Is gunk a real word?

Well, I guess it is. Since Firefox didn’t put a red squiggly line under it.

This tool scares me. Honestly, I never would have used it if I didn’t take that trip to the Maytag headquarters last fall. The Queen of all Kitchen Knowledge told us to use this tool, and chastised us when we acted like chickens resisted.

And here’s the box. The official, put-out-there-by-the-pros box:

But still, I feel the need to make my own disclaimers:

• Don’t use this tool on coated surfaces.
• Don’t use this tool with wet, slippery hands.
• Keep out of the reach of children.
• Always scrape away from yourself.
• Always put blade inside safety-thingamajig when not in use.
• Test on a small, inconspicuous, non-investment-ruining spot if you’re not sure whether it’s safe to use this tool on your surface.
• Always use the flat edge at an angle. Do not use the edges or corners of the blade.
• Don’t do anything else that might cause damage to a surface or your hand, or leg, or any other body part.

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m talking about a razor blade. Officially, it’s called a Cooktop Scraper.  It’s a flat blade in a protective case, and it was included in my Cooktop Care Kit that Maytag sent me.  (Those are Amazon links, but for some reason, the care kit and scraper are sold separately there.)

I’m not kidding when I say I was scared when the lady in the Maytag labs showed us how to use this tool to scrape cooked-on gunk off of the glass top stove.  Honestly, I NEVER would have thought to do that out of fear of scratching the glass.

But it works.  And I haven’t scratched it yet.  As long as the blade is at an angle, with the handle down close to the surface . . . it seems to work okay.

And I’ve started using this tool in other ways. As we’ve moved away from pots and pans with non-stick coating . . . food seems to stick to my pots and pans.

Shocker, I know.

But cooked-on cheese sauce in my cast iron skillet was no match for my handy-dandy scraper.

I’ve also used it on some other non-coated surfaces. On coated surfaces (and my countertops and anything scratchable), though, I’m still a fan of this method I’ve shared before.  THAT method won’t scratch anything. 

My questions for you:

1.  Have you ever used a similar tool for cleaning in the kitchen?

2.  Does this tool scare you the way it scared me? 

Notes:

• My Amazon affiliate links are used in this post.
• Maytag sent me this cleaning set since I am a Maytag Kitchen Mom.
• I was not required or asked to write this post. 
• I just really love this new (but scary) tool. 
• Thingamajig is evidently a word, too. According to Firefox, at least. Who knew?