Can cast iron grates be washed in the dishwasher?

Cooking on an electric or gas stove inevitably results in contamination, no matter how carefully you cook. While an electric stove can be easily cleaned with a sponge and a special cleaning gel, a gas stove is more difficult. A gas stove has a cast-iron grate, which quickly becomes clogged with grease and dust. Cleaning it without a tremendous amount of effort is difficult, so many homeowners ask: can cast-iron stove grates be washed in the dishwasher? Let's find out.

What will happen to the grid?

This question requires two clear answers: yes or no. To answer definitively, you need to be absolutely certain. Dishwasher manufacturers don't recommend washing cast iron cookware, but they don't mention cast iron grates. Following simple logic, we draw a simple parallel between cast iron cookware and cast iron grates. It follows that since the grates are made of cast iron, they shouldn't be washed.

It's all a bit unconvincing. Especially since on forums, housewives swear by washing their cast iron grates in the washing machine and nothing special happens. To form a firm opinion on this issue, we decided to conduct an experiment. One of our specialists found an old, worn-out Soviet gas stove with a good cast iron grate in his garage. The grate was covered in a thick layer of old grease, but had no external defects. The grate was placed in Bosch SMV44KX00R dishwasher, and the experiment began.

1. A Finish capsule was loaded into the pill compartment.
2. The intensive wash program was turned on.
3. After the wash was completed, the program was run again, with the second capsule loaded.

We ran the dishwasher for nearly a full day and finally saw the grate sparkle. The grease layer had completely come off, but a barely noticeable white film had formed on the surface of the cast-iron grate. The next day, we returned the grate to the dishwasher and repeated the experiment. Our second step was to ensure that nothing unusual had happened to the grate after repeated washings. After the fourth wash, we noticed small, rusty spots in several places—signs of incipient corrosion.

During the experiment, we always used Finish capsules.

Of course, we expected corrosion to appear, but not so quickly. It's worth noting that the grate had served us for 30 years in a summer kitchen before our experiments, and then sat unused in the garage for another 10 years, showing no signs of corrosion. It turns out that after just 4 washes in the dishwasher, the grate 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 who are against washing any cast iron in a dishwasher.

Ways to remove dirt from the grill

We've established that putting a gas stove grate in the dishwasher isn't a good idea, but what should you do with it if it's dirty and you still don't want to scrub it? Experienced home cooks recommend soaking the grate overnight in a solution with a high concentration of a grease-dissolving agent. Examples include Fairy, Anti-Grease, Sif, and others. Apply the agent generously, adding at least 3 tablespoons per liter of water, and shake thoroughly.

Place the grate in a suitable container and fill it with a mixture of water and the product. The solution will dissolve the grease overnight, and in the morning, the grate can be lightly cleaned, leaving it sparkling. Experience shows that this method works only if the grate isn't covered in a thick layer of old grease. If the grease has already hardened into stone, a better solution is needed.

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

You can even soak the grate in Sparkling Bath, but experience shows that vinegar and citric acid work better. In future, try not to neglect the grill and wash it at least once a week, then you won’t have to put in much effort.

In conclusion, we've learned from personal experience that cast iron grates lose their appearance and become covered in rusty spots after repeated dishwasher washes. If you continue to wash the grates in the dishwasher, they will eventually turn brown and become coated with rusty dust. If this doesn't bother you, just keep washing them, and hopefully they won't crumble to dust. Good luck!

   

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