The Wonders of Stainless Steel
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It is the preferred metal for use in commercial kitchens simply because it resists bacteria, and it is easier to clean. Plus, it resists moisture keeping rust away a lot longer than regular steel.
However, that strength does not make stainless steel impervious to grease. It will gather grease and let it sit there until you clean it up. It would be nice if this metal were perfect but since it isn’t you need to learn how to clean grease off of it.
To learn how to do that just keep reading our article. It has the information you need to know about.
How to Clean Grease off Stainless Steel
1. Cleaning Grease Before It Settles
By ‘settles’ it means that grease has not solidified and is still in liquid form. You may get away with using just soap and water. This method is simple to do as you simply mix a squirt or two of liquid soap with a degreasing formula in a small pail of water.
The size of the pail will depend on the size of your kitchen but do not go too small. Once the two ingredients have been mixed, take a soft cloth or sponge and dip it into the solution. An abrasive sponge can scratch this metal.
Squeeze out excess water and then wipe the stainless steel following the grain. Once you have finished wiping up the grease, rinse the cloth out and re-use it to rinse the metal. Then dry the stainless steel with a new soft cloth. Remember, always go with the grain.
This method should work for pots and pans as well. If you are cleaning them, you can let them air dry on the dish rack or a tea towel.
2. Cleaning Heavy Grease Stains
In this situation, the grease may have solidified and won’t be taken off by the previous method. When you face this problem, make sure to use a mild detergent that cuts through grease and hot water.
You may want to use gloves to protect your hands from the heat. Once you have mixed the two items, get a soft nylon brush, one that can be used for dish cleaning, and dip it into the mixture.
Like using a soft cloth, you scrub in the direction of the grain. Never deviate from that instruction. If you are scrubbing a pot or a pan, make sure to rinse it under hot running water from the tap and dry it with a soft towel.
If you are cleaning grease from a stainless-steel appliance or counter, wet a soft cloth with hot water and rinse. You will want to get all the residue off before you cook again.
Once you are done, the pot or pan can air dry, or you can wipe it dry with a soft towel. The method is up to you. For an appliance or counter, wiping it dry will be best.
3. Cleaning Burnt on Grease
This is usually a tough job as once the grease is burnt on, it likes to hold on tight. It takes a little elbow grease to clean this problem up and you need a powerful grease fighter to help you.
The first step to take is for you to mix equal parts of water and baking soda. You want to make a nice paste that goes on smoothly and easily. Once the paste is ready, put it on the burnt grease stain. Cover the whole stain and let it sit there for 15 minutes.
At the end of 15 minutes use a nylon brush to scrub the area. Again, go with the grain. You can use an old toothbrush as well. When the stain is gone, rinse the item either under warm running water or use a cloth to wipe the area clean.
You will need to get rid of the paste residue. If the paste did not do the trick, apply some undiluted vinegar to the stain and use a nylon brush or old toothbrush to re-clean the area.
After you are done, rinse with either running warm water or a damp cloth. Then dry with a soft cloth. When you are satisfied with your cleaning task, you are done, and you can move on to the next chore.
Some Final Words
Hot water is a great grease cutter. It will help cut the grease making it easier to clean up. You can use hot water in any of those methods to make your cleaning job easier to do.
The key is to go with the grain when you are working with any stainless-steel item. Appliances, countertops, and even pots & pans all have a grain for you to follow.
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