crusty cooktop burner pans

[GirlFriend]

I bought a house built in 1958 with the original cooktop stove -- an
O'Keefe and Merritt. The burner pans have so much baked on/*in*
grease and whatever, they are impossible to clean to the point that
they look like the stainless steel (presumedly) pans they once were.
They look predominantly black. I can get the surface clean but can't
get down to the stainless steel. I'd prefer to shine these up but all
attempts thus far have failed. I have used the "Astonish" tablets and
paste. I've used non-abrasive cleansers. Nothing. Any suggestions
for getting them clean and shiny?

Alternatively, any hot tips on where to get new ones? Each 2-set
burner has one fused pan with wells underneath each burner. If that
makes sense.

GF

[Vox Humana]

"GirlFriend" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:4294a8f8.352470956@news.ucdavis.edu...
> I bought a house built in 1958 with the original cooktop stove -- an
> O'Keefe and Merritt. The burner pans have so much baked on/*in*
> grease and whatever, they are impossible to clean to the point that
> they look like the stainless steel (presumedly) pans they once were.
> They look predominantly black. I can get the surface clean but can't
> get down to the stainless steel. I'd prefer to shine these up but all
> attempts thus far have failed. I have used the "Astonish" tablets and
> paste. I've used non-abrasive cleansers. Nothing. Any suggestions
> for getting them clean and shiny?
>
> Alternatively, any hot tips on where to get new ones? Each 2-set
> burner has one fused pan with wells underneath each burner. If that
> makes sense.
>

If they are stainless steel, cast iron, or porcelain coated steel, you can
use oven clean on them. I put mine in a plastic garbage bag, spray with
heavy duty oven clean (not the fume-free type which I find less powerful),
close the bag, and let them sit over night. You will be able to rinse away
most, if not all, of the mess. In truly stubborn cases, you might have to
repeat this. For areas that just won't come clean without a good scrubbing,
use some Barkeeper's Friend and a Scotchbright pad.

If the pans are aluminum, you probably won't be able to get them totally
clean and can not use oven cleaner on them.

[Phisherman]

As Vox suggests, use a cheap oven cleaner. Best to take the pans
outdoors and spray them there with your back to the wind. Wear rubber
gloves, be careful not to breathe the fumes, and rinse well with
water. Lye is toxic, a strong alkaline, will dissolve skin tissue,
and very soluble in water. Do not use oven cleaner on aluminum.

You can purchase new pans at Home Depot or here:

www.repairclinc.com

I have purchased numerous parts from this web site and had good luck
with customer service. They have good appliance cleaning tips too!

On Wed, 25 May 2005 16:37:08 GMT, me@privacy.net (GirlFriend) wrote:

>I bought a house built in 1958 with the original cooktop stove -- an
>O'Keefe and Merritt. The burner pans have so much baked on/*in*
>grease and whatever, they are impossible to clean to the point that
>they look like the stainless steel (presumedly) pans they once were.
>They look predominantly black. I can get the surface clean but can't
>get down to the stainless steel. I'd prefer to shine these up but all
>attempts thus far have failed. I have used the "Astonish" tablets and
>paste. I've used non-abrasive cleansers. Nothing. Any suggestions
>for getting them clean and shiny?
>
>Alternatively, any hot tips on where to get new ones? Each 2-set
>burner has one fused pan with wells underneath each burner. If that
>makes sense.
>
>GF