Is my stainless steel hob ruined? (See pics!)

[Crunchyside]

I spilt some concentrated salty water last night and thought it just went all over a chopping board, turns out it had leaked out onto my stainless steel hob without me realising. It's been there overnight and started to crystallise as it dried up.

Wiped it off today and it's left a whopping great big ugly mark underneath, like a watermark that doesn't come off, it's sort of white and dull... it might be permanently damaged as I've polished it with all sorts of things and it seems like it's actually corroded the metal or something A bit like the inside of a stainless steel saucepan when something has dried on and ruined it.

Has anyone had anything like this happen? Is there anything I can do to polish it up again?

Put boiling water on a paper towel, then place the hot towel on top of the stain. As it is a big stain, you will have to try it in one patch first to see if it works.

Leave it for 5 or 10 mins then rub the towel gently over the stained area. If it doesn't come off, pour some white vinegar on top of the stain, let it sit for a couple of mins then wipe with a microfibre cloth.

If none of the above work, put some baking powder on it and add vinegar...then rub it with a soft cloth.

Use Cif Stainless Steel and 'orange' microfibre cloth to polish.

cant offer advice on removal of marks but if you know the manufacturer you can probably replace the top part if necessary.

A specialist cleaning liquid like the cif one might work.

I think you have removed the lacquer from the surface of the hob rather than damaged the metal itself. Stainless steel is finished with a thin layer of oil - I believe you can restore it by rubbing a light coat of sunflower oil over the surface with a paper towel. Rub it well in until it appears dry and leave it. It should give you back that lacquered look. I should say that I have never tried this, but I understand it's what the professional cleaners do when they clean rented properties at the end of tenancies.

Do you have any bar keepers friend? I've used it on stainless steel saucepans- gets all sorts of marks off.