Reviving a non stick skillet

[oldrustycars]

We have a non stick Scanpan skillet, been in regular use for 8 years. It was losing it's non stick capability, I figured it was just time, non stick doesn't last forever. Then I read about soaking them in a lye solution. I got lye crystal drain opener, dumped a bunch in a 5 gallon pail with about 4 gallons of water, just enough to submurge it. It came out like new, and works like new as well. The more you know.

 

[taxlady]

@Andy M. mentioned using oven cleaner. I have to try one of those methods soon. I have a ScanPan skillet that I must admit, is not as non-stick as it used to be. The lye method sounds scary. Did the soak do anything to the uncoated bottom of the pan?

 

[pepperhead212]

I also mentioned this on a thread someone had some NS pans losing the NS quality of the pan. Just using cheap oven cleaner (basically lye) on some old bread pans, NS, but not coming off - just not non-stick anymore, and it worked for me! It seems grease just burns on it slowly, and eventually it gets a layer, that's not very NS anymore.

 

[dragnlaw]

Agree with taxy, it does sound scary when you think of it as lye.
On the other hand, if you're brave enough to use it in the oven - why not on a pan?

 

[Andy M.]

@Andy M. mentioned using oven cleaner. I have to try one of those methods soon. I have a ScanPan skillet that I must admit, is not as non-stick as it used to be. The lye method sounds scary. Did the soak do anything to the uncoated bottom of the pan?

I recommended using oven cleaner on a non-stick pan?

 

[taxlady]

I recommended using oven cleaner on a non-stick pan?

I thought so. I thought you had written that a non-stick skillet of yours had gotten non-stick over time, so you gave it a try. Maybe it was someone else. Oops.

 

[taxlady]

Agree with taxy, it does sound scary when you think of it as lye.
On the other hand, if you're brave enough to use it in the oven - why not on a pan?

I don't use commercial oven cleaner and I most certainly don't use drain opener in the oven.

 

[dragnlaw]

I don't use commercial oven cleaner and I most certainly don't use drain opener in the oven.

Neither do I considering that since somewhere in the 70's or maybe 80's I've always had a self-clean oven.
But I was never known for a clean oven before or even with them. Now I plain don't even pretend to.