If you have an electric stove at home, the drip pans are most likely driving you nuts. Food becomes burnt on to those so quickly that keeping the pans clean seems like an impossible chore. Many people resort to lining the pans with aluminum foil, but that is actually not such a great idea. You're much better off regularly cleaning the pans or even replacing them periodically to ensure optimal burner performance.

Too Shiny Is Too Bad

Part of the reason why you have metal drip pans is the reflectivity. The shiny metal adds a little heat back into the cooking process, and if the pans become too dirty, your stove can seem to lose some power.

But too much reflectivity is bad. Cleaning or replacing the drip pans ensures that the level of reflectivity you get remains at an appropriate level for your stove. The pans are cheap, and the manufacturer or an authorized parts dealer should be able to point you toward a good supply source.

But why not just use foil? It's reflective, it's cheap, and you don't have to rely on mail order or a trip to a hardware store, right? Well, foil brings its own problems. For starters, it's too reflective. It can send so much heat back up toward the underside of the burner that it can create hotspots that damage the burner. And it's a lot more expensive to replace the electric burner than it is to find a new drip pan.

Shocking News

The metal foil can also act like exposed wiring, especially if it gets too close to the plug for the burner. This increases the chances of you being shocked. While this is not a very common occurrence, it's kind of like being hit by lightning. It might not happen all the time, but it can happen, and thus you need to take precautions such as avoiding foil on the pans.

It Can Increase the Chance of a Spill

Foil that's improperly applied can also make the element uneven. If you have something on the stove that's boiling, it can boil over more quickly on the lower side.

It Melts

And, of all things, foil can melt! The sturdy foil you use in the oven can actually melt and damage the pan and burner. You're much better off just getting spare burners to keep around if you have a tendency to spill things into the drip pans. The manufacturer of your stove or its authorized dealers can help you find extra pans that are the right size for your stove. Remove any foil you already have on the pans -- be sure the element has cooled down -- and call the parts representative today.

To learn more, contact a company like Mountain Sales & Service Inc. with any questions or concerns you have.