The Best Way to Care for and Clean Your Kitchen Cooktop

That shiny new cooktop is just begging to perform, but how do you create your gourmet treats and keep it looking so sparkly new? 

As it is with most things keeping up with the day to day messes and spills is going to be the best thing for your new cooktop. However, life get’s busy and some days you just don’t feel like cleaning up, we get it! Set some time aside every once in a while to give for new cooktop a good deep cleaning, and here’s how you do it. 

Gas Cooktop

Unlike Induction and Electric, Gas cooktops have a lot of nooks and crannies; and this can make cleaning day a lot more tedious. However, there are some tips and tricks we can share with you that will make this process easier. 

Of course wiping down your gas cooktop after every use is the easiest and most time efficient option. When everything is fresh and hasn’t dried on just yet your cleaning efforts will not will not require as much elbow grease. If you leave these messes go and prefer to do one deep clean less often, here are some ways to make that easier on you and your cooktop. 

1. Fill your sink with hot water and some dish soap.

2. Remove the grates and burner covers (if you have them) from your cooktop and set them in the hot sink water to soak. This will help get all that cooked on food off. Leave them in there while you clean the rest of the surface. Just be sure that your burner covers are REALLY dry before you put them back on your stove. You could ruin your igniters if you don’t, and that’s a much bigger mess than a boiled over pot. 

3. With the same hot water and dish soap mixture in a clean bowl, use a mesh pad or a rough sponge to scrub on and around the burners. You can use a toothbrush to get into all the corners. 

If you have food and mess clinging onto anything use a plastic knife or spatula to scrape them off. Do not use metal on your cooktop. This could leave behind unsightly scratches and damage your appliance.

4. With clear and clean water rinse them off and allow them to dry. 

5. If you still have residue left behind create a paste using 2 parts baking soda 1 part water and scrub that paste on your trouble spots with a damp cloth. 

6. After everything has been scraped and scrubbed thoroughly wipe all the debris, soap, and paste away. Leaving any residue behind can damage your cooktop surface. 

7. Now revisit your soaking grates and follow the same instructions as you did with the cooktop surface.

8. Before you put everything back together be sure to check the burner holes for food or anything else that might keep it from working at its best. Use a pipe cleaner or a file wire to clean anything off and you’re good to reassemble your gas cooktop. 

What Does a Professional Chef Use?

“For stainless steel tops I use a mix of vinegar and water for the nooks and crannies. For tough burnt on stains I will use baking soda, and vinegar by making a paste and letting it sit and then scrubbing. Occasionally I will use Goo Gone for stubborn caked on stains.” – Chef Kathy

Electric & Induction Glass Cooktops

Unlike gas, smooth glass top electric and induction cooktops don’t don’t have as many parts and corners to clean. In addition to the already easy cleaning process we have a few tricks up our sleeves to make cleaning up after cooking even easier if you have an induction cooktop. 

Before You Begin:

There are specific cleaners you can use on your glass cooktop. So when shopping for a cleaner be very certain that you’ve picked up one that will be safe to use on glass cooktops. If it doesn’t say so, stay away. Lot’s of brands will come with a sponge that is safe to use on your top as well. Just using any old sponge could be dangerous to the surface. A sponge that is too rough could scratch your top and make it look hazy instead of sparkly clean. Steel wool is off limits! Don’t use any glass cleaner either. We get it, it makes sense since it’s a glass top, but the ammonia in glass cleaner is too strong and can damage your top.

Always wait until the top is completely cool before beginning any cleaning. Even though induction tops are quite cool even immediately after cooking, it’s best to be on the safe side. 

For tough burnt on spots you may have heard that it’s safe to use razors to scrape off the cooked on bits, harsh sponges to scrub off stuck on spots, or even a magic eraser. These are all bad ideas. The razor could gouge your top or (like the harsh sponges) will leave behind small scratches in the top that will make it look hazy over time. 

Here are four simple steps to make your cooktop look great. 

1. With a damp paper towel wipe down the whole cooktop and get rid of any loose food debris. This is a good time to try to scrap those big chunks of cooked on food gently with your fingernail. Don’t worry too much about getting everything up. We’re about to bring in the big guns to help you with that. 

2. Whether you have a spray on cleaner, wipes, or liquid that squirts onto the top apply that next. Use your glass top approved sponge or microfiber cloth and start scrubbing gently in circles until all stains and messes have been scrubbed off. 

3. Use a new or cleaned cloth or glass approved sponge and buff the cooktop until sparkly clean. 

4. If you still have some spots stuck on repeat the process. 

What Does a Professional Chef Use?

Here is where you can find the products that our good friend Chef Kathy loves to use on her own glass cooktops. 

With these techniques and regular cleaning your new appliances will make your meals taste like a five star restaurant, and they’ll look brand new longer and keep functioning at their best.

Download the Kitchen Design Guide to ensure your kitchen remodel is a success!

SMART PEOPLE MAKE SMART CHOICES

Our goal with these pieces is to help you get the information you need to make educated choices for your home and family. If you’ve found this helpful, share it with others. If you have questions or would like to request other topics to be covered, please use the comment section below and we’ll make sure you get you the answers you need.