Baking, frying, stewing, and all the processes of cooking come with their own fair share of messes.
And anytime you decide to cook with oil, you are at risk of baking grease on your appliances.
Generally speaking, when you rinse and soak cooking and baking equipment after use, it will only reduce the amount of baked-on grease that clings to the surfaces of these appliances.
Sometimes, you are lost on how to properly get this baked-on grease away, but you do not know how to, and you do not have the time to do that.
So with time, this neglect leads to the appliances having baked-on grease over time.
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How To Clean Baked-On Food From Stainless Steel Dishware
Even if you are the most careful cook, you can never get rid of burns and burnt stains. Food particles will consciously or unconsciously grip the bottom of your stainless steel pots and pans.
Below are some of the methods you can use to clean this stainless steel dishware with baked-on food.
FIRST STEP: Remove burnt food with hot water. This may appear to be the simplest method of all. So begin by wearing your rubber gloves to prevent burns. Then begin to scrub the food particles and stains using a non-abrasive scrub.
Fill the stainless steel pot or pan with enough water and some squirts of liquid dish soap.
Ensure that the stuck-on food has been soaked with soapy water. Then bring it to a boil. Once it’s hot, use a spatula to scrape the bottom.
Or use a plastic spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan. You will notice that the food will come out with ease, and you can wash your pan and pot.
STEP TWO: To remove baked-on food and grease from your stainless pots and pans, you will also need white vinegar and baking soda.
Vinegar is quite effective for stuck-on foods. The acidic component helps to break down tough particles. So first, fill the bottom of your pot with some water, just enough quantity to cover the stick-on grease and food.
Then add one cup of vinegar to the water and bring it to a boil.
Once it is boiling, bring it down and add about two tablespoons of baking soda. Then mix them together and empty the pan afterward.
Finally, use a non-abrasive scrubbing sponge to get rid of the remaining food particles and greasy mess in the pan or pot.
STEP THREE: You can also remove baked-on grease and food with cream of Tartar. Cream of tartar is very effective in getting rid of stainless steel stains.
All you need to do is simply mix the cream of tartar with water and then create a paste and cover all the affected areas in your stainless steel device.
Now allow the paste-like mixture to soak the affected areas overnight. Afterward, rinse and scrub using an abrasive sponge to remove any remaining particles.
STEP FOUR: Remove burnt food and greasy mess with salt and lime. These two ingredients are a perfect combo to remove any greasy mess from your stainless steel pan and pt.
This is because the acidity of the lime works well to fight tough stains and particles, while the coarseness of the salt helps to remove the loose food particles.
First, squeeze the lime juice into your dirty stainless steel pan, then add salt to it.
Allow the mixture to sit for a few minutes in the pan.
Sprinkle more salt into the pan and then begin to scrub using a non-abrasive scrubbing sponge. Once the excess food has been removed, you can now dry the pan first by rinsing it with warm water and drying it with a kitchen towel.
General Care For Stainless Steel Dishware
There are a few general tips for you to try on your stainless steel pans to keep them in the right shape and keep them in a durable condition:
- Always dry the pans by preventing any form of water drops on them after washing.
- To remove all these water spots or streaks, wet your pan with water, then get a sponge with baking soda on it and wipe all the way down until the streaks are out.
- Do not add salt to the water while it is boiling because this can cause a form of corrosion in your pan.
- Never use cold water to clean your very hot pan; otherwise, this can cause disfiguration of the pan.
- Other harsh scrubbers, like steel wool, can scratch the surface of the stainless steel, so be careful of what you are using.
- Always wash your stainless steel wares immediately after use.
How To Remove Baked-On Grease From Stainless Steel
Whether it is baked-on grease or burnt-on food, the stainless steel can be difficult to clean when all these are stuck on it.
And because it is dirty, you cannot ignore the fact that it will be difficult for you to use them even if you have tried to remove the baked-on grime and greasy mess.
And then storing away these stainless steel pans and pots becomes even more difficult.
This is because there is baked-on grease and grime stuck on them, which could attract bugs and other bacteria.
So all of the reasons above may compel you to get a stainless steel cleaner, but the truth is, you can remove baked-on greasy mess with your simple household natural products.
All you need is plenty of water, the right product, and the necessary steps to follow that will give you squeaky-clean stainless steel.
Alternative To Stainless Steel Cleaner
You see, you can go to a convenience store to pick a stainless steel cleaner to get the baked-on grease and grime off your devices, but it is not necessary to do that, especially when you know that there are some materials you can use which can be found in the home and is affordable and effective just like the stainless steel cleaner.
