16 Reasons You Really Need to Do a Better Job Cleaning Your Grill
February 19, 2023
It always feels like summer when the backyard starts to smell like barbecue. Before you hop on and enjoy mouthwatering food, you should consider cleaning your grills. Cleaning your grill thoroughly will prevent foodborne illnesses and ensure that your barbeque will taste as delicious as it should.
Grill masters might want to assess the grill’s condition before starting to marinate, experiment with new recipes, and serve mouthwatering burgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob. They might unintentionally be offering mold, soot, and bacteria alongside those delicious ribs.
A well-maintained grill may prolong the life of this popular outdoor cooking surface for many more summers while keeping both the food and the grill master safer. Here are 16 reasons why cleaning the cooking surface thoroughly and on a regular basis should be one of your top priorities when grilling.
1. IT ELIMINATES BUILT-UP CARCINOGENS.
Even if you diligently clean your grill after each and every usage, over time carcinogens can accumulate on the grates and migrate to your food as it cooks. Of course, ingesting this substance could be harmful to your health. Cleaning your grill is one of the best ways to get rid of carcinogens from your grilled food, so do it properly after each usage.
2. CLEAN GRILLS LAST LONGER.
A grill can be costly, and if you don’t clean it frequently, you might find yourself replacing it sooner than you expect. Maintaining your grill on a regular basis will maintain it in great condition and ensure that it lasts years longer than if food residue, rust, or sauces are left on it without being scrubbed away.
3. IT’LL PREVENT BACTERIA FROM CONTAMINATING YOUR FOOD.
Why would you prepare a meal on a grill that hasn’t been cleaned, just as you wouldn’t cook on a pan that hasn’t been washed? The bacteria and germs that are attracted to a dirty grill can all go onto your meal and could make you ill. In actuality, the char that is left on grill grates creates carbon deposits that dirt and bacteria love to cling to. Even while the flames assist in killing certain bacteria, only cleaning will be able to completely eradicate it.
4. YOUR MEAT WILL TASTE BETTER.
Nothing compares to the flavor of a freshly cooked burger, unless it’s covered with leftover teriyaki pork chop marinade from the previous weekend. Cleaning your grill will improve the flavor of your food and take away any danger that it may have an off flavor or smell.
5. NOT CLEANING IT COULD ATTRACT PESTS.
For many animals, including mice, rats, and even possums, a dark, private place full of greasy leftovers and lots of space to sleep is the ideal habitat. Pests are less likely to pick up aromas from your barbecue and get together in search of food and shelter if you keep your grill clean.
6. YOUR GRILL WILL PERFORM BETTER AND HEAT UP MORE QUICKLY.
It will take a bit longer to cook on your grill if it is covered in sauces, food scraps, or debris that has stuck to it. In comparison to a filthy grill, a clean grill will heat up evenly and grill meats and vegetables more effectively.
7. FLARE-UPS MAY RESULT FROM EXCESSIVE GREASE.
The most crucial safety advice for grilling is to keep an eye out for flare-ups that could cause your food to burn. Even worse, uncontrolled flames might scald you or start a major fire. Failure to clean your grill could result in an accumulation of extra grease, which could later contribute to a flare-up.
8. IT WILL STOP THE RUST ON YOUR GRILL.
Ingesting huge amounts of rust from a grill can be dangerous for you and your family in addition to looking disgusting. By keeping your grill spotless, you can reduce the chance that rust will accumulate on the grates, warming rack, or burners and contaminate your food.
9. BY DOING THIS, SCALE WON’T CONTAMINATE YOUR FOOD.
Cleaning your grill entails not just cleaning the inside, but also paying attention to the exterior. Scale, a buildup of carbon and soot on the hood and sides of the grill, can leak into the interior and get on your food, which is neither enticing nor healthy.
10. ROUTINE CLEANING CAN HELP YOU IDENTIFY GRILL DAMAGE.
Cleaning your grill is an excellent opportunity to inspect the entire appliance and make sure that everything is in functioning condition in addition to getting rid of dirt and germs. If you maintain a regular cleaning schedule for your grill, you’ll be more aware of things like a cracked gas line or a peeling grill plate that you might not have noticed.
11. CLEANING PREVENTS MOLD GROWTH.
Mold may develop anywhere there is food and a damp atmosphere. So a dirty grill is the perfect place for it to do so. You can encourage the formation of mold when you cover a dirty barbecue to keep out dust and the outdoors.
Although eating food that has been exposed to mold is unlikely to cause you any major harm, it may make you ill or trigger an allergic reaction. Why put in the effort to prepare, marinate, and make burger patties only to eat burgers that are musty and stale?
12. IT REDUCES YOUR CHANCES OF CROSS-CONTAMINATION.
One of the main reasons for food illness is cross-contamination, which is simple to occur when grilling. Cooked food can get contaminated by juices from uncooked meat or bacteria from unwashed vegetables that stay on the grill grates. What is the greatest strategy to lessen the possibility of cross-contamination? Clean your grill before you use it!
13. YOU WON’T GET PERFECT GRILL MARKS.
Those sought-after grill marks—you know, the ones that give your dish the appearance of coming right out of a cookbook?—are more than simply pretty to look at. Additionally, they preserve liquids and delicious flavor, which makes grilling worthwhile. On the other hand, if your grill is dirty, don’t count on getting those marks: The lack of direct contact between the meat and the cooking surface makes it impossible to get a beautiful sear and perfect hash marks.
14. IT’LL SAVE YOU TIME IN THE LONG RUN.
Spend a few minutes cleaning the grill after your BBQ party while it is still warm but not hot. It won’t be too difficult to remove food particles at this semi-warm stage, and all you need is a metal grill brush. If you’re scraping off tonight’s dried-up food and carbon deposits, we guarantee that your grill maintenance will go far more quickly than it will the next weekend. In the long run, it will save you time and increase the life of the grill if you quickly clean the grill grate as part of your post-barbecue cleanup procedure.
15. YOU’LL SAVE MONEY ON FUEL.
Since a dirty grill takes longer to heat up, you’ll ultimately need to use more gas or propane to get it going. However, cutting back on or forgoing replacements and repairs results in greater cost savings. If you don’t clean the grill grates regularly, they might get so filthy and ineffective that you’ll need to replace them, especially before the in-laws arrive to stay for the summer. Like any equipment, a neglected grill will cost more to repair than one that is regularly maintained.
16. GREASE CAN BUILD UP AND RUN OVER.
Let’s face it, grilled meats generate a lot of fat and grease. The grates and burners won’t completely burn off the grease. Additionally, if your grill has a grease catch, it may overflow and fill up, ruining the surface of your patio or outdoor kitchen. Another obvious fascination for mice and other animals is fat or grease that has accumulated on the ground. Even worse, if grease drips onto the grill or surrounding it, there is a greater chance of a fire.
Green Army wants you to be able to get outside and enjoy your backyard the way you envisioned when you first bought that grill. We go above and beyond when it comes to our customers. The Green Army staff is available to answer your questions personally at 888.537.4555, Monday-Friday, 7AM-6PM. If this is an after-hours request, please just complete our contact form and we’ll get back to you the next business day.
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