Got home last night and the wife tells me that the new Ideal Steel has character. There are now grease spots in a couple of areas on the cook top. Butter was the culprit. She tried to clean up one spot, but it just smeared and made it worse. It is black paint and not very shiny, glossy, nor enamel-like. Any idea on how to clean it up? Or, should I just chalk it up to breaking it in and giving it character?
You've just started the "seasoning" process. Sounds like you're going to need more butter for the rest of the stove! Seriously, check out "cast iron fry pan myths" thread for advice on how to clean...if it works on cast iron, should work on your stove (although I think I'd try something else first). This may help? http://woodcookstovecooking.blogspot.com/2012/09/cleaning-woodburning-cookstove.html
Or ask Woodstock...... I don't worry about the cooktop on the PH. If anything significant spills, I clean it with a pretty wet dishrag when the stove is just warm. Otherwise I ignore it. But, the PH has soapstone that can be used to cover the cooktop, so appearance doesn't matter too much. The soapstone I keep clean...often cook on it, just clean with whatever is necessary for the spill. Very easy to clean. I used to have a cooktop with cast iron elements. A can of "stuff" came with it that restored the surface if any rust occurred from cleaning...I have no idea at this time what it was called, but it really worked. If Sears still sells a cooktop with those elements, I'm sure you could get the stuff from them. It just wipes on, and does not come off on pots or smell when cooking....
Oven cleaner will work, just dont leave it sitting on there for a long time or it can take off the finish. A little dab, and whipe it off. If its a stubborn stain you can let it sit for a few minutes. However, good ole lye (ash and water) will work just as well. The best combination in my opinion if you dont want to buy any oven cleaner is a teaspoon of ash to about 3/4 a cup of water and add in 1 or 2 drops of a dish soap(gives it more degreasing power), mix it up well and use a paper towel or some other absorbant/porous rag.
Yeah, flat and semi- gloss paints are really hard to clean and leave them looking new. Once the stove is cold, you could try regular dish washing detergent but the grease (butter) may leave marks still. Worst case scenario I think is that you may have to lightly sand and re-paint the surface in the summer.... and probably every summer if you cook on the stove much. The good news is that the top simply lifts off and so it is really easy if you do decide to re-paint it. Brian
