How to Get Burnt Food Off of an Electric Stove's Heat Coils

By
Sarah Aguirre
Sarah Aguirre
Sarah Aguirre is a housekeeping expert with over 20 years of experience cleaning residentially and commercially. Over that time, she has been writing about tips and tricks for housekeeping and organizing a home for national publications.
Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process
Updated on 10/24/22
Reviewed by
Brandon Pleshek
Brandon Pleshek headshot.
Reviewed by Brandon Pleshek
Brandon Pleshek of Clean That Up! is a seasoned veteran of the cleaning industry with over 20 years of experience in commercial and residential cleaning. He is a member of The Spruce's Cleaning and Organizing Review Board
Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board
Electric stove heat coils cleaned from burnt food

The Spruce / Sarah Lee

Project Overview
  • Working Time: 15 - 20 mins
  • Total Time: 35 - 50 mins
  • Estimated Cost: $0

If you have a standard electric stove with coil heating elements on the cooktop, you may occasionally find that the coil burners get soiled with food spills. Left unattended, the food residue can create unpleasant smoke, smells, or may even flame when the stove is operated.  

The 7 Best Portable Electric Burners of 2023

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • Cleaning cloth
  • Bowl (for soapy water)

Materials

  • Mild dish soap
  • Water
  • Baking soda

Instructions

Materials to clean burnt food from electric stove's burnt food

The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  1. Remove Completely Cooled Burners

    Once the burners have completely cooled, remove them from the cooktop. Most burners have two prongs that simply unplug from socket fittings on the stove, but on others, you may need to squeeze the prongs together or loosen mounting collars in order to pull the coils free. If you have questions about how to remove your heating coils, refer to your manufacturer's instructions for best practices. Take care when unplugging the coil, because bending the prongs may ruin it.

    Cleaning cloth soaked with water and dish soap mixture wiping stove coil

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  2. Wipe Down With Dish Soap and Water

    First, use a cleaning cloth and a mixture of mild dish soap and water to try to remove any food residue. Because the heater coils cook off most food that comes into contact with them, a mild wipe-down like this is often all that is needed. Don't submerge the coils or any electrical portion in water. Water can ruin the electrical connections that allow the coil to heat up.

    Baking soda and water paste applied to stove coil and wiped with cleaning cloth

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  3. Remove Crusted Food

    If mild dish soap and water wouldn't remove stuck or burnt-on food, try making a baking soda and water paste, and use it to gently scrub residue off of the electric heater coil. Really tough stains may benefit from allowing the baking soda paste to sit on the coil for up to 20 minutes, before scrubbing. Be sure to rinse off the baking soda paste thoroughly when you are finished.

  4. Clean the Drip Pans

    If your cooktop has removable drip pans, this is the time to remove and clean those as well. Dump out any charred remnants of food. Wipe the drip pans down, dry them, and replace them on the cooktop before reinstalling the heater coils.

    Stove drip pans wiped with cleaning cloth

    The Spruce / Sarah Lee

  5. Reinstall the Heater Coils

    Carefully plug the prongs on the heater coils back into their socket connections on the stove. Take care not to bend the prongs or damage them in any way.

  6. Maintain the Burners

    For regular maintenance of electric stove heater coils, just wipe down the coils at the same time you wipe down the top of the stove during routine kitchen cleaning.

Tip

An electric stove heater coil that stops working is quite easy to replace. Simply find the part number on your stove's user manual, and order a replacement from an online retailer or buy one at a local appliance store.