Keeping a hob spotless can feel like a never-ending task. No matter how careful you are when cooking, splatters of oil and grease seem inevitable — especially when frying or simmering sauces.
Because the surface gets hot, you can’t clean the little greasy spills up straight away, but once it dries, the dark residue is difficult to remove without a lot of scrubbing and hard work. While most people instinctively reach for a damp cloth or a strong cleaning spray, there’s actually a much easier way to deal with the problem as soon as it happens.
This method allows you to prevent the grease from sticking while it is still hot, without having to touch the boiling surface.
Surprisingly, all you need is one very cheap pantry staple that’s probably already sitting in your cupboard. A cleaning expert revealed flour is an excellent way to naturally remove grease.
If oil splashes onto the hob, simply sprinkle a light layer of flour over the mess. Leave it for a few minutes so the powder can soak up the excess, then wipe everything away in one sweep.
Not only does this stop the spill from spreading, but it also prevents you from having to scrub at baked-on grease later.
Caitlin Uttley shared the cleaning hack on HowStuffWorks, writing: “If you’re cooking and have a grease spill, you can clean it up immediately before it becomes a problem later. One easy way is to sprinkle flour over the spill.”
She added: “Let the flour sit for a few minutes to absorb the grease and then you can easily wipe it up. This only works if the grease isn’t dry.”
Once it has dried onto the surface, you’ll need to move on to a stronger cleaning method, like using this ingredient. But as a quick fix during cooking, the budget-friendly solution could save a lot of effort.