Need help with my pans

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abjcooking

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I have a fairly new set of pretty standard cooking pans (Calphalon). They are dishwasher safe. I have noticed that some of them have a small film on the bottom of them that I can't seem to get off. It looks sort of cloudy. I don't want to use anything abrasive because I don't want to scratch my pan. I'm not sure where the film is coming from. I was thinking maybe my water. I have cleaned them by scrubbing and putting in the dishwasher and I have also tried hand cleaning and drying immediately. Does anyone know what might be causing this and how I can get rid of it?
 
Sounds like you have a lime or a calcium film from your water. Sounds like a soak in a vinegar water solution should help you.
 
Well I tried the vinegar bath and that didn't seem to work. I might try some CLR if the bottle says it's safe for my pans. It does seem like it could be something from my water. Some of my pans have it and some don't which seems a little strange.
 
Barkeeper's Friend will probably work. Calphalon recommends it for some of their cookware.

What type of Calphalon do you have?
 
Not sure. I guess their the standard aluminum pots? Is barkeeper's friend a cleaner? I've never heard of it.
 
I'm going to assume some things here .... you're Calphalon aluminum is probably going to be anodized and a dark grey color ... and the film you are talking about is on the outside bottom of the pan, not the inside bottom of the pan.

If the film is a white powder looking coating, it's probably a water mineral thing - but since some pots/pans have a "film" and some don't, and the vinegar/water didn't remove it .... I'm guessing that is not the problem.

I'm guessing you are experiencing the same problem I had .... grease. If you cook on one burner and the ajacent burner is not covered, a film of grease can get on the burner and on the area under the burner. Then, when you use that burner ... the grease can heat up enough to smoke, and that is going to form a grease film on the bottom of your pan. Over time, if not removed, this will form a layer similar to what you get when you season a cast-iron skillet (heat fused grease).

For this - you need a spray bottle "Murphy Oil Soap", a can of Bar-Keeper's Friend or Bon-Ami, your regular liquid dishwashing soap, and a green scrubbie like Scotch-Brite or some other brand.

(1) Run some warm (not hot) water on the borrom of the pan to get it just warm and wipe dry.
(2) Spray with Murphy and let sit a few (2-3) minutes
(3) Gently scrub with scrubbie and rinse with warm water
(4) Repeat steps 2-3 a couple of times until the film is gone
(5) Wash with scrubbie and Bar-Keeper's Friend
(6) Wash with liquid dishwashing soap
(7) Rinse and dry

The Murphy oil soap helps melt the grease and the scrubbie is just abrasive enough to help remove it without scratching your pan - unless you really go crazy applying pressure. The Bar-Keeper's Friend is a very gentile abrasive that cuts the oil from the oil soap - but it can leave a powder residue. The dishwashing soap get's rid of the residue from the Bar-Keeper's Friend.
 
jennyema said:
Barkeeper's Friend will probably work. Calphalon recommends it for some of their cookware.
I also highly recommend Barkeeper's Friend, or if you can't find that, Bon Ami. Both are typically in the cleanser section near the Comet and other household cleaners.
 
Calphalon pans are NOT dishwasher safe. The aluminum oxide on the exterior reacts with the high ph of dishwashing detergent. Washing in the dishwasher permanently damages the pan, and voids the warranty.
 
Thanks for all of your help. My parents said that the sales person told them that the pans were dishwasher safe, so maybe that is what happened. I am going to try the barkeeper's friend. They don't have it at the store here, but I am going to Kansas City this week so I will pick some up there. Hopefully that helps. The film is on the inside of the pans. I also have some burning on the outside bottom of the pan that I'm sure is from grease. That doesn't bother me as bad, but I will try the suggestions Michael gave me also for that.
 
It is important to know what kind of cookware you have. If it is anodized, then mjsorkin is right, it is not dishwasher safe.

This is what Calphalon says about hard anodized cookware:

Cleaning
Do not clean Calphalon hard-anodized cookware in a dishwasher. Dishwasher detergents will damage the surface. Dishwasher use will void your Lifetime Warranty.

Hand wash your cookware thoroughly inside and out after every use. Wash with hot, sudsy water and a dishcloth or Scotch-Brite™ pad and a recommended cleanser (see below). After cleaning, the pan should have an even color tone and matte finish. Dark, shiny, or hazy spots on hard-anodized surfaces mean that some residue remains on the cooking surface.
Recommended Cleaners
• Ajax® (with or without bleach), Comet (with or without bleach), Dormond
Recommended Cleaning Pad
• Scotch-Brite™
DO NOT USE
Oven cleaners or other caustic cleaning solutions, baking soda, automatic dishwasher detergent, liquid bleach, liquid household cleaners used for walls, floors, porcelain, etc.

Always allow your pan to cool before washing. Submerging a hot pan in water can cause irreparable warping.



Your cookware should have come with instructions, but if you can't find them, look here: http://www.calphalon.com/calphalon/consumer/jhtml/useAndCare.jhtml
 
Michael in FtW said:
For this - you need a spray bottle "Murphy Oil Soap", a can of Bar-Keeper's Friend or Bon-Ami, your regular liquid dishwashing soap, and a green scrubbie like Scotch-Brite or some other brand.
As my Canadain friends would say "Soory, eh!" but never, ever, use a green scrubbie on anything but stainless steel or aluminum cookware. The green scrubbies will scratch delicate surfaces. In fact, I don't even use them on my stainless any more. I use the blue scrubbies for for everything, including anodized aluminum and/or teflon and/or any other type of non-stick coating. They are guaranteed not to scratch.
 
Caine, thanks for making me aware of my making a mistake in something I said. You do not want to "scrub" the bottom of an anodized pan with a green scrubbie - you want to "gently rub without applying pressure". Of course, I would only suggest this for the exterior .... never the interior of a non-stick pan.

I'm interested in the blue scrubbie you use on cookwares. What brand? The last blue scrubbie thingie I saw was for cleaning toilet bowls.
 
Michael in FtW said:
Caine, thanks for making me aware of my making a mistake in something I said. You do not want to "scrub" the bottom of an anodized pan with a green scrubbie - you want to "gently rub without applying pressure". Of course, I would only suggest this for the exterior .... never the interior of a non-stick pan.

I'm interested in the blue scrubbie you use on cookwares. What brand? The last blue scrubbie thingie I saw was for cleaning toilet bowls.
They're Scotch-Brite, from 3M, just like the green ones - http://products3.3m.com/catalog/us/...rvices_3_0/command_AbcPageHandler/output_html
 

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