Cleaning Burned On Grease from a Stainless Steel Gasser

[mnavarre]

From here:

To passivate stainless steel at home without using a nitric acid bath, you need to clean the surface of all dirt, oils and oxides. The best way to do this is to use an oxalic acid based kitchen cleanser like those mentioned above, and a non-metallic green or white scrubby pad. Don't use steel wool, or any metal pad, even stainless steel, because this will actually promote rust. Scour the surface thoroughly and then rinse and dry it with a towel. Once you have cleaned it to bare metal it will re-passivate itself.

If you have straw-colored or bluish tinted oxides on the stainless from welding or soldering, it should be cleaned off with a scrubby and cleanser before use. The colored oxides are not passive and will lead to rusting of the stainless steel if not cleaned. You should not have to do this procedure more than once, but it can be repeated as often as necessary.

So Bar Keepers and a white scrubby seems like a good way to go. Maybe try a citrus degreaser before the BKF, which should be even more gentle. If you can't get the bluing off of the outside taking the lid off and soaking in a 20% nitric acid bath might do the trick. Obtaining Nitric acid is left as an exercise for the reader.

[fzxdoc]

Good info here! Thanks, mnavarre .

[FireMan]

Thanks PBC Whisperer aka fzxdoc for bringing this up. My gasser needs cleaning, but up here it’s going to be April or May.

[Nate]

I’ve been seriously considering a steam cleaner for home. While researching them I have seen some used to clean burnt on grease off of stainless kitchen appliances (commercial grade as well).

Can’t say I have tied it yet but curious if others have.

[aladdin4d]

I think I would try a gun cleaner like Break Free Powder Blast or Ballistol

[Old Glory]

Magic Eraser rubbed with the grain of the stainless steel?

[AmosMoses01]

I’ve been seriously considering a steam cleaner for home. While researching them I have seen some used to clean burnt on grease off of stainless kitchen appliances (commercial grade as well).

Can’t say I have tied it yet but curious if others have.

Great thread! I have to admit to never really deep cleaned my Genesis, and it is in great need of a deep cleaning. After talking with a guy who does high-end car detailing (complaining about how I struggle to get my truck's windshield free of the stuff that gets deposited on it from outgassing of the plastics inside the vehicle), he introduced me to the thought of steam cleaners. He told me that is what he uses to glean glass inside vehicles, as well as things like ... outdoor cooking gear.

I've been noodling on this https://www.amazon.com/Vapamore-MR-1...9544521&sr=8-1 and https://www.amazon.com/McCulloch-MC1...web_2596302011. Not cheap, but to be able to have a tool that makes easier work of baked on / cooked on grease, as well as cleaning mildew out of grout, and of course car glass ... that is very tempting.

[fzxdoc]

Meathead recommends a portable steam cleaner in his article about cleaning grills. Here's the link: https://amazingribs.com/portable-steam-cleaner

Kathryn

[AmosMoses01]

Thanks Kathryn! I haven't pulled the trigger on getting one yet, but spring (and spring cleaning) is just around the bend. Here in central Texas we had a bout of 30 degree days, with back in the 70's by Monday!

[barelfly]

Cooks Illustrated published an article in this months magazine regarding cleaning solutions. They say sodium carbonate is potent and has been used for centuries. They describe making your own from a box of baking soda and baking it in a glass baking sheet at 300* for 90 minutes.

Then create a solution of 1 cup powder with 2qts of water then to sponge on and watch the grease melt away. Also mention to use gloves and glasses as a disclaimer, although they say it’s safe. They also say not to use it on fiberglass, aluminum or waxed/varnished surfaces.

[IowaGirl]

The pH of a sodium carbonate solution is around 11.5 compared to sodium bicarbonate pH of about 8.5. Washing soda will be drying and possibly irritating to the skin. For brief exposure, gloves are probably not needed, but if you're going to be scrubbing away for awhile, gloves would be a good idea. It is definitely not something you want in your eyes, so it would be wise to use eye protection.

[mnavarre]

Gloves. Safety glasses. Always. 11.5 pH is starting to get into some pretty nasty territory. Like "turning organic matter into soap" kind of territory. Granted, Sodium Carbonate isn't nearly as bad as say, Sodium Hydroxide, but you like having skin and eyes, yes? Gloves. Glasses. Always.

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, barelfly, IowaGirl, and mnavarre for this information and for the recommendation to use safety glasses and gloves.

Kathryn

[Larry Grover]

This from MAR/APR 2019 issue of Cooks Illustrated. I read an article one time that used this stuff to make a new t-shirt look 20 years old.

