Tips to give your stove a long life

Stoves have simple working parts, and, with occasional repair and regular cleaning, there's no reason yours shouldn't stick around for you and your family to use for years to come. Here's how to keep it cooking.

• When cooking, use pots and pans that are deep enough to prevent boil-overs and splattering.
• Minimizing spillage will minimize cleanup work and help prolong the life of your stove.

• Don't get in the habit of using the stovetop as a place to get pots, pans and other kitchen stuff out of the way.
• You'll eventually scratch or even chip the top. Scratched surfaces are harder to clean, and it's all downhill from there.

• If the enamel on your stove gets chipped, touch it up with a porcelain enamel repair kit that you can buy at your appliance store.
• The paint comes in small jars with a brush in the lid like nail polish. Be smart and do it before the damaged spot becomes rusty.
• If the chip is deep, apply the touch-up paint in two or three layers, letting each layer dry thoroughly before applying the next.

• Heating coils on top of an electric range usually don't need washing. Instead, turn them on high to burn off spills.
• If a spill is massive, wipe up as much as possible after the coil has cooled and then burn off the rest.

• Those shiny chrome pans under your burners are not there just to look good.
• They also reflect the heat upward, increasing the efficiency of your stove.
• When they get grimy and stained, they don't reflect the heat.
• Shine them up by rubbing them with a paste made from vinegar and cream of tartar.
• If the pans have become too stained to clean, don't replace them with those thin, universal aluminum ones sold at the grocery store.
• Those don't last, and they quickly become hard to clean. And don't cover old pans with aluminum foil — you run the risk of causing an electrical short.
• Instead, replace burner pans with original equipment, which you can buy at an appliance store.
• They look better longer and will be cheaper in the long run.

• If the gas flame on your stovetop burners is blue, they are working at top efficiency.
• If the flame is yellow, the burners are working inefficiently, and they should be adjusted by a service technician.

• If the burner grates on your gas stove get super greasy, mix a can of sink-clog crystals into a bucket of water.
• Wear rubber gloves when dealing with the crystals, and carefully place your grates in the bucket — you don't want to splash this caustic brew onto your skin.
• Let the grates soak overnight, and they'll look like new in the morning.