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After repeatedly working with food at high temperatures, your cooking pans are likely to get some serious stains and discoloration despite how well you take care of them. These stains and discoloration may be permanent or temporary.

It’s possible that dish soap and hot water are your go-to cleaning solution for cookware, but when it comes to cleaning cooking pans, things get a little more complicated.

Even with all of the scrubbing, the stains that are particularly tenacious can be difficult to remove. Additionally, scrubbing them too vigorously can cause them to become damaged.

How to Remove Stains from Cooking Pans?

Let’s give your tired arms a break and give these cleaning hacks for removing stains from cooking pans a shot in order to freshen up your kitchen.

These straightforward strategies make use of low-cost materials that are typically lying around the house.

Deglaze with Hot Water

In order to properly preheat a pan made of enamel or stainless steel, a stovetop should have the heat turned on. Wait until a drop of water sizzles when dropped onto the pan before determining whether or not it is hot enough. Put one cup of water in the pan, then set the heat to medium and let it simmer for a while. You may add some dish soap if you want.

The stains and burned areas will become easier to remove with the help of the hot water. To scrape away at those areas, you can use a spoon made of wood or a spatula made of nylon.

Please note that using this method with non-stick pans is not recommended.

Use Vinegar

Vinegar is one of the most effective cleaners that may be used for a variety of purposes, including removing tough stains from frying pans.

Proceed in the following manner:

For Aluminum Pans:

  1. Combine one teaspoon of white vinegar with each cup of water that must be used to remove the stains.
  2. After bringing the liquid to a boil for a few minutes, rinse the pot well with cold water.

For Stainless Steel Pans:

  1. Spend the next half an hour soaking the unclean pan in two cups of white vinegar.
  2. After rinsing it off with hot water and soapy water, continue by washing it with cold water.
  3. For burned-on grease, pour 1 cup distilled vinegar in enough water to cover the stains.
  4. It should be allowed to boil for five minutes before being washed off.

For Glass Pans:

  1. Pouring a combination that consists of one part vinegar and four parts water will help remove cooked-on stains from a glass pan.
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil and then maintain a moderate simmer for the next five minutes while it is boiling.
  3. After the liquid has had a chance to cool, give the spots a little washing.

For Non-stick Pans:

  1. If you have cooking pans that are non-stick and they have mineral stains on them, you may remove them by dipping a cloth in undiluted white vinegar and rubbing the item with it.
  2. Blend together half a cup of vinegar, two teaspoons of baking soda, and one cup of water to remove tough stains.
  3. Ten minutes should pass after the mixture has been allowed to boil before it is cleaned.

For Broiler Pans:

  1. Placing a broiler pan on top of the stove and heating it over a low flame is the best method for removing cooked-on grease stains.
  2. Create a solution consisting of one cup of apple cider vinegar and two teaspoons of sugar, then apply the solution to the pan while it is still hot.
  3. At the very least, give it an hour to rest.
  4. Scrub the pan without too much pressure, and you should see the gunk come off easily.

Soak it with Soap

This home remedy, which is also referred to as the “procrastination method,” requires you to squirt a few drops of soap into the pan that is dirty. After adding the hot water, let the mixture sit for a few hours before continuing. You could also “procrastinate” and let it sit out there for the whole night.

After you have emptied it, start a new cycle of warm water, and then scrub the burned areas with a nylon scrubber.

Try a Dryer Sheet

If bits of burnt food are stuck to the surface of your pan, you might want to try using a dryer sheet. This one sheet of fabric softener does wonders and makes the pan spotless and shining after use.

Just add a dryer sheet to the pan after you’ve poured heated water into it first. Ensure that the sheet is submerged in the water so that it can absorb all of the moisture. Before using the sheet from the fabric softener as a scrubber, you should give it some space for a few hours. It will break up the charred bits and debris, and it will get rid of any kind of stain.

Scrub with Aluminum Foil

In the event that you do not have a scrub pad available to clean your cooking pans, you may use aluminum foil instead. Simply crumple up some aluminum foil, and then use it to clean the surface of your pans in a gentle circular motion.

Use Alka-Seltzer Tablets

The tough stains and debris that have been clinging to ovenproof glass pans may now be removed with less effort.

Simply add some water to the pan, then drop five or six Alka-Seltzer pills into the liquid. Before attempting to scrub the stains away, let it about an hour to soak. It won’t only clean your cookware, but it will also leave them smelling nice and fresh!

Try Salt

When it comes to cleaning cooking pans, salt is an excellent abrasive cleaner to use. In particular, coarse Kosher salt is an excellent tool for eliminating burn marks and cleaning up greasy messes.