[Bighorn Dave]

Here are some links to the products I use that where recommended to me on another site. I tried them with some reluctance and came away very surprised how well they work. I have the MAK 2 star which uses marine grade 304 SS so it can withstand harsh chemicals. Not saying these are harsh but I would want to know what material I have before using or find a spot that you can test on.

https://www.amazon.com/Muscle-Oven-Grill-Cleaner-Ounce/dp/B0061V6XYO/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1549626077&sr=8-3&keywords=mr+muscle+oven+cleaner

For heavy grease.

https://www.amazon.com/SPARTAN-SD-20-All-Purpose-Cleaner/dp/B004PKNTCM/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1549626115&sr=8-5&keywords=sd-20

For lighter cleaning needs.

https://www.amazon.com/Sheila-Shine-461216-Stainless-Cleaner/dp/B0013MV1BG/ref=sr_1_2_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1549626181&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=sheila+shine&psc=1&smid=ATZ61JQHZC6XB

For final shine and protection.
The Mr. Muscle works much better if the area being cleaned is very warm to the touch but not so hot you can't touch it. I run my grill up to about 90* / 100* interior temperature and then shut it off to cool for a few minutes depending on ambient. Again very warm to the touch but not so hot you need to remove your finger before it feels like it is burning.

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, Bighorn Dave . Weber says specifically not to use oven cleaners, so I may skip that one, but the others look promising.

Kathryn

[NapMaster]

fzxdoc Whatever happened with your cleaning dilemma? Did anything work well for you?

[fzxdoc]

I'm still in the weeds on this, NapMaster . I soaked a cloth with Citru-Solve and left it on the area for 6 hours. Then I scrubbed with a non-scratch pad that I use for my big ceramic cooktop. It took off some of what I would call Level 1 cooked-on grease but not the dark, heavier stuff.

So I'm sort of at a loss as to whether I should move on and use some of the heavier duty stuff that, say, Bighorn Dave recommended (one of which is oven cleaner which Weber recommends against) or just learn to live with it. I don't think it's going to come off without some serious abrasive/strong chemical action.

Kathryn

[NapMaster]

Thanks for that update. I've been casually working on some grease/smoke deposit on the backside of my gas unit (stainless). I've tried engine degreaser and carburetor cleaner. The degreaser had some effect. The carburetor cleaner has no effect. If I find some magic dust, I'll surely update. Have a great weekend.

Rhett

[fzxdoc]

Thank you, Rhett ( NapMaster )

K.

[Bighorn Dave]

Kathryn have you attempted to learn what grade stainless you are dealing with? if by chance it is 304 it can handle pretty much anything you want to throw at it. Lower grades of stainless have varying degrees of ferrous metals in them and thus react to chemicals differently. It may be worth the effort to call Weber and ask which grade of stainless is used on their product. Once you know what grade it is you can easily research that grade and learn what it can and cannot handle. Manufacturer warnings tend to stay on the very conservative side for liability concerns alone. Just my $0.02

[fzxdoc]

Thanks, Bighorn Dave , for the thoughts. I'll give Weber a call today. I can't believe they'd make their Summit gasser parts out of lower grades of stainless steel, but one never knows.

Kathryn

[jfmorris]

I find that entire thing in the original post suspicious, where Weber says to use no abrasives on their stainless grills, otherwise you risk pitting. I've got lots of stainless around here for my brewing gear, as well as things like the SNS, DNG, and various grill grates. Something made of solid 304SS won't pit, whether I scrub it with a scotch brite pad, steel wool, or barkeeper's friend. The lower grade 430SS probably is what they are talking about here, as it has higher content of iron.

All that said, you don't want to use a scouring pad or steel wool on the outside of that lid I imagine, as it will scratch up the surface possibly. I am not worried about that with something like the Drip 'N Griddle or my 15 gallon brew pots. They don't have a matte finish to worry about.

See if a magnet sticks at all to your Summit, even with a weak attraction, and that may tell us if it is 304 or 430 stainless. 304 it won't stick at all. 430 it will. And I know the new Spirit II and Genesis II lines are likely using 430. I hope the Summit is still using 304.

Oh - not sure anyone else addressed it, but the one chemical that WILL harm stainless is chlorine. It will break down the passivated surface. This is why I use acid food grade sanitizers like StarSan for my brewing, and not chlorine.

[NapMaster]

You are correct about chlorine and I don't think anyone mentioned it. If disinfection would have been the question, I'm sure it would have come up.

[jfmorris]

NapMaster I was not thinking of fzxdoc Kathryn trying to disinfect her grill, so much as making sure she knew not to throw Chlorox on there to soak, in an attempt to get rid of the stain on the top side of that burner cover.

[NapMaster]

I think I worded my response poorly. I wasn't trying to imply that you were discussing bleach because of disinfection. I was just saying that bleach might have been discussed early in the post if the subject was disinfection, instead of cleaning grease, etc.. I just need to keep my yap shut most of the time.

Rhett

[fzxdoc]

For sure a magnet does not stick to the SS in my Summit gasser.

I spoke with Weber to see what grade of SS they use and they say it's proprietary information and that a Weber grill is made with "a mix of stainless steels".

Kathryn

[EdF]

Look for the stainless chain mail cloths for cleaning cast iron. They works just as well on stainless.

[fzxdoc]

Really, EdF ? And it does not scratch the surface? I'm going to have to hunt one up.
Thanks.
K.

[EdF]

Yep, miracle thingie!