How to clean the burners on a gas stove
DOES the burner on your gas stove smell bad or does it sometimes have thick piled food particles stuck in between affecting the flame?
There are ways to take care of your gas stove burner.
Your gas stove consists of a burner assembly attached to a small gas intake valve on the front or top of the stove, which is in turn connected to the main gas line.
The best rule of thumb is to clean gas burners whenever the flame becomes irregular or exhibits a yellow color.
According to thespruce.com, there are ways that you can take care of your burners on a gas stove.
Below are some instructions you can follow to avoid clogged burners;
Read manufacturer's instructions;
Knowing what kind of care is best for your appliance will go a long way in protecting your investment.
The product manual that comes with your cooktop will help you know which areas are safe to remove for cleaning, making your job a much easier one.
The manual may even suggest recommended cleaning products (or products and ingredients to avoid).
Remove burner caps;
If you have an older cooktop with a standing pilot light, you'll need to shut off the gas valve before you begin. Many gas burners have a removable ceramic disc that sits atop the burner to diffuse the flames.
Beneath the caps, the burner head sits atop the venturi tube. Remove
the burner heads by lifting straight up. Take care not to bend or damage the ignition electrode if your stove uses this design.
Soak the parts;
Soak the burner heads and caps in a mixture of liquid dish soap and warm water for about 20 to 30 minutes.
This will help loosen debris that is hardened on.
Scrub burner heads and caps;
Using a non-abrasive scrub pad and an old toothbrush, scrub away food stains from all surfaces of the burner heads and caps. If debris remains in the port openings, use a straightened paper clip to dig it out, but take care not to damage the metal.
Don't try to dig around too deeply in the portholes, and never use a toothpick, as there's a risk that the wooden pick will break off and further clog the ports.For extremely stubborn stains, make a paste of half baking soda and half water. Apply it to the surfaces of the burner heads and caps, and scrub with a non-abrasive pad and toothbrush.
Rinse the parts;
Rinse all parts thoroughly under running water, shaking them to remove excess water, then drying with a cloth.
Allow all the parts to then air-dry completely before reassembling the burners. As the parts are drying, you can turn your attention to cleaning other parts of your stove, such as the grills and drip pans. The same soak-and-scrub method is a sure-fire way to clean these parts, as well.
Reassemble the burners; and
Once completely dry, you can reassemble the drip pans, burner heads, caps, and grills. On electronic ignition stoves, take care not to bend or damage the ignition electrodes as you reinstall the burner heads.
Relight the pilot lights
On stoves with standing pilot lights, follow the manufacturer's instructions for relighting the pilot flames.
Test the burners to make sure they operate correctly—any unusual flame color or shape may indicate that the burner heads are not completely dry, or that the caps are not seated correctly over the burner heads.
You must never use a knife or other sharp object to clean up hardened spills on your gas cooktop.
Gas stoves are speedier than electric cooktops, except when they lose effectiveness when a burner gets clogged.
A clogged gas burner will give off a weak flame or, in some cases, no flame if the burner is badly soiled.
ALUMECI Korobiau sticks to her budget when she shops twice a month at NewWorld IGA Supermarket in Suva.
This has been her practice as a single woman, a mother and now a grandmother ensuring that money is spent wisely and her family is fed well.
In her shopping list, the basic food items such as, sugar, salt, flour, eggs, toiletries and other items have to be bought every fortnight.
"At home for our basic needs, we would buy sugar, rice and salt plus other items.
We ensure that whatever is budgeted for we buy. "We only purchase whatever items we've listed to buy, and nothing out of it, she said."
She hardly buys frozen goods but instead makes use of the vegetables grown in their backyard gardens for their meals throughout the week.
"We are fortunate to have reserved land at the back of our house where we plant a variety of vegetables and fruits to supplement our shopping from the market," she said.
Mrs Korobiau and her husband have a daughter and a son who have their own families and have since moved out of their home.
They are looking after their granddaughter and ensuring she has the right food to eat is their priority. "We have been looking after our granddaughter ever since she was in year one.
She is now in year five and at our home, we make it a priority to have lots of fruits and vegetables with our meals so she has access to healthy foods.
Mrs Korobiau and her husband tend to their garden regularly as it is a means to save money and nourish them well.
"The price of living continues to rise in Fiji. “The money we would spend in buying chilies, bananas and other vegetables is saved because fresh produce is available in our garden and it is in abundance.
She is zealous in budgeting her money. Mrs Korobiau always has a list with her ensuring that she doesn't divert from what she has set out to buy.
"My advice to families is to budget your money when it comes to your shopping. It is important to make a list before you go out to shop.
"This is my ritual before I shop twice a month. Our spending should just be focused on what's needed at home.
"However, buying things out of your list is not a bad thing as long as it's not done regularly and when you have extra cash to spend”.