  • If your enamel pan has stains that seem like they were burnt on, you may want to try soaking it in salt water for the night. The stains may be removed off the surface of the pan by bringing the saltwater mixture to a boil the following day.
  • The stains left behind by burnt milk are among of the most difficult to remove, but salt makes the process very simple. To season the pan, just moisten it and put some salt on it. Before beginning to scrape the pan, you should wait ten minutes. In addition to eliminating the unsightly stains, the salt will deodorize the air by soaking up the offensive smell of the scalded milk.
  • Because grease does not dissolve in water, utilizing iron pans may be a headache when it comes to dealing with grease markings. Simply sprinkling some salt over the surface of the pan and then washing it can eliminate these stains. Because of the salt, the pan will absorb the majority of the fat. After cleaning the pan with a towel, you may then wash it as you normally would.

Scrub with Baking Soda

Are you looking for a dishwashing liquid that can remove stains that are particularly difficult to remove from your pots and pans?

Cleaning cookware made of enamel or stainless steel is a breeze when you use the baking soda approach. Aluminum cookware should not be used with it.

Simply combine baking soda and warm water in an equal ratio to produce a paste. To remove the debris, scrape it over the burned areas and stains in a gentle manner. Repeat the process of rinsing the pan with warm water until the pan is completely clean.

Use Club Soda

Cast iron cookware always produces mouthwatering results in the food it prepares. On the other hand, it’s not very enjoyable when it comes time to clean up the mess.

Utilizing club soda in your cleaning process can significantly simplify the task at hand. After the food has been cooked, add some of it to the pan while it is still hot. It will be much simpler for you to clean the pan if you use the fizzy soda because it will prevent the debris from sticking to the surface of the pan.

Use Cream of Tartar

Do you want to restore the shine to your aluminum pans that have become discolored?

They should be cleaned using a solution that consists of two tablespoons of cream of tartar dissolved in one liter of water. After the mixture has been poured into the pan, bring the water to a boil. Hold off for ten minutes and let the water come to room temperature. To restore the pan’s sheen, give it a light scrubbing.

Try Denture Tablets

Denture tablets are an all-natural option for cleaning enamel pots and pans that have stains on them. Place one or two denture pills in the pan once it has been filled with warm water, depending on the size of the pan. If you want the surface of the pan to be clean and shining, you need to wait until the fizzing ends.

Freeze it!

It is not always necessary to give your favorite pan a vigorous scrubbing in order to remove the charred spots from previous uses. You need just place it in the refrigerator for an extended period of time. The mess will freeze, at which point you’ll find that it is much simpler to clean up.

Use Ketchup

You can restore the shine and luster to copper cookware that has become oxidized and dull. When compared to commercial tarnish removers, this method is not only less expensive, but it also does not require the use of gloves for protection purposes.

Make sure the surface of your pan is covered with a very thin layer of ketchup. Ten to fifteen minutes should be allowed for it to sit. The tarnish can be removed with the help of the acids that are found in ketchup. After that, wipe out the pan with soap and water, and then dry it right away.

Use an Oven Cleaner

Do you find it difficult to remove baked-on stains from your CorningWare or Pyrex cooking pans after you’ve used them?

It’s time to give a cleaning for the oven a go!

Use oven cleaner to coat your pan and protect your hands by wearing rubber gloves. Put the pan into a strong trash bag and tie it up with twist ties to keep it in place. Just give it a rest for the night.

The next day, carry the trash bag outside with you. When you start to open the bag, turn your back to the potentially harmful vapors so that you don’t inhale them. Put on some rubber gloves before removing the pan and washing it.

Rub Some Lemons

Lemon juice has the ability to make dull cookware shine like new from the inside out.

After slicing a lemon in half, use the cut side to scrub the inside of the pan. After that, polish it with a lint-free towel. You are going to be astounded to realize that all of the tenacious stains have been removed!

Use a Fabric Softener

A tiny bit of fabric softener combined with some hot water is an additional low-cost method for eliminating stains from a frying pan. This method involves placing the pan in the dishwasher.

The mixture should be allowed to settle for 15–20 minutes. It will result in less cleaning, but a higher level of shine!

Make a DIY Scrub Pad

Make your own scrub pad to remove persistent stains from your non-stick frying pan by using an old pair of clean pantyhose and fashion it into a scrubber.

After crumpling it up and moistening it with some warm water, add a couple of drops of liquid dishwashing soap to the mixture. To clean your pan, scrape it using this scrubbing pad.

Fight the Toughest Stains with Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide

Make a paste consisting of one part baking soda and one part hydrogen peroxide, and use this on your stainless steel frying pans to remove even the most stubborn stains.

Apply this paste to the stains, rub it in, and then let it set for twenty minutes. After that, to soak, combine one cup of hydrogen peroxide with two teaspoons of baking soda. At the very least, give it an hour to rest.

Warning: Baking soda is abrasive. Therefore, this procedure is appropriate for stainless steel cookware, but it should not be used on appliances.

Try these easy tips to remove stains off frying pans rather than forcing your way through the filth that’s accumulated there.

If you use the appropriate cleaning solutions for the various types of pans, you won’t ever have to worry about the tough stains that appear on your cookware again.