John,
+1 for using rubbing alcohol.
For removable parts I use my ultrasonic cleaner. Here is a "before/after" shot of what it did on my MES 30 racks:
Any residual "dirt" you see in the "after" shot on the right is actually a shadow, not dirt. The racks were spotless after ten minutes in the cleaner.
Yup. The only work I have to do happens because my ultrasonic cleaner is "only" a 9-quart model. This means that I can only fit half the rack at a time. Since I do one rack at a time, this means that cleaning requires four separate sessions in the ultrasonic. So, I have to go out to the garage (where I keep the cleaner) four times.
John,
Am I right in Assuming "No Elbow Grease Involved" ???
Bear
That's what I thought, but one that big must cost a small fortune.
Yup. The only work I have to do happens because my ultrasonic cleaner is "only" a 9-quart model. This means that I can only fit half the rack at a time. Since I do one rack at a time, this means that cleaning requires four separate sessions in the ultrasonic. So, I have to go out to the garage (where I keep the cleaner) four times.
One other nifty smoker-related use for an ultrasonic cleaner is to clean "disposable" aluminum trays. I hate to throw these out after only one use, but if you've ever tried to clean one, all those little folds and buckles that are used to add strength make it not worth the considerable time and effort required to get the item reasonably clean. However, with an ultrasonic cleaner, I can usually clean the tray in only a few seconds just by dipping it, one edge at a time. I also clean the smoker racks in the ultrasonic. I cannot quite reach to the center of the rack, so I still have to clean that by hand. However, all the really tough spots to clean are where the rack tines are spot-welded to the frame. That part of each reack fits into the cleaner, and the gunk in the nooks around each weld just comes floating off.
Awesome!
Yes, the 9-quart is roughly a $300 item, so not a casual purchase.
Cleaning gem stones is how I got my first one. My dad always bought mom jewelry and so he had one so her baubles were always sparkly. He kept asking if I wanted one, but I haven't bought my wife a piece of jewelry since I bought her a wedding ring forty years ago. So, I didn't want it. However, after they both were gone, I brought his old, tiny ultrasonic jewelry cleaner to my place and quickly found all sorts of uses. I kept wanting a bigger one, and so my wife got one for me for my birthday earlier this year. I am still finding new things to clean. For instance, I finally got our frying pan splash screen completely clean and free of grease residue. All of our cookie sheets look like new.
I'm still trying to find the "ultimate" cleaner to use on baked-on grease, like what you find on old cookie sheets. I've read a ton of literature, and apparently for grease removal you want cleaners that are on the base side of the pH scale (think oven cleaner). For cleaning metal corrosion, you want solvents that are on the acid side of that scale. Beyond those two things, I'm still trying to figure it out.