Fans of Smitten Kitchen know that Deb Perelman’s New York City kitchen gets a lot of use. The beloved food writer spends her days testing recipes for her website and cookbooks (she has a new one coming in 2022), and also preparing flavorful meals for her family. So when Perelman took to Instagram Stories earlier this week to share her stovetop cleaning secrets, we paid attention.
After posting about the heavy wear and tear her kitchen was getting during an intense cookbook-shooting session, she wrote, “I also received an avalanche of questions about how I clean my stove, which is hilarious given the usual state of things in my kitchen.” Nonetheless, she took the time to explain to her followers how she handles grease and grime that won’t budge.
1. Her first piece of advice, she explained, is: “Don’t let messes sit or cook on further. You’re just making everything more difficult to clean!” Perelman also made sure to note this is a mistake she often makes herself. We’re all only human, Deb.
2. The next step requires stocking up on the right products for the task at hand. Perelman highly recommends Dawn’s Powerwash dish spray. “This stuff is amazing,” she wrote. “We clean everything with it. Dishes, white sneakers, even the kitchen walls. I’ve seen people clean showers with it! It works for 90% of messes.” She also noted that Dawn makes a degreaser spray that is also effective for “heavier messes.”
3. If you’re dealing with a stove stain so bad that those products aren’t working, turn to Shumanit’s cold grease remover—and don’t forget to wear gloves while using it. “This is the big guns, for when all else fails,” Perelman stated.
4. In terms of the sponge, Perelman has been using the popular smiley face-shaped Scrub Mommy (or Scrub Daddy). “They are (1) very cute. (2) Work well. (3) Seem to hold up well so far,” she wrote.
5. But she’s even more passionate about microfiber cleaning cloths. “I had no idea they would change my whole cleaning life, not to be melodramatic,” Perelman wrote. “They clean lint-free but also scrub surprisingly well… I throw them in the regular wash and dryer.”
And there you have it: Deb Perelman’s five stove cleaning hacks. We promise not to let a food spill linger after cooking ever again!