Grilling your food is a good option nowadays as it is reliable as well as regarding health issues as it requires a minimum of oil for cooking. Moreover, it is very convenient and portable and could be carried, be it any picnic or family gatherings.
Lots of grilling products are available in the market manufactured by different companies but Weber grills stand out in this crowd. Weber grills are a well-known company that makes various products made of cast iron grills.
Grilling grates are interlacing structures fitted on a grill. The majority of the grill grates are made up of cast iron as iron is highly durable and it can withstand much higher temperatures.
Steel grills are also used for this purpose but they are unable to withstand heat at such high temperatures as required for grilling. For this purpose, cast iron grills are best. But with any kind of grill, regular cleaning and proper maintenance are mandatory, so as to prevent them from rusting and keeping it functional for a longer duration of time.
When exposed to water, cast iron is prone to rust. Iron when comes in contact with water in the presence of air containing oxygen, a brownish substance called rust is deposited on the surface of the iron. Barely kept grills catch rust easily due to humidity in the air.
Grilling over rusted grill grates can impose serious health complications, mainly affecting a person’s gastrointestinal tract. So it is very important to keep your grills rust free.
CLEANING THE CAST IRON GRILL GRATES
- Burn off all the food particles on the grills after cooking. This will lead to easy cleaning of your grill grates in further process
- A wire brush having wire bristles made up of steel is useful. It acts as abrasive equipment for scrapping off rust or any burnt food particles from the cast iron grill grates.
- Several rust removers are available in the market, they are the chemical-based solutions which when applied on rust, react to form a barrier.
Caution: Rust removers involve the use of acids and salts that act as abrasive materials. Acids are corrosive in nature as they can cause burns and damage when coming in contact with the skin and can cause skin corrosion. Always use safety gloves to protect your hands while cleaning.
They may also cause damage to the eyes due to their acidic nature and hence protective goggles should be used and careful handling must be practiced.
- Apply the solution of rust remover over the cast iron grill grates. Leave it for 5 minutes as it is and then brush the grills with a wire brush, until the grill grates appear to be clean and the cast iron becomes visible. Rinse the grates with water and tap dry. Season the grills with vegetable or some organic oil and store to be used in the next season.
Clean porcelain grill grates on a Weber grill
Most of the cast iron grill grates are usually coated with a thick layer of white, vitrified, translucent ceramic material. A porcelain-coated grill grate is thereby a good option as it hinders and restricts moisture to come in direct contact with cast iron grill grates. Hence it prevents cast iron grills from rusting. But these coatings do have an unpleasant habit of chipping away, exposing the cast iron underneath to moisture and triggering the rusting process. Keeping this in consideration, it is very important to safely clean the porcelain coated grill grates so that the coating doesn’t chip off or break away accidentally during the cleaning process.
When cleaning porcelain grill grates, don’t use wire or metal brushes. Instead, use a nylon brush having soft bristles to keep the coating intact.
OTHER METHODS OF CLEANING
- Make a mixture of lemon juice and borax. Borax is usually used for cleaning purposes. Apply the mixture on cast iron grill grates and leave for half an hour. Now take a nylon brush and scrub it gently removing the rust residues from the grills. Rinse the grills with water. Season the grills and store for use in next season.
- Undiluted vinegar can also be used for cleaning the cast iron grill grates. Spray the vinegar if mild rust residues are present. Leave it for 20 minutes and scrub the grills with nylon brush later. Rinse with water and season the grills later to store.
SEASONING FOR PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE
Once rust is removed from the cast iron grills, season it by rubbing it down with a thin layer of vegetable oil, after every cleaning. Repeat the seasoning process at regular intervals to prevent the cast iron grills from rusting.
CONCLUSION
For a good grilling experience, cast iron grill grates is an indispensable apparatus. Steel grills are also used nowadays but they don’t provide you a wonderful experience as they are not as durable as cast iron grill grates. But grills made up of cast iron require constant maintenance and regular cleaning. You can use the above methods to clean your grills after use. Moreover, prefer using the grills having a porcelain protective coating on it to prevent your grills from rusting.
Happy Grilling!