We really enjoy writing about tips and pointers to maximize and optimize your precious kitchen appliances. After all, the kitchen is considered ‘the heart of the home,’ and it’s where families gather to cook meals, friends gravitate during parties to hang out, and a place where memories are created and bonds are strengthened.
Get The Most Out Of Your Kitchen Appliances With Profix
Our cheesy kitchen sentimentalism aside, it is in your best interest to making sure that your kitchen appliances are running properly and smoothly, just like if they were your dad’s immaculate 1969 Corvette Stingray. While microwaves, refrigerators, and ovens are generally used pretty commonly, stovetops are no exception, and today’s blog post is all about cleaning and maintaining your stove to get the best, reliable performance out of it.
Always keep in mind that if things go south and you’re in need of stove repair, or really any other appliance repair service, Profix has you covered in the Los Angeles area! From American Range service to generalized factory service, check out all of the brands that we service here, or submit a service request. Now, read on to learn how to take good care of your oven.
Did You Make A Mess? Clean It Up ASAP!
We don’t want to sound like a nagging mother, but the longer food or drinks are spilled onto the bottom of your oven or a pot boiling over on the stove top, the harder it will be to remove these spills. Just make sure that whatever area you’re cleaning the mess from is cooled down after use so that you don’t end up burning yourself.
Replace Your Drip Pans As Necessary
Depending on how often you use your stove top and how passionate of a cook you are, your drip pans might be quite dirty underneath your burners. While you can technically clean them if you really want to, it’s probably worth your money to go out and buy another set of drip pans – they’re pretty inexpensive, and they also come in fairly standard sizes that fit most stove tops. Plus, they’re pretty easy to replace.
Don’t Forget About Your Rangehood
If you don’t have a hood for your stove top/range, then obviously this pointer doesn’t apply to you, but many stovetops do have one. Range hoods work hard and absorb a fair amount of grease, moisture, and other cooking odors when you use your cooktop to whip up your delicious meals. In order to ventilate effectively as the manufacturer originally intended, range hoods need to be cleaned regularly, depending on the frequency of your use.
Here’s What You Shouldn’t Do With Your Cooktop
If you’re curious about any ‘no-no’s’ when it comes to taking proper care of your stove range, there are a few things that you shouldn’t do. For one, don’t pour water over the cooktop itself as excess water can prevent ignition when you come to use it again. Additionally, do not use a toothpick or a cocktail stick to clean the burner holes for fear the wood or plastic will snap and fall in the holes, providing fuel for a nasty wood or plastic fire (yuck, cancer). Instead, brushing gently with a soft-bristled toothbrush can help to dislodge unwanted food particles and grease from the surface of your burner holes.
Another thing: Do not spray cleaning liquid or solution directly onto the control panel itself. Instead, spray some cleaner onto a damp cloth and then wipe the surface with the cloth. Don’t use any abrasive pads or other harsh cleaning products on the knobs or the decal indicators can be worn off. If you must clean your control knobs to satisfy the obsessive cleaner inside of you, they can be removed and cleaned in soapy water.
Gas Stove Burners
If, after extensive use of your gas stove, you’ve noticed that your burners are rather slow to light, then you most likely have a problem on your hands. On the side of the burner facing the center of the stove, there are air holes that may be clogged, causing this issue. These air holes are important because they help the pilot, or spark igniter, light the gas. After making sure that your range is fully powered off and cooled down, clean out the holes with a fine piece of wire or even a safety pin.
Avoid Damage To Your Heating Elements Before It Occurs
Besides simply being careful and exercising caution when using your stove or cooktop, there is one major thing that you can do (or avoid doing, rather). Do not use extra-large or extreme, heavy-duty cooking pots or pans that are too heavy or simply too bulky to properly fit onto your burner or heating element. If your break one of your heating elements or burners, that can cause a real kitchen appliance repair headache, but we’re guessing by now that you know who to call if something like that happens, and we’ll give you a hint: It’s not Ghostbusters…
That’s Right – Call Profix Appliance Service In Case Anything Goes Wrong!
We’re dedicated to keeping all of your kitchen appliances running both properly and smoothly. We just want to your dishwasher to wash your dishes, your microwave to heat up your food, your refrigerator to refrigerate your food…well, you get the point. And when it comes to keeping your oven and stove working properly, let’s just say that Profix likes to keep things lit.
We always encourage our Los Angeles customers to keep good care of their kitchen appliances, but sometimes things break and it might be outside of your control to fix them. Well, ‘fix’ is literally a part of our brand name. We can help! For Viking oven repair, Bluestar service, or anything else as it relates to your broken appliance, give us a call today.