15 Awesome and important ways to clean an induction cook top.

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Cleaning of Induction Cooktop
Cleaning of Induction Cooktop

You will get 4 simple steps to clean the induction cooktop daily. But stains of water and oil can accumulate over the glass panel.

Also, food particles can get stuck on the panel. Then you will have to do more to clean it. Read this article to know how to clean them.

An induction cooktop has become a common and essential cooking appliance. It is a smart appliance. It helps you to cook food quickly and safely. It is also efficient and economical.

To maintain it in good condition and also increase its longevity, you would need to clean it. By keeping your induction cooktop clean, you will cook food in a hygienic situation. So let us see how to clean an induction cooktop.

Daily Cleaning

I recommend daily cleaning the induction cooktop. It is easy. Once you finish cooking and eating, you do the dishes. So if you just need to add cleaning the induction cooktop in that routine. This will help you in the long run. You will just need to follow these simple steps.

  1. Let the vassal Rest
  2. Switch off the power.
  3. Cooldown the appliance
  4. Wipe the glass panel.

Let the Vassal Rest

The surface of the induction cooktop is made of ceramic glass or microcrystal glass. The properties of both are almost the same. Both are low in heat coefficient. This means that the center of the glass will only get heated. The adjoining areas will remain cooler.   

I have tried and tested myself. You will not get burnt by touching the adjoining areas, even when the appliance is on.

But we are talking about cleaning the appliance. So we will clean the entire glass panel. So once you finish cooking. Either the machine will automatically stop or you will manually stop it.

Now, let the vassal rest for some time. Do not switch it off and do not unplug. You will find that the fans are still making noise. Which means they are still working. This is good. Because they are getting rid of residual heat. Let them do their job. Once it stops, stop the entire system and unplug your plug.

Switch off the power

An induction cooktop runs on electricity. It will not be wise to clean the appliance with the electric switch on. Though it is safer. Newer models are smart. They will have auto cut modes. This means that if you are not using it or if you do not have a vassal on top of it, the machine will automatically switch off.

So even if you have kept the switch on, accidentally, you will be safe.  But it is always better to be safe.

So, when cleaning the induction cooktop. It is important to switch the appliance off. And remove the appliance plug from the wall socket.

Cool down the Appliance

Now, your vassal has rested, the residual heat is gone and the machine is switched off and unplugged. But if you touch you will see that the central area is still hotter than the surrounding areas of the glass panel.

So, now wait till the appliance cools down.

You might be thinking; it will take lots of time. Well, the answer is No. It will only take 5 – 10 minutes. By then you can finish serving or transferring the food you just cooked.

Wipe the glass panel

Since we are talking about daily cleaning. We will now straight away clean the cooled-down glass panel.  Take a piece of cloth. Wet it and whip the glass panel with a wet cloth. Now whip it with a dry cloth that is it.

Cooking in an Induction cooker is easy and efficient. It also cooks in a clean way. If you have given the amount of water in the right proportions, you will avoid spillage.

In this case, the above-mentioned steps will be enough.

Also Read:

Personal Experience

If you have read my articles, by now you will know that I do own and cook on an induction cooktop. But I don’t use it every day. I use it for emergency purposes. There were only two occasions where I had used it daily for a week.

My gas cylinder finished and I was busy at work to get it refilled in the working hours of the office. So I used it. After I had refilled, I repacked it safely and kept it only to be used in another emergency situation.

I cooked vegetables, chicken curry and rice on the induction cooker. I have also fried some potatoes and eggs. Now each item has its amount of spillage.  

As you very well know that if the pouring water in burning oil it will spill. Also if the water level in a pressure cooker is above the level required, it will also spill.

These have to be tackled differently.

Let us see how to tackle them and get rid of them.

How to remove Stains from Inducton cooktop?

The spillage from different cooking vassals while cooking different foods will produce whitish stains. The surface of the cooktop is made of a glass panel. This gives the appliance a cool and smart look. But it also has its demerits.

The stains will be prominent. So you will want to clean them. There are two ways of doing them.

The stains will mostly be found in the area surrounding the vassal. That means the part over the glass panel is left exposed. The center will not be affected much.

Act Fast

You can use a dry cloth to whip of the spillage as soon as they drop. The negative is that the cooking is on and the vassal is hot.

If you do this, you might accidentally touch the vassal and burn your hand. Or worse the spillage will drop over your hand resulting in burning.

But this is very effective since you will not allow them to settle. But even in this case, you should do the above-mentioned daily cleaning steps.

Negatives:

  1.  It is dangerous.
  2. You might accidentally get burnt.

Warm Cleaning

Follow the daily cleaning steps. But do not wait for the glass panel to completely cool down. Let it be a little warmer. This will help.

While whipping the glass panel you should put a bit more pressure on the stained areas. The stains will go. The surface will be cleaner.

Now there can be days you will feel lazy or tired. There is no shame, in it. We are humans, not robots. So it is ok.

I always think of cleaning all the appliances and dishes before going to bed. But it is not every day that I do so. See I said it. So, these things can happen.

But when this happens the stains will convert into stubborn stains. Or worse if you accidentally spill oil, which is also common while frying, you will have yellow-colored stains. I call them stubborn stains. They will need more effort to clean.

How will you get stubborn stains on Induction cooktop?

There is a number of ways you can get a stubborn stain on your induction cooktop glass panel.