When you are faced with a baked-on grease situation, first, you must fill the sink with hot water, then add some squirts of liquid dishwashing soap.
Then mix thoroughly until it is soapy. Then put your stainless steel dish wares into the hot soapy water and allow them to soak for at least 30 minutes.
What the liquid dishwashing soap does is cut through the baked-on grease, and the hot water will help in cutting through as well.
So after soaking all your greasy stainless dishware, get a scrub pad and warm water.
Begin to scrub the surfaces of the dishware to remove the remaining greasy mess.
However, if there is still baked-on grease on the surface, get white vinegar and some warm water, mix together in a spray bottle and spray the dishware with it.
The acid component in the vinegar will help to break the greasy mess away from the pan.
Other Abrasive Cleaning Agents
If the vinegar and hot water mixture don’t break the greasy mess away from your stainless steel, try to move on to abrasive cleaning agents.
Although abrasive cleaning agents can be quite delicate for some materials like glassware and some natural stone surfaces.
But for stainless steel, the abrasive cleaning agents are often a perfect match for removing the baked-on grease.
Baking soda, for instance, has alkaline properties, which help to break down the greasy mess. So get a baking soda, sprinkle it on the affected area that is coated with baked-on grease, then add enough hot water to create a paste-like mixture.
Now allow the paste to sit for a few minutes. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes. You will notice that the greasy mess will begin to loosen.
Then get a soft cloth dipped in hot water and begin to rub at the greasy mess in a circular motion across the surface.
Keep repeating this circular motion and process until all the greasy mess has come off.
If you do not have baking soda, an alternative to using is a cream of tartar. It is an abrasive agent that has been made specifically to cut off grease.
And after you have removed all the baked-on grease, ensure that you clean the stainless steel dishware with soap and hot water.
Afterward, spray the stainless dishware with a solution of vinegar and water. Then dry it and put it away.
Stainless steel dishware has this special ability to handle heat properly. They are great conductors of heat, thus making them a great addition to your kitchen.
However, there are different kinds of stainless steel, and if you don’t know this, without proper care, these stainless steel can obtain greasy mess, burnt food, and discoloration pretty fast.
So if you are wondering how best you can clean your stainless steel pan, you are reading the right article because at the end of the article, you should be able to pick the method that bests the type of stainless steel.
How To Clean Greasy Burnt Stainless Steel Pans And Pots
When your stainless steel has experienced frequent overheating, you can easily get some unpleasant burn marks on the bottom and on the inside of your pan. so here is how to remove the burn marks on your stainless steel pans and pots.
First, remove the burn marks with baking soda.
Make sure the pan is completely dry, then flip it over, and then sprinkle the baking soda generously over the bottom of the pan. Then use a dry cloth or soft sponge to rub at the baking soda.
Then you can add just a little amount of water to the baking soda by making a paste-like mixture.
Once you are done scrubbing at the paste-like mixture and your stainless steelware is squeaky clean, rinse off the excess baking soda residue and dry.
Also, you can remove greasy burn marks by using mild liquid dish soap on your hand.
Then keep making a paste solution of baking soda and dish soap. Apply this paste to the affected areas and then leave them on for several hours.
And when you are ready to rinse off, simply wash it with a soft scrubbing sponge and dry it with a kitchen towel.
You can remove the greasy burn marks by boiling the salt.
This method works well when the burn marks are on the inside of the pan. The salt in this method can be substituted for vinegar or lemon juice.
Fill the pan with enough water to submerge the affected areas, then bring the water to a boil; once it is boiling, add a few spoons of salt and turn off the heat.
Allow the water to sit for a few hours until it is cool. Then empty the water out of the pot.
Begin to scrub the inside of the pan using a non-abrasive sponge. Repeat the process again if the greasy burn mark refuses to leave.
You can also remove greasy, burnt oil with soda (Cola)
If you are wondering how to clean the burnt oil from your stainless steel, you can use soda.
The soda also has acidic properties, which work well on stick substances. Pour enough cola/soda into the affected areas.
Then bring the soda to a gentle boil. Once it begins to simmer, remove it from the heat and begin to use a spatula to scrape off the burnt oil or food.
Once you are done, you can now wash with liquid dishwashing soap and dry thoroughly after use.
In conclusion, stainless steel appliances offer a high quality of conducting heat and distributing heat. And this makes it to be one of the most widely used appliances in the kitchen.
And when it comes to maintaining them, the simple tricks and methods written above will help in maintaining your stainless steel pots and pans and will help in transforming the oldest pots into new cookware.
Also, this has the ability to extend the lifespan of your stainless steel, and it will, thus, keep you on budget by eliminating the need to buy for the sake of replacements.