kettle cleaning tips

[Heyjude]

I only use the Easy off brand, i tried the Dollar oven cleaner. its weak at best.
I decide which is better based ont he gunk of the grill.
Sometimes the oven cleaner is not gonna cut it, no matter what.
Razor blades are way cheaper. I can scrape an average bowl and lid pretty fast.
i also use the Dollar store SOS pads. Way cheaper than true 0000 steel wool.
I reseve that for straight polishing of the exterior.
For grates and OT parts, i use my $10 harbor freight grinder with a wire wheel attachment.
Thats does amazing work in a short time..
At some point I plan to get a small buffer to do the gold bowls and possibly the legs.
OK, are we still talking about Kettles? Lol! 

[AnakiMana]

On a really crusty daisy wheel, where it has built up underneath and between the bowl and vent, I used a rag to cover the vent and then lightly hammered all over it to loosen the crusties. That also helped me fix the warped aluminum.

Sent via smoke signals from my Weber kettle

[addicted-to-smoke]

... I used a rag to cover the vent  ...

On the outside, so that the hammer doesn't maybe dent the vent wheel?

[AnakiMana]

... I used a rag to cover the vent  ...

On the outside, so that the hammer doesn't maybe dent the vent wheel?

Yeah, with the kettle turned upside down to access the bottom daisy wheels from the outside, I put a rag over the vent to prevent scratches and just lightly tap all over so as not to dent or damage the vent itself. So the hammer touches the cloth, not the metal.

Sent via smoke signals from my Weber kettle

[coldkettle]

Lots of great tips here!  Thanks for all the tribal knowledge guys!

[mike.stavlund]

Pez, I owe you a beer.  Having a razor blade scraper has made one of my favorite activities even more fun.  Faster, easier, more efficient.  And this one from the 'Zon has a great quick-change spring-loaded blade holder.  Magic.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002SR88C/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Thanks, buddy!

[salad]

I'm in the minority here and maybe I'm doing something wrong but the one time I used a razor blade scraper to begin with, it made very fine scratches in the porcelain.  Not really visible unless in direct sunlight and looked for but they were there and I haven't used the razor unless it's the last resort. 

I mainly use oven cleaner and let that do it's work for hours and sometimes overnight.  I then reapply and then scrape w/ a plastic scraper.  Then warm water, Dawn and a nylon scrub brush/sponge.  If after doing that twice and it's still not clean, then I carefully use the razor.   Basically, I won't reach for the razor first.  Only as a last resort or for trouble spots. 

[Metal Mike]

I have always relied on extreme heat (20# bag of Lump) then bare fingernails clawing @ the molten crust

[oil99]

My parents used habachi's when growing up with lighter fluid yummy! Now my primary is a ceramic kamado, have a fancy non-weber gas grill that has developed a complex and feels ignored and bought a jumbo joe for camping. Have a great gas version but love the charcoal cooks. So when you folks are talking about cleaning are these super old kettles or well used (potential oxymoron)  I would assume just filled and go nuclear it would burn off no? Again my kamado does that but only have about 5 cooks on the joe so just want to be prepared. And funny it's always a learning experience with a new q.


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[pbe gummi bear]

My parents used habachi's when growing up with lighter fluid yummy! Now my primary is a ceramic kamado, have a fancy non-weber gas grill that has developed a complex and feels ignored and bought a jumbo joe for camping. Have a great gas version but love the charcoal cooks. So when you folks are talking about cleaning are these super old kettles or well used (potential oxymoron)  I would assume just filled and go nuclear it would burn off no? Again my kamado does that but only have about 5 cooks on the joe so just want to be prepared. And funny it's always a learning experience with a new q.


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Welcome to WKC. After a certain point you can't just burn off the crud and hope it falls off. When it become pure carbon and bonded to the surface it's especially hard to remove. It doesn't really affect the cooking much imo but some people like their q's shiny and clean.

[Heyjude]

My parents used habachi's when growing up with lighter fluid yummy! Now my primary is a ceramic kamado, have a fancy non-weber gas grill that has developed a complex and feels ignored and bought a jumbo joe for camping. Have a great gas version but love the charcoal cooks. So when you folks are talking about cleaning are these super old kettles or well used (potential oxymoron)  I would assume just filled and go nuclear it would burn off no? Again my kamado does that but only have about 5 cooks on the joe so just want to be prepared. And funny it's always a learning experience with a new q.

I actually tried a torch to attempt to burn the carbon off.. No go.. Then I learned about the magical razor blade.. Best part, they're cheap! Oven cleaner is $5 a can, One blade is 20 cents..
No chemicals added to the environment. 

As for clean grills, I can't remember the last time I cleaned by daily cooker..

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Welcome to WKC. After a certain point you can't just burn off the crud and hope it falls off. When it become pure carbon and bonded to the surface it's especially hard to remove. It doesn't really affect the cooking much imo but some people like their q's shiny and clean.

[oil99]

Thanks guys looking forward to the day I have had enough cooks on it to worry about cleaning 👍


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[OoPEZoO]

For example.....I like to clean my daily cooker once a year or so. Not because I need to have it sparkling clean (it's usually filthy), but because I like to stay ahead of any potential rust, corrosion, or potential issues that might pop up. Last year, I cleaned it up and replaced all of the hardware with stainless steel fasteners. The originals were already beginning to show corrosion, and the grill is only 2 years old. Replacement parts get expensive. I would prefer to spend $6 a year on oven cleaner and razor blades 

[pbe gummi bear]

I'm in the minority here and maybe I'm doing something wrong but the one time I used a razor blade scraper to begin with, it made very fine scratches in the porcelain.  Not really visible unless in direct sunlight and looked for but they were there and I haven't used the razor unless it's the last resort. 

I mainly use oven cleaner and let that do it's work for hours and sometimes overnight.  I then reapply and then scrape w/ a plastic scraper.  Then warm water, Dawn and a nylon scrub brush/sponge.  If after doing that twice and it's still not clean, then I carefully use the razor.   Basically, I won't reach for the razor first.  Only as a last resort or for trouble spots.

Interesting. I followup the razor with 000 steel wool and those microscratches or whatever go away. I've done this so many times I didn't think they were actually scratches.

[Yuminator]

Yeah, I've scratched down to metal with a razor.