cleaning the cooker

[TimW]

This is an Aga. Years of fat and oil has been oxidised all over the enamel and chrome parts on the top to make a solid coating. In cooler places it's soft, very hard where it has been hotter and burned right off only on the very hot places like the hot plates themselves. How do I clean it off?

So far tried various 'dissolves grease' cleaning products and green scourers. Doesn't really work. A blunt table knife seems to remove the stuff without scratching the enamel too badly but it's very laborious. Is there a chemical solution? Even to soften it up?

TW

[Scott]

What about a steam cleaner?

[Mark]

Angle Grinder :) we have carbon steel frying pans (pub kitchen) and when the underneath gets caked in burnt on fat thats the only thing that will remove it with a grinder wire brush

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[The Natural Philosopher]

Scrap it off and then use wet and dry and buff with T-cut.

Or get teh whole top re-enamelled

Nope. Maybe a blowlamp would work

[The Natural Philosopher]

ROFLMAO. You have never owned an Aga have you?

[harry]

Sodium hydroxide. Dangerous stuff. Dunno if you can still buy it these days

You used to be able to buy it in a "jellied" form which you plastered on and left for a couple of hours and then washed off.

[spuorgelgoog]

Paint scraper

Stovax glass cleaner has been mentioned.

Owain

[TimW]

would nitromors do it?

[newshound]

I don't think even the old Methylene Chloride "Nitromors" will touch the worst of it. Boiling, strong sodium hydroxide solution probably gives you the best chance. Not recommended unless you are used to handling aggressive chemicals.

The lacquers from oxidised oils and greases are *very* chemically resistant. Otherwise you are down to mechanical methods (wire brush, sanding disk).

[lopt]

[ss]

Sodium hydroxide, (dangerous, 1 drop in the eye and you are blinded) I think this is what the `oven cleaner companies` use but in gel form to avoid splashes. it would help if the parts concerned could be diassembled and taken outside and soaked in a tray for an hour. Available on ebay:

[Brian Reay]

When were were students, a place we rented had a Baby Belling cooker. It was pretty grim when we moved in- various oven cleaners didn't really do the job.

I mixed up some strong NaOH sol., immersed the bits I could, and used a paint brush to apply the rest- covering it with kitchen roll and cling film.

After maybe and hour, I cleaned it all off and there wasn't a trace of old grease etc.

[DJC]

Or just buy it as 'caustic soda' at any decent hardware store.

[Chris Hogg]

But be aware that NaOH gets pretty hot when being dissolved, and can boil and spit, so there's a real risk of it splashing into your eyes. As a very minimum precaution, wear goggles, preferably a full-face visor.

[Tim+]

Have you got one of these?

Much better than a blunt knife.

As others have suggested, caustic soda may soften it up.

Tim

[newshound]

But only on reasonably flat surfaces. Great on ceramic hobs, but Aga hotplates are machined cast iron and the enamelled parts are not particularly flat.

[tabbypurr]

I've just been cleaning off kitchen grease today. Tried for the first time what I call public toilet cleaner on it - and it's pretty good. It's what's used industrially for toilets, available from janitorial supplies. Does not smell good.

If you're going to scrape it you need to use plastic, else the enamel will get trashed.

If using caustic I'd brush it onto the heated surface. DO wear eye protection.

Steam cleaners are good for some kitchen grease, certainly not all but it's probably an easy way to make some progress.

Whatever you use may need many soakings. Patience is better than wrecking the finish.

NT

[TimW]

yes, but the blade scratches the enamel. TW

[The Natural Philosopher]

nope

[The Natural Philosopher]

Even sidium hydrxide does not work on this.

I have had an aga for 14 years....