  1. Oil Spillage.
  2. Not cleaned water spillage.
  3. Have used the induction cooktop for many days but have not cleaned.

When you do not clean the cooktop, dirt will also accumulate. This will also add to your stubborn stains and will make your cleaning difficult.

Let us see how you can get rid of them.

Detergent

You can use detergent.

Step 1

Clean the glass panel with a wet cloth.

Step 2

Mix mild detergent in a cup with warm water.

Step 3

Now dip a sponge and clean the glass panel with the sponge.

Step 4

Wipe the panel with a dry cloth.

 Caution:

But before doing so, go through the manual. Use it only if it is mentioned. Some of the appliances specifically say not to use detergents and some say you can use them. So, go through it and do it accordingly.

Toothpaste

Toothpaste is a DIY cleaning method. We all use toothpaste to clean our teeth. But we can also use them to clean a dirty induction cooktop.

Step 1

Put the toothpaste on your fingers

Step 2.

Then apply the toothpaste from your fingers on your panel.

Step 3

Use a wet sponge to rub it.

Step 4

Let it rest.

Step 5

Use a wet cloth or wet sponge to clean it.

Step 6

Wipe it with a dry cloth.

Pros:

  1. Easy to do.
  2. Easily available.

Cons:

  1. If you use a scrubber, you can end up having scratches. Avoid them.

Baking soda

You can use baking soda to clean the induction cooktop. Sprinkle the baking soda over the glass panel. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

Take a wet cloth and then gently rub and clean it. Finally, wipe it with a dry cloth.

Want to know how baking soda works: read this article on Wikipedia.

Vinegar solution

You can make 50 50 solutions of vinegar and water. Sprinkle the solution over the glass panel. Let it rest for 10- 15 minutes.

Then gently rub and clean the glass panel. Finally, wipe it with a dry cloth.

Want to read more about vinegar solution read this article on Wikipedia.

Cooktop Cleaners

These are newer products, that you will find in e-commerce sites. These products are mostly solution-based. Some of them are pastes. These are specialized products made for cleaning a ceramic glass top or a microcrystal glass panel.

Step 1.

Apply a few drops of the cooktop cleaner on the stained area.

Step 2

Wait for some time. Let the solution unsettle the stain.

Step 3.

Clean it off with a wet cloth or a wet sponge.

Step 4

Whip the glass panel with a dry cloth.

Pros:

  1. The cooktop will not smell bad.
  2. They are not toxic.
  3. Little is enough.

Cons:

  1. They are expensive for a cleaner.
  2. Imported from USA, so I think that is why expensive.

Is it not interesting. Let me know which one you want to try out first. But the stains are not the only problem. Sometimes there are some food particles that will stick to the surface. Cleaning them will take more effort.

How to get stuck food particles?

  1. If you have not cleared and cleaned a spilled food particle on your induction cooktop. And you had left it to dry. The food particle will stick to the glass panel. This is common with overflowing pressure cookers cooking Rice or Dal.
  2. If the vassal has a food particle stuck in the bottom. It will burn and will stick on the glass panel. It is very important to clean the vassal also.
  3. If a sugary food particle spills over the panel. This will melt and stick on the glass panel.

All this can result in permanently damaging the glass panel. So you will need to clean it.

How to clean the stuck food particle?

This is a common problem. The solution is also unique. Follow the below-mentioned points. You will need to be patient while doing this.

  1. You will need to use a sharp object like a blade.
  2. Do not apply it to the glass panel. It will create scratches.
  3. Hold it in an angle.
  4. Apply it to the food particle.
  5. Once you have removed most of it then pour Vinegar, or baking soda or cooktop cleaner.
  6. Then rib and clean it with a wet sponge or wet cloth.
  7. Finally, wipe it with a dry cloth.

Now that I have covered all aspects of cleaning the glass panel. Let us shift our focus on other aspects.

Cleaning the body

Use a dry cloth to wipe the plastic body.  Rub and clean all the parts carefully. Do check the bottom and the outlets. It will help increase the longevity of the appliance.

What not to do?

While cleaning the induction cooktop, we have to keep some things in mind. These things must not be done. As you know the appliance runs on electricity, so these things are important.

  1. Do not dip the induction cooktop in water.
  2. Do not clean the induction cooktop under running water.

Now that we have seen what we should not do, let us see what we should not use.

Things not to use

Here is a list of things that you should not use while cleaning your induction cooktop. Using these will damage the cooktop.

  1. Steel wool
  2. Coarse cloth. They will leave scratches.
  3. Scrubs
  4. Application of knife or sharp tools directly on the glass panel.
  5. Flammable materials
  6. Chlorine-based bleaching agents and Ammonia.  They will permanently stain the cooktop.
  7. Chlorine bleach cleaners.
  8. Metal pads or cleaners. They will result in scratches.
  9. Dishwashing agents.
  10. Application of powder cleaners directly on the glass panel.            

Conclusion

Cleaning the induction cooktop will help in maintaining it. This will increase the longevity of the appliance. In this article, I have mentioned a number of ways to clean the Induction cooktop. Apart from this what you should not do is also mentioned here.

Let me know which one you used. Clean your induction cooktop and have wonderful stress free cooking.

Yeah, I have not numbered the article. But if you count you will find 15 ways. I took a different approach. Towards the whole thing.  🙂

Also, remember A Clean Induction cooktop and a clean vassal will cook faster. Which means more efficient and less consumption of electricity.