Holiday Meal Cleanup: Removing Tough Grease and Burnt-On Food from Your Stove Top

The holidays are all about gathering with family…and eating really great food. After working hard on meal preparation, the last thing you want to do is leave the fun to clean the kitchen—especially after spills, grease splatters, and juices have burned to the bottom of the pan or bubbled over in the oven.

But it must be done. So how can you relax and enjoy the holiday when the messy kitchen weighs heavily on your mind? If only you could tackle all the stuck-on food with ease. Fortunately, you can do it not just easily, but in an environmentally friendly way with the EarthStone Kitchen Cleaning Block! Use it to remove stubborn burned-on foods, stains, rust, and more from many kitchen surfaces. The Cleaning Block works on hot and cold surfaces and won’t clog like some sponges and scrubbers.

Glass Stove Tops

A glass stove top is one of the easiest to clean after a big holiday meal. In most cases, all you’ll need is a damp cloth to clean up. Sometimes, after pots have bubbled over or grease has splattered during cooking, the cleanup requires a bit more effort. This is especially true if any of that food landed on the burner. For easy, non-toxic, and chemical-free cleanup, use your EarthStone Kitchen Cleaning Block to get rid of it all. The Kitchen Cleaning Block is safe to use on most ceramic-glass cooktops but test a tiny area first just to be sure it won’t scratch.

If you don’t have an EarthStone Kitchen Cleaning Block yet, try using baking soda and vinegar instead of dangerous chemicals. These are often found in any kitchen, so they’re sure to be on hand when you’re ready to clean up. Just spray the area with vinegar and sprinkle the baking soda on top. Cover with a damp towel and let everything sit for ten to fifteen minutes. You should be able to wipe away the majority of the caked-on food with ease.

Gas Stove Tops

Most people who cook with a gas stove wouldn’t trade it for the world…until it’s time to clean up after a big holiday meal. The stovetop grates and burners can get in the way of even the easiest cleaning jobs, and stuck-on food can really get in the way of holiday merriment.

Many of the cleaning methods used for cleaning glass stovetops can help with a gas stovetop as well. First, remove the grates and the burner tops. Then spray the problem areas with vinegar and a sprinkling of baking soda. After a few minutes covered with a damp rag, those stubborn burned-on foods should wipe away.

You can also use an EarthStone Kitchen Cleaning Block to remove the mess on both wet and dry surfaces. Just apply a little pressure and let the EarthStone do the work for you. Then use a cloth or water to remove the residue.

As an added bonus, the EarthStone Kitchen Cleaning Block can be used on other things in the kitchen after a big holiday meal—like pots and pans, the oven, and even the stove grates. Just be sure to test a small area of the item you plan to clean to make sure it won’t get scratched.

Electric Stove Tops

Electric stovetops introduce a whole new level of difficulty, but there’s nothing you can’t handle. Once the stove eyes have completely cooled, remove the heating coils and set aside. If the drip plates beneath the heating coils are removeable, you’ll want to take those out, too. This makes cleaning the whole stove top much easier.

With the coils and drip plates out of the way, you can use several of the cleaning methods mentioned earlier, including the EarthStone Kitchen Cleaning Block to remove any grease or stuck-on food from the stovetop. Then you can tackle the coils and drip plates.

The coils aren’t as difficult as they may seem. Simply wash with soap and water, taking care not to get the plug areas wet. Set them aside to dry fully before you reattach them.

Some experts recommend sprinkling the drip plates with baking soda before pouring boiling vinegar over them. Then allow them to soak for thirty minutes. You should be able to simply wipe away the mess with a sponge. Or consider using the EarthStone Kitchen Cleaning Block on the plates to save time and effort—testing them first to make sure they won’t scratch as you scrub.

When everything is dry, reassemble your stove and go back to having holiday fun with your family.