I've got a Blue Star stove with heavy cast iron grates and burner
bowls underneath. I cook a lot and inevitably get oil, sauces and
other gunk on the grates/bowls, which cooks on. I have tried running
them through the dishwasher but the oil seems cooked on.

Any suggestions on how to clean them up? I've read some folks use oven
cleaner in the normal way. I'm hesitant to put them in a
self-cleaning oven but that seems overly paranoid.

Or maybe I should just let them get gunked up, evenly glazed with oil
over time, and periodically wash the non-oils off in the dishwasher.
I bought the oven to cook on, not as a fashion statement. :-)

Thoughts?

"Chris Shenton" > wrote in message
...
> I've got a Blue Star stove with heavy cast iron grates and burner
> bowls underneath. I cook a lot and inevitably get oil, sauces and
> other gunk on the grates/bowls, which cooks on. I have tried running
> them through the dishwasher but the oil seems cooked on.
>
> Any suggestions on how to clean them up? I've read some folks use oven
> cleaner in the normal way. I'm hesitant to put them in a
> self-cleaning oven but that seems overly paranoid.
>
> Or maybe I should just let them get gunked up, evenly glazed with oil
> over time, and periodically wash the non-oils off in the dishwasher.
> I bought the oven to cook on, not as a fashion statement. :-)
>
> Thoughts?
>

Oven cleaner, self-cleaning oven, or just live with it. All are viable
options.

Far as I can tell, someone wrote:
>I've got a Blue Star stove with heavy cast iron grates and burner
>bowls underneath.

If you can get them outside in a plastic bucket, coat them with oven
cleaner and let it soak for a few hours, then hose them off.

Wear rubber gloves.

I easily saved some grates a friend was gonna throw away doing just
that.

On Thu, 11 Nov 2004 09:14:15 -0500, Chris Shenton >
wrote:

>I've got a Blue Star stove with heavy cast iron grates and burner
>bowls underneath. I cook a lot and inevitably get oil, sauces and
>other gunk on the grates/bowls, which cooks on. I have tried running
>them through the dishwasher but the oil seems cooked on.

Has it ever changed the flavor of any thing you have cooked?
Has it ever changed the texture of any thing you have cooked?
Has any soup "broke"?
Has any pasta failed to be cooked aldente?

If not.....would it make any difference?

"Chris Shenton" > wrote in message
...
> I've got a Blue Star stove with heavy cast iron grates and burner
> bowls underneath. I cook a lot and inevitably get oil, sauces and
> other gunk on the grates/bowls, which cooks on. I have tried running
> them through the dishwasher but the oil seems cooked on.
>
> Any suggestions on how to clean them up? I've read some folks use oven
> cleaner in the normal way. I'm hesitant to put them in a
> self-cleaning oven but that seems overly paranoid.
>
> Or maybe I should just let them get gunked up, evenly glazed with oil
> over time, and periodically wash the non-oils off in the dishwasher.
> I bought the oven to cook on, not as a fashion statement. :-)

The oils polymerize over time. Just like a seasoned cast iron pan. I'd
keep them out of the DW. If you really want them clean, the self cleaning
oven will probably do a good job for the surface, but not quite as good for
the polymerized oil. . You can soak them in an ammonia solution to get most
of the stuff off.
Ed