How to not clean your MES grates

[scubadoo97]

Just a warning to those that may try this. I usually clean my grates in the sink after use or before reusing. I had to do a self cleaning on my electric oven and decided to toss in two MES grates in there to clean as well. Figured they would come out all nice and clean.

All looked good until I went to wash the soot off. Most all of the chrome was burnt off exposing rusty ferrous metal. I knew they weren't stainless steel but most grates aren't. Bummer

 

[plj]

I almost did the same thing a couple days ago, but my wife stopped me. Apparently if men would read the directions (for the self cleaning oven), we would know that the self cleaning cycle will ruin the grates/racks.

And now I feel bad that I didnt think to put out a warning, maybe I could have saved your grates. :( Sorry.

 

[scubadoo97]

I leave the oven racks in when cleaning. It dulls the shine on them but the chrome doesn't burn off. The instructions to my oven say you can leave them n but it will dull them.

I was cutting some chrome shelves from a wine cooler yesterday to accommodate cigar boxes and the chrome was pretty thick in relation to the total diameter of the metal rods. Seems the MES chrome is very superficial

 

[gnubee]

I do mine in the dishwasher, works fine. Self cleaning ovens often exceed 600 degrees.

 

[gruelurks]

Chalk me up as one who did this in his gas grill. I actually forgot I was burning them off and when I came back a 1/2 hour later they were toast. :-(

 

[ronp]

Wow thanks I was going to do that. I have cleaned them on my gas grill, I guess I was lucky.

 

[rivet]

Sorry to hear that, man. My oven instructions say no grates, so I've never put them in.

 

[the dude abides]

Good to know. There was a thread here the other day telling people to put them in the oven. Thanks for overturning this...with proof.

 

[deltadude]

brillo pad and dishwasher.........

 

[heapomeat]

"clean your racks"?

what do these foriegn words to me mean?

I mean a brillo pad every 4-5 smoke to get the chunkers off, but heck I don't even wipe down the inside of my smoker but once a year.........or is that every 2 ?

 

[gnubee]

"clean your racks"?

what do these foriegn words to me mean?

I mean a brillo pad every 4-5 smoke to get the chunkers off, but heck I don't even wipe down the inside of my smoker but once a year.........or is that every 2 ?[/quote]


I'd like to know the answer to that one too because I don't do mine either. I clean the racks because they hold the meat and if ya don't the ribs get black yucky stuff on them. But the oven compartment is on its own.

Her lovliness spotted this once and now every once in a while when I open the door to the MES there it is all bright and shiny and like gnu . She is a regular Monica Geller about stuff like that. I don't try to stop her , cleaning makes her happy, who am I to judge??

 

[mballi3011]

I always just crank up the grill and let it get really hot and then take a scaper/ brush and brush off the grates bafore every uses. Now for the smoker I just wash them with a good stiff brush and let er rip. And smoke on

 

[hoser]

In all fairness to the thread the other day...I believe they specified it was good to clean cast iron grates. Not positive, but that's what I recall.

aw, geez...now I sound like a freakin' lawyer...just shoot me

 

[hoser]

Mea Culpa.....I just checked that old thread, and they mentioned cast iron, but did not warn off about chrome grates.

Sorry if I misled anyone.

 

[rambler]

I throw mine in the dishwasher after each use. Works great!

 

[scubadoo97]

No problem. Like I said I've always kept my oven grates in place when doing an oven cleaning with no problem. MES grates just won't hold up. Just putting out a warning.