Gas stoves can leave unsightly marks on colored cookware.
Cooking at home can create large messes, both on your oven and your pots and pans. Because it uses flames, a gas stove sometimes scorches the pots and pans used for cooking. Maintaining your stove can help you prevent these unsightly marks, and if you do get them, extra cleaning should remove the marks. Does this Spark an idea?
Causes
A gas stove might turn your pots black if it is not heating evenly or if the heat is turned up too high. If the flame is not heating evenly, you will notice that the flame is blue with yellow. If you see yellow, your air to flame ratio needs to be adjusted. Adjust your air intake valve until you see only blue in the flame, which should fix the problem.
Prevention
Keep the heat as low as you can to complete your cooking job. If you can, cook foods longer on a lower setting to avoid black marks. See that the flame does not touch the bottom of the pan at all. An alternative to traditional pots and pans is cast iron. These pans are already black, so if they do get some marks, they will not show anyway. Cast-iron lasts longer than other pans and doesn't require a lot of cleaning and maintenance. After a gentle scrubbing with water and soap, you can rub grease in the cast iron pan to help it last longer.
Cleaning the Pans
Even if you try to prevent the black marks, you might still get the occasional mark. If you are using cast iron or another black pan, these marks are not a problem; however, some pans and pots come in designer colors and are made to match other kitchen appliances and decorations. Keep these clean by scouring them with oven cleaner if they get black marks. You can also boil a large pot of soapy water, place the marked pot in the larger pot and boil it for a few minutes.
Cleaning the Stove
If your gas stove is dirty, it can make your pans dirty, too. Clean your gas stove regularly, especially after a spill. Turn all burners off, and remove the grates. Use a damp sponge or cloth and warm soapy water to clean the surfaces. A spray glass cleaner can get rid of caked-on areas. You can use an abrasive cleaner, but watch that it does not scratch the surface. Don't use a soap-filled scouring pad.
Tags: black marks, cast iron, pots pans, your stove, heating evenly
