Comments on: But they're 90% hole!

Question: But they're 90% hole!

Diablevert — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:41:13 -0800

Kitchen Cleaning Gurus of MiFi: What's the best way to clean 1) oily gunk from between the handle and the netting of my all-metal spider, 2) a colander/strainer? Tips and tricks requested!

Wrinkles: I have no dishwasher. Hand washing only.
Also, re: the spider, an SOS pad was of course my go to, but it doesn't seem to get inbetween where the supports attach to the basket. This pic looks a lot like mine, though my spider's basket is a net or mesh rather than simply rings.

Also, at first I thought the gunk was rust, but upon closer inspection it seems to be a build up of partially plasticised oil.

By: MuffinMan

MuffinMan — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:47:43 -0800

Oven cleaning or bbq grill cleaning gel. Leave it on as per the instructions but preferably overnight. Then wash off thoroughly.

By: seanmpuckett

seanmpuckett — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 12:59:40 -0800

Every kitchen should have some of these scrub brushes.

By: hmo

hmo — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:17:27 -0800

For the oily gunk on the spider, I recommend dipping an old wet toothbrush into some Barkeeper's Friend and then scrubbing.

By: kmennie

kmennie — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 13:54:21 -0800

Possible solvents for that sort of crud: rubbing alcohol (let it sit), oil (oil mixes with oil, so...) -- then the old toothbrush as mentioned

By: pullayup

pullayup — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 15:06:23 -0800

If the oil has polymerized (it's sticky or a hard glaze on the surface of the skimmer) ammonia will dissolve it. Put it in a plastic bag with a few splashes and tie it closed for a day or two.

By: belau

belau — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 04:50:29 -0800

You might want to try baking soda first - mix a paste with hot water and scrub with a brush. I'm constantly amazed at what baking soda can do.

By: flabdablet

flabdablet — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:10:58 -0800

Paint is essentially polymerized oil, and paint stripper will do a number on just about any kind of baked on gunk. If you get one of the citrus-based ones and rinse it thoroughly afterwards, it won't leave toxic residue.

But given that polymerized oil on various other kinds of steel cookware is seen as a good thing (seasoning), why bother? Cleaning it back to bare metal is a lot of trouble to go to purely for the aesthetics of the thing, and a bit of seasoning in a steel kitchen tool's nooks and crannies is actually protective against the rust you initially thought you had.