Cleaning Stainless Steel Pans

[Callisto in NC]

Okay, so I was getting irritated with someone online at another site while I was cooking a glaze of cherry jelly and apple jelly and I burned the heck out of my pan. I've put boiling water into it several times and now the black stuff if mainly around the edge of the inside. I had DD pick up some Bar Keepers Friend but didn't get to try it. Should I bother or toss the pan? It's my 1 quart pan and I love the little guy so I don't want to toss it but I don't know even if I get it off if it will be okay to use. It's not teflon coated or anything, just straight stainless. It's by Cuisenart and I can't buy it individually if I toss it and I'm one of those weird people that like all her pans to match. I can post a picture tonight if that would help.

 

[LadyCook61]

You can try white vinegar and baking soda first, if that does not work, then barkeepers friend. I would keep the pan.

 

[Andy M.]

No need to toss the pot.

Soak it for a couple of hours then try the BKF. That should do the trick. If not, put a few Tb of ammonia in the pan and leave it overnight tightly covered. Then try the BKF again.

 

[Callisto in NC]

You can try white vinegar and baking soda first, if that does not work, then barkeepers friend. I would keep the pan.

Been that route already and it took off some of it, but there's still some crud left on it.

No need to toss the pot.

Soak it for a couple of hours then try the BKF. That should do the trick. If not, put a few Tb of ammonia in the pan and leave it overnight tightly covered. Then try the BKF again.

I haven't let it dry off since the disaster happened. It's had water or some liquid in it since Sunday night when "the incident" happened, so I'm covered there.

I have gone so far to try boiling cream of tartar and water in it, which actually helped a little, but that will eventually get expensive at the rate that was working.

I'll try the BKF when I get home. Thanks both of you.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Don't toss it, Callisto. Make a paste with the Barkeepers Friend and a little water and then let it sit for a while. Then scrub with one of those green scrubbing pads. If it's really bad, it may take a couple of times but it will come out looking like new. I promise. I have done this way more times than I'd care to admit so I know it works.

 

[GB]

And make sure to put a lot of elbow grease into it. It is not going to come up easily, but if your really work it then you should have success.

 

[pacanis]

Don't toss it, Callisto. Make a paste with the Barkeepers Friend and a little water and then let it sit for a while. Then scrub with one of those green scrubbing pads. If it's really bad, it may take a couple of times but it will come out looking like new. I promise. I have done this way more times than I'd care to admit so I know it works.

Ditto. I didn't make a paste, but a lot of BKF, a lot of elbow grease and a scotch-brite pad cleaned the burned on gunk out of my Cuisinart SS pan when I pan seared/oven baked a steak in it. It also took off the chrome looking shine, leaving minute abrasion scratches, but the pan still works great and the more I use it the more the shine is coming back.
I will always use CI for this cooking method from now on

 

[Fisher's Mom]

And make sure to put a lot of elbow grease into it. It is not going to come up easily, but if your really work it then you should have success.

Oh yeah, I forgot that part. GB is right - it will be a chore, that's for sure. But the end result will be worth it.

 

[pacanis]

And make sure to put a lot of elbow grease into it. It is not going to come up easily, but if your really work it then you should have success.

See? I told ya it would take a lot of elbow grease!

 

[jabbur]

Some folks have said putting a dryer sheet in the water to soften things up. Never tried it myself. I have some ss pans that I've burned things in, most recently a stock pot with rice. I have learned to not try to get EVERY bit off at once. If the surface is fairly smooth and you only have little bits left that don't come off, I have found that using the pan helps to loosen things up. I have never had the black bits come off in the food but after cooking something in it, the clean up usually takes the last little bits of black off. I would try a little tomato soup or sauce in the pan and heat it up. The acidity of the tomato will help. I've done all the other things suggested here as well so they work too.

 

[Adillo303]

I hope I am not doing something wrong. I fill the pan with a strong bleach solution and let set overnight. It works well for me.

An alternative is to smear liquid dishwashingdetergent on it and let set.

 

[Callisto in NC]

Adillo I don't believe you're doing anything wrong since bleach is only effective for an hour once exposed to light, that's why bleach bottles are solid and let no light in.

I'll let you all know how it turns out later tonight. Thansk

 

[Callisto in NC]

I think this poor little pan is cursed. I finally got all 99% of the crud off from the jelly fiasco and last night, first use since I got it clean, I burned on refried beans. I can't win.

 

[QUEEN-GUINEVERE]

I have the same Cuisinart set as you do and have had far too many similar disasters as you, from the kids, etc. It IS a stainless steel pot (set) with NO non-stick, no coating of any sort, so you CAN use an oven cleaner on it if that is something you wish to try.

I have worked off as much as I could using BKF, scouring pad, etc., and when nothing further could be done, that is when the oven cleaner is called in! Get the pan hot by boiling water in it first, toss out the boiling water, then immediately spray with the oven cleaner. Have the lid to the pot ready, to cover it, let set per the oven cleaner directions.

If you do not want to use the oven cleaner, I have also gone to the point of boiling the water and then adding 1/4 cup of dishwasher soap....the crystals, not liquid, as for some reason the liquid dishwasher soap just doesn't work like the dry does. Add the dry soap to the boiling water and let simmer for approx. 30 minutes. Remove from heat and check to see if the black particles have removed themselves. If not, try to scrape them off with the scouring pad. You may have to return the pot and soap mixture to a boil and repeat. It does work.

 

[Bigjim68]

One thing that I have not seen mentioned is chucking a cloth wheel in a drill or grinder, and polishing out with buffing compounds. Professional retinners do this with copper exteriors and I have cleaned old copper with them. Compounds are inexpensive and come in several grits. You will not hurt your cookware unless you are Tim Taylor and are using the Binford 9000.