Electric stove

[WaltG]

Ok. I got a dumb question. I'm using an electric stove with a 40 qt aluminum stock pot. After my boil I got brown crap all over my stove.

Any way to prevent or a better way to clean?

 

[mojotele]

I have an electric stove myself. The heating elements cycle on and off at a rate that is dependent on your heat setting, and I find boilovers happen when the stove decides to cycle the heating element on. Keep the heat as low as you can while still maintaining a good boil, and use an anti-foaming agent. There a few anti-foaming products that will prevent boilovers nicely (for example). Just add a drop or two and you're good to go.

As for what is already on your stove - it will burn off over time. Or you can take your favorite cleaning agent and scrub the crap out of it. In any case, no need to worry. One day it'll just be gone.

 

[WaltG]

It's not from boil over.

 

[Zepth]

"Brown crap" all over the stove that isn't from boil over? That sounds odd. Nothing makes any sense to have come off the exterior of the aluminum pot. Maybe a bit of aluminum oxide but that would be white powder if anything. Even some adhesive from a label that was once on there shouldn't leave residue like that. Can't see a batch boiling as actually scorching the stovetop itself.

Any pictures?

 

[MattyIce]

If it is not boilover, what is it?

 

[DaNewf]

Do you have a white stove top?

After my first stove top all grain batch the area under the pot turned a brown color that was extremely difficult to remove (SOS pad, VIM, elbow grease and sweat were required). I think it was a result of heat damage (heat being reflected from the bottom of my pot for an hour). Or maybe there was a film of something on the stove top (cleaner residue?) that was getting cooked on.

What I did to combat this was to buy an aluminum foil oven liner and cut a hole in in the same size as the stove element. This acts as sort of a heat sheild for the stove top and seems to help a lot.

 

[WaltG]

DaNewf. Exactly.

 

[madscientist451]

I use oven cleaner on my electric stove, only works so-so, but someone on an earlier thread about this mentioned a special product for smooth top stoves that works good, (can't remember the name) and someone else said they make a thick paste with PBW and water and leave it on there a while and it works as well.

 

[ImNoExpert]

I used to get discoloration on my white gas stove from whatever was on the stove baking brown over the 60 minute boil. It was because my stove wasn't completely clean (spotless) before I brewed.

Barkeeper's friend worked pretty ok on it. Oven cleaner worked better but stinks too much and burns my hands. I stuck with the BKF.

 

[Conan]

I got that once and then began cleaning the stove very well before use. Afterwards some Comet and a green scrubbie took care of any stains. I love Comet...Kyle