How to Clean & Season Cast Iron Stove Grates

When's the last time you deep cleaned your cast iron stove grates?  Yeah. Me too. I avoid it like a wet kiss from a stranger because - what kind of suspicious character likes cleaning stove grates?  Not this one. 

I don't hate cleaning, I just resent it for taking away from my more important mess making time. I know there are those of you who loveeee cleaning, but if my choice is clean the stove or rip up all of my floors on a whim - I go with ripping stuff up 100% of the time.

Yes, I wipe the stove after cooking on it, but it's usually a half hearted wipe punctuated with several eye rolls and groans. I can admit that to you because you and I are as close as 2 people who do not know each other at all can be. 🤞🏻

Last week I did my once a year or so deep cleaning of the grates on my gas stove and am amped up enough with the results that I thought I should share my technique for clean cast iron grills.

It doesn't involve any chemicals or cleaners other than a bit of dish soap. 

WARNING: It's not as fun as ripping up a floor. (but the end result is pretty satisfying)

How to Clean Cast Iron Grates

Cast iron grates, just like cast iron pans, benefit from a bit of seasoning. It's the seasoning that makes cast iron non stick and easy to clean. The process just involves scrubbing it clean, applying a thin layer of oil and then baking the item in the oven. 

(You can also clean debris from grates by spraying them with oven cleaner and bagging them, but the fumes are horrendous.) And then you *still* have to season them.

See the difference you're going to get?  The top of the photo shows my uncleaned, unseasoned grates. The bottom are the portions that have been cleaned and seasoned.

Materials

Nylon scrubbing pad

Hot water

Dish soap

Drying towel

High smoke point oil (avocado, olive or vegetable)

Bar Keepers Friend (this is a GREAT gentle cleanser)

Instructions

➡ I'VE ALSO WRITTEN A TUTORIAL ON HOW TO CLEAN THE STAINLESS STEEL PORTION OF YOUR STOVE

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PREHEAT OVEN TO 176 C / 350 F

QUICK INSTRUCTIONS:

1. SCRUB
2. DRY
3. OIL
4. BAKE

1. Remove the burner grate you want to clean.

 2. Soak a scrubby with hot water and a drop of dish soap. Gently scrub the surface to remove any particles. 

3. If the scrubby doesn't clean the grime off of the grates entirely, use a bit of Bar Keepers Friend (a mild abrasive) to help with cleaning. Rinse the grates under water.

 4. Dry the grates with a clean cloth and then rub them with a paper towel that's damp with cooking oil. 

5. Place the oiled grates into a 176 C (350F) oven for 45 minutes.

6. Fit as much as you can onto a baking sheet and then put remaining pieces overtop. This prevents any oil drips from hitting your oven floor and smoking. You can also line your oven racks with tin foil to prevent it.

TIP:  No Bar Keepers friend around? Make your own mild abrasive baking soda paste by mixing 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water

You can easilyyyyyy see the difference between the grates on the right that have been scrubbed and dried, and the grates on the left that haven't.

So I wasn't lying to you when I said this was a satisfying cleaning job. The cleaning isn't much fun for me; it's hard scrubby work - but seeing the difference? That's the fun part. 

Hint: Leave your grates on the stovetop while it heats up. It'll make the stuck on crud easier to scrub off.

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TIP: You can put really dirty grates in a sink with hot soapy water for soaking first but this increases the chances of your grates rusting if you don't dry them properly.

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Blotchy grates

• Blotchy looking grates (even after cleaning) are caused by stains (tomato sauce is especially bad for this) and natural seasoning.

You can see the newly cleaned and seasoned grates above are still splotchy. That's because when you cook, grease splatters on your grates creating an impromptu seasoning.

You can make a point of really scrubbing these seasoned portions off of the grate if you want a brand new look but it'll make your job 3X as difficult.

OR you can see it as a patina, proof of kitchen adventures and prowess. 

Top tip

For an emergency quick cleaning you can clean some cast iron grates in the dishwasher - just know that this will remove some of your seasoning and can cause rust. 

Now that it's all cleaned up you're going to want to treat your stove like a piece of art for the next few days.  Once that honeymoon period is over for you, you can give this stovetop cast iron pan pizza a try.

Or of course - you can have some real fun and build your own pizza oven.