I had a fairly intense flare up on my KitchenAid gas grill (too much canola oil) that lasted about 30 seconds. The inside of the grill is covered in soot (expected) but the flame covers (triangle shaped pieces above the flame) are now copper colored and look rusty. I got most of that off with cleaning, but it seems weird for a big flare up to have caused it.
Anyone else ever have that happen?
Thanks!
It is most likely rust. The covers over top of the burners will eventually experience that sort of decay. They have a constant barrage of high heat applied to them, which speeds oxidation of the metal. You will experience this effect with the burners as well.
It might be rust, but if it was rather smooth and more orange-ish, it might've been that you ended up seasoning the metal. (seasoning over shiny / polished metal tends to be orange until you have a few coats down when it'll get darker).
Of course, as you mentioned that you were able to clean it, it's more likely it's rust (as Sean Hart said), as seasoning can be rather difficult to get off without exposing it to more heat to completely bake it off.
...but I thought I'd mention this possibility in case anyone else has an oil spill and is wondering why aluminum or other non-iron object has gone orange-brown.
