Giving this post a “bump” up in my blog because I used this method again yesterday to clean my burner pans (which thankfully weren’t as nasty as the FIRST time because this time I actually knew how to clean them once they STARTED getting nasty!)
Once again I was AMAZED at how WELL IT WORKS and at how EASY IT IS!
For those of you who haven’t tried it….you simply MUST. Period. One of the best tips I’ve ever found on Pinterest…and that’s saying a LOT!
This time along with the burner pans I put the actually BURNERS in too. (Yes, my stove is an electric dinosaur.) No surprise….they came out GREAT!
I have 3 words for you today: BEFORE and AFTER
These were my stove burner pans on Saturday. I know…..NASTY! What can I say? I cook…a LOT! Can you can tell which burner I use the most???
This shows each burner pan sealed in a ziploc bag with just a splash of ammonia poured into each.
I read this blog post over at The V Spot on Friday….decided to try this cleaning “trick” on Saturday, and you can see the results from Sunday! Less than 24 hours later with NO SCRUBBING INVOLVED, the cleanest my stove top and burner pans have EVER been! The ONLY thing I did in addition to what Vivienne at The V Spot did was used a little paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide to rub off some last little bits of gunk that needed the tiniest bit of elbow grease to get off. As a matter of fact, I think the baking soda/peroxide paste actually “polished” them a little and restored some of their original shine.
I was HIGHLY SKEPTICAL of this….but figured I’d tried everything else under the sun to get these things clean with no success…might as well give this one a whirl. SO glad I did! Now it’s YOUR TURN….I dare you to prove me wrong! :-)
I had ordered new stove burners before I tried this the first time I saw it posted on Pinterest and was amazed how the gunk just rinsed off. the most amazing post on Pinterst so far…
Karen…I did the same thing! They cost like $30.00! What a waste. ugh. This is not only MUCH cheaper…but virtually NO work! Amazing is right! :-) Thanks for leaving a comment!
You have the most amazing blog! I adore you!! Pure genius :) I look forward to reading your blog every day!
Did you use the ammonia before or after the ammonia step? And are the burners wet or dry when you add the splash of ammonia?
Sorry, that should have said— Did you use the ammonia before or after the HYDROGEN PEROXIDE step? Also are the burners wet or dry when you add the splash of ammonia?
M.Kurdziel…You are amazing yourself! :-) Thanks so much for the kind words. I LOVE that you love the stuff I post. Makes it all worthwhile. Hope you keep coming back!
Anony….I just threw those nasty pans in the baggies…gunk and crud and all. I didn't do anything to them. Then I literally just poured a "splash" of ammonia into each bag and zipped 'em shut! I would estimate each splash was about 3 tablespoons?? Didn't touch them til the next day. That is when I used a little bit of the baking soda peroxide paste to get off only the smallest bits of gunk left. The rest literally slid off when I rinsed and washed them in the sink. Hope this helps!
I remember my mom using ammonia to clean her oven. She put a bowl of ammonia on the lowest oven rack with strips of cloth from the bowl to the bottom of the oven. She would leave overnight and literally wipe the oven clean the next morning.
I have used this trick before except with the racks out of the oven placed in a garbage bag outside overnight. I had forgotten all about it! I will try for the stove pans, I have scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed on those. It is a horrible job.
I assume this will work for the rings that go on top of the pans, too?
I was just wondering the same thing.. have you tried this and did you use this method on the little ringy thingys.. lol let me know!! doing this tomorrow (after dinner is done of course) :)
…I've been staring at my stove lately and thinking that it's time to scrub these suckers! I'm seriously going home tonight and trying this. :) EXCELLENT/USEFUL post :)
Did I misunderstand? Did you also put the electric coils into bags with the "slash" of ammonia?
gamer39….it IS a horrible job! ugh. I've heard about the trash bag thing…might be on my list next. I have been staring at my OVEN a lot lately (like you melissamevans) and thinking…it is time. It is WAY overdue actually. Been psyching myself up for it for a couple months actually. lol. I've just gotta bite the bullet.
