (elective)
Let’s start to clean the rust!
How to clean cast iron grill grates?
As the buildup of the rust has not been granted to your iron grill grates, probably you can get out of it to increase your grills useful life. There are various ways to clean rust from cast iron.
It’s wise to start cleaning up with a few abrasive cleaning tools like steel wool or Wire brushes are the best picks for cast iron.
You only can clean the rust layer with an abrasive surface by applying only your own muscle power. Hence you can apply a cleaning solution to enhance your cleaning efforts.
Therefore, if you want to use a cleaning solution to fast clean up, consider the following options:
#1 Soapy water & steel wool:
- Remind that you should not wash the cast iron with soapy water and water; if not, you need to clear your seasoning & re-season it.
- Take your grates inside, then keep them in your sink. Take some warm water blend with light soap.
- Apply steel wool inside the blended warm soapy to drug your grates rusty areas.
- After cleaning your grates, wash them out with water one last time.
- Remind that moisture is an important task; your grates should be completely dry. Don’t over- dragging to any protective layers on your grates.
- To dry the grates fast, you should set them in an oven at a low temperature; wait for 30 minutes or more; before getting it out from the oven, confirm that all moisture & pores have evaporated.
- We suggest you use a lean film of oil and then season your grates by baking to make a protective coat before your following use.
#2 Vinegar soak
- You can soak your cast iron grill grates if your sink has enough space to lay it down.
- Make a mixture of 50/50 of distilled white vinegar & water, and let your grill grates soak for an hour or more.
- Take a wire pad or a kitchen scrubber to gently scrub the grill to clean up any remaining rust.
- After finishing scrubbing, you can wash out the grill soapy water & then dry it out thoroughly in a low oven.
#3 Baking soda puree:
It is an alternative to Vinegar soak; you can try it to clean up both grills, grates, and any metal surfaces, just making a thick puree from water & baking soda and water. You need to wait for a few hours after applying it then, scrub & wash it.
#4 Salt puree:
It is a more abrasive way than vinegar or baking soda to clean the cast iron grill. Just you need to make a thick mixture of water & kosher salt. Using it to the rusty area, scrub it with a wire brush. Do repeat if necessary.
#5 High Heat or Self-Cleaning Oven:
- In case of more rust, you should take a more drastic process than the method we stated above.
- The Self-Cleaning Oven method is a sure-fire way that has been used for years. Don’t worry if you don’t have it; let your grill grates to your oven for over an hour (like 600°+) to find the same result.
- Once cooling down your grates, quickly clean them with hot soapy water; there may be any carbon left behind.
#6 Oven or grill cleaner:
To reduce over rust from grates, you can pick standard oven cleaner or specialized grill cleaner from the market to clean your grates; instead of applying another method. This is the be-all-end-all way of cleaning your cast iron grill grates.
Almost all oven cleaners have lye- it is a powerful alkaline solution applied for cleaning & washing.
Suggested required materials before you start:
- Garbage bags
- Oven cleaner
- A big container or box to store the grills for a few days until the oven cleaner express its magic
- Safety gloves & glasses.
Steps:
- Going to a well-ventilated place, spray up your grates, keep their inner garbage bags, then close the bags airtight.
- Let them for a few days in a warm place are careful about children & pets.
- While the rust has gone out, wash the cast iron with soapy water.
Tips& & tricks to stay clean cast iron grill grates longer:
- Clean the surface, taking a little time when your grill grates are freshly cleaned.
- When the grill grates are a bit warm, apply hot, soapy water to clean it up. Food & grease will get out.
- After washing, wipe it with a sponge.
- If you notice food sticking, a re-season is required.
- If your cast iron grill grates are total, new seasoning is a must.
- Remind that first seasoning confirms the less chance of food sticking, easy cooking, with prevent rusting.
- Confirm the total dryness of the grates; use a thin after washing, don’t use olive oil, and cause stickiness.
- Oil your total cooking surfaces, but not too much to avoid stickiness.
- To perfect seasonings, heat it for an hour around 400 degrees Fahrenheit; May your grates no longer shine further after seasoned.
- Before using, let the grill cool.
Final verdict:
And finally, you must have learned – how to clean cast iron grill grates and clean rust as well.
As they’re too much vulnerable to rusting, the best option is to straight season them. This will help them to stay in great shape and improve their non-stick surface.
Hence if you have other ideas regarding it, drop a few lines to share with us. Also, you are welcome to write a comment below regarding your grates types, how you clean them, & if any questions for us!
Happy grilling!
