Hard, caked-on oil on pans

[bagha]

Hi all,

How do you remove that hard, caked-on oil from pans? I don't know what it's called, but I think it happens when you have oil on a pan that's heated and then cooled, and then it becomes this hard substance sticking to the pan like glue. That's my theory, but I might be completely wrong.

It's happened to my pans before and I usually manage to get it off after some serious scrubbing with a medium-hard sponge. However, it's mysteriously appeared on my good cookie sheet recently, and scrubbing doesn't take it off!

I've tried soaking it in dishwasher detergent. I'm contemplating using oven cleaner on it, but I'm worried that might mess up the good non-stick surface of my cookie sheet.

Please let me know, and thanks for the help.

 

[jpmcgrew]

It should not even happen on a non stick pan. What were you making for this to happen?

 

[Andy M.]

You might try a product called Dawn Power Dissolver. You spray it on and let it sit for 16-30 minutes then scrub it off. It really reduces the effort needed to get that crud off. I scrub with a blue scrubber sponge (safe for non-stick).

 

[bagha]

It should not even happen on a non stick pan. What were you making for this to happen?

I honestly don't know where it came from! I take out the cookie sheet yesterday and it's got that stupid stuff all over it. It's spread out thin over maybe 30% of the surface, and it's got thicker clumps along the edges.

Ok, it's altogether possible that someone else who lives with me did it, even thought I made a point of telling everyone that the cookie sheet is just for cookies.

@Andy M., that product sounds like the ideal solution, thanks for the tip. Although, I'm apprehensive of buying it when I'll only be using it this once.

I'm hoping someone will come along this thread with a free idea...

 

[Andy M.]

...@Andy M., that product sounds like the ideal solution, thanks for the tip. Although, I'm apprehensive of buying it when I'll only be using it this once...

Why are you confident it won't happen again?

 

[marigeorge]

I would use Awesome (can get it at Dollartree, comes in a spray bottle). Also, don't use spray releases like Pam on non-stick, it just makes a sticky, gooey, mess out of pans.

 

[QUEEN-GUINEVERE]

Hi, bagha, and welcome to DiscussCooking! Hopefully, you will return for more than just this problem!

You are looking for something "free" to use on this "gook"....well, here is my advice!

First, NEVER use oven cleaner on your non-stick ANYTHING! That is a sure-fire way of permanent destruction of your cookware and bakeware!

Here is something that my Nonna taught me over 30 years ago, works EVERY time, and calls for no muscle other than the lifting and transporting of your pans and/or bakeware!

Place your gooked up pans inside a plastic garbage bag. You can use your "regular" plastic trash bags or even those from your markets, but just make sure there are no holes in them. Place your cookware in the bag, then place a ramekin, large glass ashtray, or other small GLASS bowl, into the bag, on TOP of one of the bakeware items. Fill that GLASS bowl with PLAIN amonia, then tightly seal the open side of the bag, either by tying it closed or by twisting and then tying with one of those paper covered wire twisty thingies. Place the bag with the amonia and your gooked cookware into your oven or any other confined area (like in a box with a lid and place the box in your garage or basement, etc.) and let sit over night or for 12 hours. After that time, peek at your cookware and see how it looks. It SHOULD, by this 12 hour mark, be clean. If not, re-seal the bag and let the cookware sit for several more hours. Depending on how thick and baked/cooked into your pans this gook is, will determine how long this will take. The gookiest can take a day. When this is reached, simply wash your pans/cookware with plenty of hot soapy water and thoroughly rinse.

I have had this gook appear from "who knows where?", and have used this trick from Nonna ever since, and without fail! Hope you have just as much success!

 

[bagha]

Wow, thanks for all the advice everyone! I'm going to try out one of these tips depending on what I get my hands on first (dawn, awesome, or ammonia).

And many thanks QUEEN-GUINEVERE for your cool tip. I'm gonna keep it in mind for future problems as well.

 

[QUEEN-GUINEVERE]

You're quite welcome bagha! And for the cost of amonia, something like 29 cents for a gallon (at least here, that's what it costs) and for a few hours of time, can't beat the price with a stick! If you work, put the pans in the bag before you go to bed, let them set overnight, and all day while you are at work, and when you come home, before or after dinner, your near 24 hours will be met and your pans/cookware should be clean. You will not miss the time this process takes.

Good luck to you!

 

[Mississippi Girl]

I love a lot of older ideas the best as they seem to work great and dont cause further destruction.
My kids even tho I threaten..invar. cook something on my cookie sheets..breaded shrimp comes to mind and oven cooked fries :/

I now use that paper to line cookie sheets to bake my cookies..best thing I ever did. Just slide paper and all ontop cooling racks..dont have to hurry and get cookies off an dthey don't break this way too.

 

[Novicebaker35]

Hi, bagha, and welcome to DiscussCooking! Hopefully, you will return for more than just this problem!

You are looking for something "free" to use on this "gook"....well, here is my advice!

First, NEVER use oven cleaner on your non-stick ANYTHING! That is a sure-fire way of permanent destruction of your cookware and bakeware!

Here is something that my Nonna taught me over 30 years ago, works EVERY time, and calls for no muscle other than the lifting and transporting of your pans and/or bakeware!

