The iron pan-holding grill on our hob has got bent (Christ knows how), causing pans on one of the burners to wobble, and (crucially) not be level, causing oil/sauce etc to run to one side of whatever pan is on that burner.

Is it possible to bend it back to something approaching level, and if so, how to do it (without snapping off the iron arm in question)? If it snaps off, the whole side of the hob could become unusable, and I really don't want that.

Not knowing anything about iron, the three approaches I've considered are 1) trying to bend it back cold, 2) letting it heat up on the hob and then trying to bend it back, or 3) taking off the whole thing and hitting it with a hammer.

Any suggestions?

Are there multiple ways said part can be turned/inserted? Are there interchangeable parts? A metal file or grinder could be used to reduce the high spot, is the top flat/planar? Set it inverted on flat surface to determine if it rocks. In this position Use a ruler or some kind of stick as a gauge to determine the high spot relative to the flat surface, keep in mind once a small portion of material is likely bearing load when installed and would be the only spot to adjust…also verify the irregularity is in the grill and not the supporting structure.

it's likely a real cast iron grating. Cast iron has some interesting properties but it's brittle as hell and the last thing you should do is whack it with a hammer. You won't get it hot enough to plastically deform with your stove either, you'd need to get it up over 1200 deg F for that and even if you could get it that hot, you'd need to bend it very slowly to keep from breaking it. Remove the high spot(s) abrasively is the best option as described in the first response.

I have a BSME degree and 40 years of experience actually making steel from rocks informing some of my opinions here...

OK, this is embarrassing. In order to post a photo of the precise problem, I took the grill off and laid it upside on the worktop, as it neatly showed which arm was bent and by how much. Out of curiousity, I applied a little bit of pressure to it, and it bent incredibly easily. Not quite paper-clip easy but definitely way easier than (say) straightening a tent peg. How it got bent in the first place is instantly way less of a mystery (i'd imagined "heavy casserole dish + burn and/or rage"), and a couple more judicious prods got it more or less back to its original state. The whole thing is clearly a piece of shit, and I'm gonna be way more gentle with heavier pans, but overall, job done.

As ever, PRF, thank you all for your time, experience and help. Sorry it was a bit of a false alarm.