The grill element is usually located at the top of the oven on the inside. That is, you can find it on the ceiling of your oven.
The grill element is quite important in any oven, and as long as it gets into the cooking process, it must be cleaned as well.
Leaving your grill element unclean can cause a lot of errors in your oven and in your meals. The oven, for example, can become smoky due to the dirty grill element.
And your food might taste smoke and might actually lose its original state because the dirty, smoky grill element keeps getting in its way.
Table of Contents
How do you know that your grill element is dirty?
It’s quite easy. As soon as you notice that it gets smoky each time you bake or grill, then it is time to get your grill element cleaned.
Meanwhile, you can know if your grill element is dirty if you haven’t washed it for over a month.
How frequently should you clean your grill element?
You should clean your grill element as frequently as you use it. If you are much of a baker, and it requires you to use the oven almost daily, then you may need to spare some hours every weekend to get the grill element cleaned.
It doesn’t take a lot of time! Once you know the right tools and process to follow.
However, if you are simply a homemaker who bakes or grills as often as you can, you may have to get your grill element cleaned twice a month.
You don’t have to clean the grill element daily. Sometimes, too much cleaning might destroy the makeup of the grill element.
How To Clean Electric Grill Element In Oven
What are the right cleaning agents you can use?
They are;
- Mild liquid dish soap
- Soft scouring sponge/pad
- Soft kitchen towel
- White vinegar
- Baking soda
- Oven spray cleaner
What you should do before cleaning
Before cleaning, ensure that your kitchen windows are open and the kitchen is well-ventilated. You don’t have to open the door, but you can if you want.
However, if the kitchen door is going to be open, then make sure the doors to the other rooms are shut to avoid the smell from the oven circulating around the house.
Also, ensure that the extractor fan is turned on as well. This will help you in the further cleaning process.
Steps to clean:
1. Clean with Oven spray cleaner
If you have one, then you should, first of all, turn on your electric oven to about 80-120C until the oven turns red.
If you aren’t familiar yet with the timing of the oven, you can set 10 minute watch time.
Turn on the oven for ten minutes, ensure that the extractor fan is on, and check the windows too if they are open. As soon as the oven turns red, kindly put off the oven.
Allow it to be warm before spraying the oven cleaner over the grill element. Spray generously until the whole region is covered completely with the oven spray.
Now grab your kitchen towel, soak it with some water and begin to wipe the grill element with it as gently as you can.
Make sure that the kitchen towel is soft because the grill element needs to make contact with only soft materials.
After you are done cleaning, turn on the oven again until it is red, then turn it off again.
What this action does is that it extracts the excess moisture from the grill element until it is dry.
2. Clean with mild liquid dish soap
This method is a two-way thing.
First, turn on the electric oven until it turns red, then you turn it off. as soon as it is warm, get your liquid dish soap and spray the grill element.
Note that if your liquid dish soap is in a spray can, then you may try this method.
If you have a spray can and your liquid dish soap is not in a spray can, then you can pour it into the spray can. So after spraying the grill element.
Allow it to sit for ten minutes. Afterward, grab a damp kitchen towel and begin to scrub the grill element gently.
Scrub thoroughly until all the blackness and debris are all out.
Next, wipe clean with a dry kitchen towel to get rid of the moisture.
Meanwhile, after cleaning, turn on the oven to also get rid of the excess moisture from the grill element. Then you can now use your oven!
The second method applies if you don’t have a liquid soap spray, you can turn the liquid soap into a bowl of warm water while you turn on the oven.
Make sure that the water is soapy. You may add vinegar at this stage if you wish.
When the oven turns red, leave it to cool completely this time.
Remove the grill element since it is detachable. Then soak the grill element for about an hour and a half.
The liquid soap and the vinegar will react by pulling out the dirt and greasy stains from the grill element.
As soon as the time is up, get your scouring sponge and begin to scrub the grill element bit by bit.
Scrub the intricate areas thoroughly. When you are done, you may now rinse beneath your tap. But it is more advisable to rinse with warm water because warm water kills germs.
Dry the grill element with a paper towel or dry kitchen towel. Put the grill element back in the oven and turn it on to dry.
3. You can clean with Baking soda
Baking soda is a fantastic cleaning agent. And when combined with vinegar, it does magic to dirty equipment.
So what baking soda does is that it helps to totally eradicate germs and dirt.
All you have to do after turning on your oven, heating it, and turning it off again, is to detach the grill element from your electric oven.
Leave the grill element on the cabinet and sprinkle some baking soda on it. Spray with white vinegar as well.
Allow it to sit for twenty minutes, then spray it with white vinegar and add some squirts of liquid dish soap to it.
Then grab your scouring sponge and begin to scrub the grill element until the blackened dirt comes out.
Rinse with warm water and white vinegar. Clean it with a dry kitchen towel and put it into the oven again.
This time, allow the oven to heat a little to remove the excess water from the grill element before turning it off again.
Meanwhile, you can put some quantity of baking soda into a bowl, and mix it with white vinegar until it turns into a pasty form.
Once that is done, rub the pasty mixture all over the grill element until it is fully coated. Then leave it on for about thirty minutes.
Spray again with white vinegar and let it sit for ten minutes. This time, spray with soapy water, get your scouring sponge or damp kitchen towel and begin to rub the grill element.
You don’t need to apply much pressure on the grill element because the dirt will easily fall off without stress.
After this, rinse the damp towel and clean the grill element again until there is no trace of a soapy smell.
Put the grill element back into the oven and turn on the oven. When it becomes red again, turn it off. Now your oven and grill elements are ready for use.
Can you use Ammonia and other bleach to clean the grill element?
Ammonia is highly inflammable. Even though you must have used it in cleaning other kitchen equipment in the past, please do not rely on the use of Ammonia.
Your grill element doesn’t need an inflammable cleaning agent to get it clean.
A simple liquid soap or baking soda can work magic! Avoid Ammonia and any highly chemical-based cleaning agents like bleaches. They can damage the grill element.
What about a steel sponge or scrapper?
Anything that produces high pressure on the grill element is not fit to be used on the grill element.
This is because the grill element is fragile and delicate such that once enough pressure is mounted on it, it can get destroyed on the spot or may not function as it should.
Now, this is due to the pressure that has been directed on it by the cleaning tool.
Do not apply pressure while scrubbing, and do not use steel wool or even plastic scrapers.
Conclusion
The grill element is easy to clean if you use the right tools and cleaning agents. Be careful when you are scrubbing the grill element.
Also, never forget to turn on the electric oven before detaching the grill element from it.