Place your gooked up pans inside a plastic garbage bag. You can use your "regular" plastic trash bags or even those from your markets, but just make sure there are no holes in them. Place your cookware in the bag, then place a ramekin, large glass ashtray, or other small GLASS bowl, into the bag, on TOP of one of the bakeware items. Fill that GLASS bowl with PLAIN amonia, then tightly seal the open side of the bag, either by tying it closed or by twisting and then tying with one of those paper covered wire twisty thingies. Place the bag with the amonia and your gooked cookware into your oven or any other confined area (like in a box with a lid and place the box in your garage or basement, etc.) and let sit over night or for 12 hours. After that time, peek at your cookware and see how it looks. It SHOULD, by this 12 hour mark, be clean. If not, re-seal the bag and let the cookware sit for several more hours. Depending on how thick and baked/cooked into your pans this gook is, will determine how long this will take. The gookiest can take a day. When this is reached, simply wash your pans/cookware with plenty of hot soapy water and thoroughly rinse.

I have had this gook appear from "who knows where?", and have used this trick from Nonna ever since, and without fail! Hope you have just as much success!

This sounds AWESOME!! Thank you for sharing and thank you Nonna for being so wise! I'm going to get some plain ammonia tomorrow and try this out! I'm so excited, I was about to trash my gooky baking sheet and buy another one. I am VERY grateful for this advice!

 

[QUEEN-GUINEVERE]

This sounds AWESOME!! Thank you for sharing and thank you Nonna for being so wise! I'm going to get some plain ammonia tomorrow and try this out! I'm so excited, I was about to trash my gooky baking sheet and buy another one. I am VERY grateful for this advice!

Hey, Novice! Glad to be of help! As another member posted here, those "old time" remedies, whether they be in the kitchen or elsewhere in the home, those ladies knew how to "do"!!! Money was tight, things were yet to be invented, etc. I've been using this "trick" even since my Nonna taught this to me and it has yet to fail! Should also work for you, too! Do let me (us) know, please!

PS: Glad to hear of your relationship with Miss Moxie! How long has this been going on? Can't help BUT love her!!!

 

[Novicebaker35]

Hey, Novice! Glad to be of help! As another member posted here, those "old time" remedies, whether they be in the kitchen or elsewhere in the home, those ladies knew how to "do"!!! Money was tight, things were yet to be invented, etc. I've been using this "trick" even since my Nonna taught this to me and it has yet to fail! Should also work for you, too! Do let me (us) know, please!

PS: Glad to hear of your relationship with Miss Moxie! How long has this been going on? Can't help BUT love her!!!

Shucks!! Money is tight now in our "unlabeled" recession so being a single mother I am all about these type of great fixes!

As for Miss Moxie, she's been with us for almost 2 months now. My daughter and I signed up for a Wilton cake decorating class at Michael's and the instructor used a KA mixer on the first night to show us how to make buttercream icing. The next week I had one sitting in my kitchen and it's been L-O-V-E ever since! I have purchased so many kitchen tools, gadgets and appliances since then. I've gone mad I tell ya, I just can't get enough of my kitchen!! The grocery store and "kitchen" stores now give me the "high" that the Nine West store used to! Man oh man, am I in trouble!!

 

[PieSusan]

Just be careful when you open up the bag with the ammonia in it and be sure to open it far from your face. A faceful of ammonia is most unpleasant. (Although the longer ammonia sits, the weaker it becomes.)

 

[Novicebaker35]

Just be careful when you open up the bag with the ammonia in it and be sure to open it far from your face. A faceful of ammonia is most unpleasant. (Although the longer ammonia sits, the weaker it becomes.)

Good point about the ammonia! Thanks for reminding me of that!

 

[Grillncook]

Three words-BAR KEEPERS FRIEND absolutely the best product you will ever find for keeping stainless clean. I keep some right by the sink and it gets all the burned on gunk off with little work. It's great stuff and it won't stink you out like ammonia will.

 

[Grillncook]

opps

 

[sugarx2]

removing caked-on oil from pans

Hi all,

How do you remove that hard, caked-on oil from pans? I don't know what it's called, but I think it happens when you have oil on a pan that's heated and then cooled, and then it becomes this hard substance sticking to the pan like glue. That's my theory, but I might be completely wrong.

It's happened to my pans before and I usually manage to get it off after some serious scrubbing with a medium-hard sponge. However, it's mysteriously appeared on my good cookie sheet recently, and scrubbing doesn't take it off!

I've tried soaking it in dishwasher detergent. I'm contemplating using oven cleaner on it, but I'm worried that might mess up the good non-stick surface of my cookie sheet.

Please let me know, and thanks for the help.

You can deglaze it. Heat the pan back up add cola, or any wine and a little water and it should start to come up. You may need to rinse and do it again and again if the crud is really thick. I use a wooden spatula to scrape it as it is deglazing.

When you are actually cooking, you can use some wine and this deglazes it back into the most delicious sauces. The stuff is good when it is fresh, unless you have burned something. Then it is yuck. UNLESS CAJUN BLACKENING IS YOUR THING!

You can get most of it out deglazing, Even with cast iron, but DO NOT SOAK CAST IRON it will rust.

With Stainless steel, use BON AMI, make a paste put it on the remaining residue, leave over night and it should come up clean.

 

[Constance]

Mean Green, Simple Green, 409 or similar products will melt the grease right off. Just spray on, let set, and give it a scrub with whatever pad is approved for your pan. It may take 2 or 3 times if the grease is really thick.
It's OK for inside or outside the pan...just wash well with soap and water.

 

[HMGgal]

I've got that gunk on my cookie sheets, too. I've heard it's from using stuff like Pam. I have used that stuff on occasion, but generally use a Silpat mat now. And here's what a loser I am: when it gets bad enough, I toss them and start over. I usually can find nice ones on sales at places like Ross or Marshall's for $10-14. It sounds like you've got lots of good ideas to try to get yours back in pristine condition.