Fire Prevention

• Drip pans allow the food debris to drop from the top of the stove. This pushes the food away from the electric coils. Without the drip pan hole, the food would simply pool and pile in the pan and would eventually reach the coil where it would burn and start a fire. Drip pans also prevent water from pooling in the drip pans, which could cause an electric short or shock. The drip pan pushes the food and water far away from the coils where it is less likely to start a fire, electric shock or a short.
  
  

Coil Installation

• Most types of stoves have drip pans with two holes, one located in the center and one offset in one of the sides. This hole is designed to allow the burner to plug directly into the stove. This enables you to pull out the coil to remove the dirty drip pan.
  
  

Camping Stoves

• Some types of gas camping stoves have a rectangular drip pan that you place on top of the gas burner. The hole in the middle allows the flame to reach through the drip pan, while the pan provides a platform for the food, pot or pan to rest on as well as catch any food residue and drips that would otherwise extinguish to flame or dirty the area.
  
  

Cleaning Beneath Drip Pans

• Because the food can drip beneath a standard kitchen stove top, you’ll need to understand how to lift the stove top up to clean beneath it. You have two options: removing the entire stove top for a thorough cleaning or removing each drip pan to spot clean small areas. To remove drop pans, let the stove cool completely before locating where the burner attaches to the stove and pulling the coil straight out of the attachment. Remove the drip pan and clean under the stove top. To remove the entire stove top, remove all of the burners and drip pans before wedging a screwdriver between the stove top lip and the oven and pulling it straight up. Some stoves require you to pull the stove top forward from the oven before you can lift it up.