Can cast iron grates be washed in the dishwasher?

cast iron grates Cooking food on an electric or gas stove will certainly result in contamination of the latter, no matter how carefully the housewife acts. But if an electric stove is easy to clean with a sponge and a special cleaning gel, then with a gas stove the situation is more complicated. There is a cast iron grate on the gas stove, to which grease mixed with dust sticks tightly. It is difficult to wash it without making enormous efforts, which is why housewives ask: is it possible to wash cast iron stove grates in the dishwasher? We'll figure out.

What will happen to the bars?

This question requires two clear answers: either it is possible or it is not. To give any answer, you need to be completely sure. PMM manufacturers do not recommend washing cast iron cookware in a machine, but not a word is said about cast iron grates. Following simple logic, we draw a simple parallel between cast iron cookware and cast iron grates. It turns out that since the grates are made of cast iron, they cannot be washed.

Somehow everything is unconvincing. Moreover, on the forums housewives swear that they wash cast iron grates in a machine and nothing special happens to them. To form a firm point of view on this issue, we decided to conduct an experiment. In the garage of one of our specialists there was an old, out-of-date Soviet gas stove with a good cast-iron grate. This grate was covered with a thick layer of old fat, but it did not have any external defects. The grid was placed in dishwasher Bosch SMV44KX00R, and the experiment began.

A Finish capsule was loaded into the tablet compartment.
An intensive washing program has been activated.
Upon completion of the wash, the program was restarted and the second capsule was loaded.

We spent almost the whole day running the dishwasher and as a result we saw that the grille began to shine. The layer of fat was completely gone, but a barely noticeable white coating formed on the surface of the cast-iron grate. The next day we put the rack back in the dishwasher and repeated the experiment. At the second stage, our task was to make sure that nothing special would happen to the grille after repeated washings. After the fourth wash, we saw small red spots in several places, these are signs of incipient corrosion.

During the experiment, we invariably used Finish capsules.

Of course, we expected that corrosion might appear, but not so soon. It should be taken into account that before our experiments, the grate served for 30 years in the summer kitchen, and then for another 10 years it lay idle in the garage, and there were no signs of corrosion on it. It turns out that after just 4 washes in the dishwasher, the rack began to rust; you can guess what will happen after 12 washes. The experiment could have been stopped, since it clearly confirmed the point of view of those opposed to washing any cast iron in the PMM.

Ways to get rid of dirt from the grate

soak cast iron grates We are convinced that you shouldn’t put the grate from a gas stove in the dishwasher, but what should you do with it, because it’s dirty, but you still don’t want to scrub it? Experienced housewives advise soaking the stove grate overnight in a solution with a high concentration of a fat-breaking agent. For example, Fairy, Anti-fat, Sif and others. Pour the product without sparing, add at least 3 tablespoons per liter of water and shake thoroughly.

Place the grill in a suitable container and fill it with a mixture of water and product.Overnight the solution will eat away the grease, and in the morning the grate can be lightly cleaned and it will shine. Practice shows that this method is suitable if the grate is not covered with a thick layer of old fat. If the fat has already turned to stone, then you need a better way.

Place the grate in a suitable container.
Fill it with water, to which we previously added 100 ml of vinegar essence per 3 liters of water.
Leave it overnight, and in the morning carefully clean it with a sponge and a small amount of citric acid.

You can even soak the grate in Radiant Bath, but experience shows that vinegar and lemon juice work better. From now on, try not to use the grille and wash it at least once a week, then you won’t have to put in much effort.

In conclusion, we note that we have seen from our own experience that cast iron grates, after repeated washing in the dishwasher, lose their appearance and become covered with corrosion stains. If you continue to wash the grille in the machine, over time it will all turn brown and begin to smear with rusty dust. If this doesn’t bother you, start washing, maybe the grate won’t crumble into dust. Good luck!