Gas grill maintenance
If you want to enjoy your gas grill for a long time, maintenance and cleaning are two areas that are important. Here are our tips based on long experience with many different grill models.Â
1. Why grill cleaning is so important.
Cleaning your grill is just as important as washing your stove and car. In a grill, there is a lot of grease that splashes all over the grill, fat from what you are grilling, marinades and oils that drip, burnt food scraps, etc. In short, everything you put on the grill will also leave an imprint on the grill! At the bottom of all gas grills there is a grease collector, some models have their own grease cup, other models a grease tray.
How often you need to clean your grill depends a lot on what kind of ingredients you are grilling. If you are grilling mostly lean meats, such as pork, chicken and vegetables, you don't need to clean as often as when you are grilling hamburgers, marinated meat and ingredients with a lot of fat.
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2. Cleaning the inside of the grill.
To clean your grill in the easiest way, follow these tips:
Preheat the grill for 2-5 minutes first to soften the fat so it is easier to remove. Use gloves to avoid burns.Â
Brush the grates with a grill brush and lift them out.Â
Lift up the flame arresters and clean them with a sponge or microfiber cloth with mild soapy water (dishwashing soap).
If there is a lot of grease in the grill, it may be a good idea to take paper towels and wipe most of it away, or scrape it into the grease tray with a plastic scraper.Â
Then clean with a microfiber cloth or sponge and mild soapy water.Â
Remove the parts that collect grease (drip tray, grease cup and/or grease tray) and clean them.Â
3. Smart tip for the grease tray after cleaning.
When you are going to put the clean grease tray back in, a tip is to put aluminum foil on the bottom, then sprinkle odorless cat litter on top. The cat litter then has two functions, one is that it attracts grease that drips down and reduces the risk of grease fires. The other is that it makes cleaning easier. Take out the grease tray and put the aluminum foil and cat litter together into a ball and throw it away, and you have cleaned the grease tray in a couple of minutes versus standing around scrubbing it clean.Â
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4. Lack of cleaning can cause grease fires.
If you do not clean your grill regularly and leave grease and food residue in the grill, there is a high risk of a grease fire. A grease fire means that the grease in the grill chamber and the grease tray catches fire. This type of fire burns at a very high temperature that can cause permanent damage to the grill, as it breaks down the resistance of the metal. Therefore, cleaning is important to preserve the grill for a long time.
If a grease fire occurs, turn off the gas supply and disconnect the regulator. Leave the lid open and wait for the fire to extinguish itself. If there is a risk of damage to buildings etc., contact the fire department. ​
5. Exterior maintenance of the grill.
The grill should be cleaned on the outside at regular intervals as well, wiping off dust and dirt with a microfiber cloth and mild soapy water. If you are unlucky and spill marinades or grease, this should be wiped off immediately to prevent damage to the paint and the risk of surface rust.
Painted steel surfaces should be polished regularly, using car polish. If the grill is stored in coastal areas, the grill should be polished more often. This will protect the paint and preserve the grill's fine surface for longer.
If you have a stainless steel grill, it must also be cleaned and the surface should be treated with a thin layer of acid-free oil twice a year to maintain its beautiful appearance and avoid surface rust.Â