Cottonpickinfarm….I don't believe you misunderstood…except for the "slash" part. I said a "splash". :-)
Thanks for the shout out! I am so glad it worked for you. I think it is the best. thing. ever!! :)
No doubt about it Vivienne! Thank YOU for sharing with all of us!
What about gas stove rings and bits and pieces? Do you think it would too for this?
Leanne….definitely! Should work great on those too!
This is ahhh-mazing! I did this last week for the drip pans and burners and I could not believe how miraculously this works! I don't know how many sets of drip pans I have bought in the past because I couldn't get them clean. Ten stars for this tip!
Where do you buy ammonia from ?
Would it be safe to use ammonia on gas burners?
you can put the pans and the oven racks, if you want to, in any type plastic bag…i.e. garbage can liner…you can also put ammonia in a glass bowl or container and sit in the oven…over nite…or maybe for several hours that you are out of the house. the longer the better…gunk will wipe off. Be careful not breath in the fumes…Wear rubber gloves (when wiping out the gooey gunk…I use paper towel the first round and have a handy dandy WM sack ready for disposal)…and you would NOT and should NOT turn the oven on.
Wonder how this method would work on iron skillets with the incrusted grease on the bottom or do you think it would ruin the skillet?
Yes, never use caustic chemicals on iron skillets. I have been told not to even put them in hot soapy water. It will remove the seasoning on them that makes them non-stick. I use just lots of HOT water to wash my out with. Then place back in warm oven to dry off, no rust and ready to use next cooking session.
When you get gook stuck to the cast iron or made something and the cast iron held on to the flavors: Put the pan back on the stove, fill 3/4 with water and bring to a boil. Let it bubble for a few minutes, then turn it off . Using a pot holder, pour the water down the drain and wipe the pan with a clean cloth. The dried up crud wipes out, the stench is gone and your pan is clean. It should dry almost instantly because of the heat from the pan. If not, put it inside a warm oven to dry. My Grannie taught me this and I use her pans from 1930′s daily.
To re-season your pans, simply take a paper towel or two and pour a small amount (approx. 1-2 teaspoons) of vegetable oil and smear all over the inside of your pan. If you like, you can cover your pan with plastic wrap or foil before storing; I just place mine in the oven so that dust doesn’t accumulate in it while not in use.
Wonder how this method would work on iron skillets with the incrusted grease on the bottom or do you think it would ruin the skillet?
My Husband cooks with iron skillets all the time. He found an old iron chicken fryer at a swap meet that had a bunch of gunk on the outside of the pan and it was deep! He accidently got rid of it when he used the pan on an open campfire. It was in the flames. I guess it is the same thing as putting the oven on self clean. It turned all that gunk to ashes! Brushed right off!
I think the only thing is that under the pic with the zip lock it says something about them being in there with a splash of ammonia. Guess that is all you do and leave it for a day or so.
I use oven cleaner. Just spray it on let it sit in a Baggie over nite and wip
Clean in the morning. I use that for my burners and also my grill grates. Never used ammonia but oven cleaner. And walla.
This is amazing! I cook so much, but have never had an effective or cost effective way to clean my stove top. This works like a charm. Already sharing with friends, thank you!
I am so going to try this! The garbage bag idea got me thinking about my grill. It should work for the grate, right?
I did try this, but it did not work for me sadly. It did help, but it did not clean it as the phtoso show.
Hi, Jill. I have a question I hope you can answer. It isn't about burners or burner pans but the area *on the actual stovetop* around the edges of the burner pans. We live in a rental house, and no matter what I've tried, I cannot get the burned-on grease off the stovetop. Any ideas? Thanks!
Have you tried this?
http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/2011/08/my-kitchen-miracle-cleaner.html
Thanks for this, wish I had known about it years ago. Great results.
Use a Mr Clean Magic Eraser…works like a charm :)
any idea if this works well with a grill rack? I think I heard that somewhere.
worked like a charm. Even got off the stuff that I could not scrub off.
grill rack?? most definitely!! Just put it in a large garbage sack and tie real tight. :-)
kris….yay!! thanks for sharing!
