Cooking makes for a fun hobby that a large number of people enjoy. The less-enjoyable part, however, is the clean up of those caked-on oils, grease, and burnt food bits left behind after cooking or baking.
Those baked-on grease stains aren't just eyesores, burnt food can leach carcinogenic toxins into your food, and can severely damage the quality of your pots and pans, especially the non-stick kind. Here's how you can remove burnt-on grease from your pans, and save your cookware from getting ruined:
What You'll Need
You'll need a few pantry staples to clean a stained pan. While an oven cleaner will do the trick to remove the baked-on grease, you can never go wrong with baking soda and vinegar as a safe, inexpensive solution!
- Dish soap
- Hot water
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Scouring pad
- Steel wool (for heavily-stained pans)
How to Clean Baked-on Grease from Pans and Pots: A Step-by-Step Guide
Step 1: Boil the Gunk Away
The easiest and simplest cleaning method is to soften the burnt-on grease with boiling water and dish detergent. Fill the pot or frying pans with water from the tap, and add a few drops of dish soap. Place the pans on the burner, and let the water come to a simmer.
Set the heat low, and let the simmering water soften and lift the burnt-on grease, while the dish soap dissolves the oils. You can do the same for baking sheets, cookie sheets, and baking trays in a hot oven. Take the pans off the heat, and let them cool until just warm.
Step 2: Create a Cleaning Paste
Create a cleaning paste by mixing together baking soda with enough white vinegar to create a thin paste. You will need 2 tablespoons of baking soda for every 1 and a half tablespoons of white vinegar. The paste should be thin enough to stay moist, but thick enough to stick on vertical spaces.
Apply the paste directly on burnt-on grease, placing the paste in both the interior and exterior of the pans. The baking soda will lift burnt grease stains, while vinegar works to soften baked-on grease to make it easier to clean them later on.
Step 3: Let the Paste Sit
Let the paste sit for at least 15 minutes - more if your pots and pans are heavily stained. You can test an area by wiping it off with a paper towel. If the baked-on grease is completely removed, then you can proceed to cleaning out the residue.
If the burnt grease is not completely removed, then re-apply the baking soda paste, and wait for 10-15 more minutes. If the baking soda paste has dried, then add a bit of vinegar to clean burnt-on grease stains.
Step 4: Scrub, Scrub, Scrub
Once the baking soda paste has done its job, use a scouring pad to gently remove burnt-on grease from your frying pan. Use the abrasive side of the sponge to clean the bottom of your pans, while the interior of your non-stick pans, pots, and baking pans should be cleaned with the soft side of a sponge.
Step 5: Wipe Clean
Wipe away the residue to clean burnt grease. You'll notice it is easy to remove burnt-on grease as the cleaning paste has softened and lifted the stains. Remove as much baked-on gunk as you can, and repeat the process if any residue remains on your pan.
Step 6: Wash as Normal, and Dry
Wash the pots and pans as you normally would, then use a kitchen towel to wipe them dry. You may also dry your baking sheets in a hot oven to ensure every corner is dry before storing them. Always store your pans dry, never wet.
How to Prevent Baked-On Grease from Forming
Are those grease stains becoming a problem in the kitchen? Do they happen frequently no matter how non-stick your pans are? Then you may need to look into ways to prevent grease from getting caked onto your cookware:
- Soak cookware before washing them to soften the dried food bits, and make them easier to remove.
- Use parchment paper or a non-stick baking sheet when cooking or baking, even on non-stick cookware. This will prevent your food from directly staining your pans.
- Clean your pans after every use, and don't wait for the food stains to stick.
- Season your cast iron and stainless steel pans to give them a glassy, non-stick surface that prevents baked-on grease.
Keep a Clean Kitchen
Keep your kitchen clean the hassle-free way with Luce Home cleaning services! Our top-quality cleaning services offer you only the best in home cleaning, guaranteed to get your house spotless and pristine!
Contact us today, and let's see what we can do about those burnt pans in your kitchen!