Ummm, I did this with my silver drip pans and now they are grey with rust stains. I am going to have to replace them. Not sure if you are only supposed to do this with black one but I would not recommend for silver ones.
Yep- should have read this first. I ruined my silver ones just now.
I did this on my black stove top that doesn't have the removeable drip pans. It is very odd shaped and I didn't have any lids, plates or bowls that would fit over them to keep out the amonia smell. Sooo, I put the amonia down then taped saran wrap over the whole area and it worked like a charm. ;) Works great for the inside of the oven too, just put the amonia in a bowl and let it set in there overnight.
Love this easy way to clean – have been doing this for a while. My drip pans are too big for a bag so I lay a paper towel on and soak it with a little ammonia and cover with plastic wrap Somebody asked about a cast iron skillet – I tried this and it didn't harm the skillet. I had purchased one at the thrift store and it was nasty. The ammonia helped with a lot but I finally put it through the oven cleaning cycle to get it completely clean
What about for the grills over the burner on a gas stove? Do you think it would work for that too? -jayme
OMG~~ i have had my 5 burner stove for 10 years, and I could never get it spotless~ So I bought ammonia today and tried this suggestion~~I started at around 330 pm and I am so inpatient that I couldnt wait until tomorrow to let it do its own magic, but with that said IT ACTUALLY WORKED!!! my grates were burnt on ugly mess~ It seemed like it wasnt working so I doubled the plastic bag and it started condensation in the bag almost immediately. A little elbow grease and wala it looks brand new. MY MOM COULD NOT BELIEVE IT!! BUT beware open the bags quickly and have the water running because it is POTENT. cant wait to try some of your other remedies.
OH I forgot i did put the ammonia directly on the unremovable rings on the stove as well and covered with plastic wrap and they are sparkling clean as well.
Does anyone have any tips on stovetop cleaning? I can't put that in a baggie? HELP i have ground in stuff…..
Mr. Clean Magic Erasers – or vinegar & baking soda & elbow grease…
I have been putting my stove racks in the bathtub overnight with the ammonia. works great on these.grease just slips off
I bet this would work on those nasty barbecue grates too !
I just love the imaginative can-do ideas! Using plastic/Saran wrap….brilliant! :-) Thanks for sharing!
We tried this and it did not work at all. I noticed we have the shiny metal burner pans not the black shiny ones. Maybe that is why it did not work.
I just dumped all of my stove burner rings and drip pans in the sink and covered with a little water and added 1/2 cup of the ammonia. They came clean in a couple of hours. Yes, it would smell but it didn't bother me. I just stayed away.
I cook a lot also and I am a very messy cook. I am going to try this tonight when I can let them set overnight. I hate cleaning my burners and they never come clean…Thanks!
I tried this on my grill. Just use garbage bags and spayed them off with the garden hose. Worked wonderfully!
re: the iron pan – if you're meaning cast iron, it's highly NOT recommended to use anything harsh or caustic on it. Cast iron is very porous and you don't want any ammonia absorbed into the pan to leech into your food. If you have gunk in the bottom of a cast iron pan, warm it a little bit and pour a quarter cup of salt in the bottom of the pan, then scrub with a damp rag. Salt makes a better abrasive than baking soda for cast iron in my experience. Depending on how much you need to scrub it, you may need to reseason it… Just bear in mind, if you're new to cast iron, that you DO want some "buildup" of oil on the pan to keep foods from sticking.
I cant wait to try this!!! Ive never been so excited to clean these…lol
Do you think this would work on the silver/metal colored burner pans?
Amazing! So you took 24 hours (one whole day) off from cooking! ;) Thanks for sharing! I no longer have coiled stovetop but wished I had done that 20 years ago (hated using foil wrapped)!
Anony…March 19…if by your comment you are insinuating that I just bought NEW pans and took pictures of them and CLAIMED I cleaned them, then you are dead wrong. Those are THE SAME pans in both pictures. If you were NOT insinuating that…I apologize.
Cynthia…yes I had to take 24 hours off of cooking…sacrifices have to be made. ;-)