Cookware Cleaning & Stain Removal Tips
Copper Cookware: Sprinkle tarnished area with salt then drizzle fresh lemon juice to cover. Gently rub clean, rinse then towel dry. Also see this Copper Cleaner Mix.
Cast Iron Cookware: To remove rust, slice a fresh potato in half and cover the cut end in liquid dish detergent. Rub the rust spots away with the potato, rinse clean, dry, then apply a light layer of oil to the cookware. See more tips here: How To Season, Clean & Prepare Cast Iron Cookware.
Roasting Pans: Sprinkle the bottom with powdered laundry detergent (about a cup), add hot water to fully cover. Allow to soak for a few hours or overnight, then scrub clean. See more tips here: How To Clean Roasting Pans.
Grungy Cookie Sheets & Muffin Pans: Same method as roasting pans, sprinkle powdered laundry detergent then slowly add hot water to completely cover the bottom of the sheet. If there are no edges to your cookie sheets, try applying a laundry detergent & water paste. Allow to soak for a few hours, scrub clean.
Aluminum Cookware: Boil 3 TBS cream of tartar per 1 quart of water in the cookware and boil for 15 minutes. Allow to cool then scrub clean.
Enamel Cookware: Mix 3 TBS baking soda per quart of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Scrub clean. See also Enamel Pot Stain Removal Tips
Removing White Residue: Caused from mineral deposits in the water…boil 1/3 to 1/2 mix of vinegar and water for 10 minutes (liquid must be higher than the stain line). Allow to cool then scrub clean.
Crusty Cookware: Fill dish or pot with warm water near to the top then drop in one or two denture tablets. Allow to fizz and soak for at least an hour before cleaning.
Casserole Dishes: Make a paste using 50/50 vinegar and cream of tartar. This miracle paste also takes care of old splatters and caked on gunk that casserole dishes and lids sometimes accumulate over time. Leave the paste sit on the stain for an hour or two if the marks don’t come off easily the first application.
Another tip: Fill casserole dish with warm water high enough to cover burned crust line. Add a generous teaspoon of baking soda and let sit. After awhile burned crust should loosen easily.
Cleaning Cake & Pie Pan Edges: Dip a raw potato into scouring powder to scrub the rusted corners and edges of cake and pie pans. You could also try using baking soda with a few drops of lemon juice.
See also Crusty Crockpot Cleaning Tips, George Foreman Grill Cleaning Tip and 8 Cleaning Tips For Crusty Stove Tops for more cleaning tips.
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Posted in Kitchen Cleaning, Popular Tips | 
( 6 )
12 May 2008 at 3:27 pm
Save the potato for dinner when cleaning cast iron. I trust Heloise:
GoodHousekeeping.com
*Admin Edit: fixed link
12 May 2008 at 3:34 pm
I disagree with using hot, soapy water after using a cast iron pan. Using soap can disintegrate the oil-based nonstick coating you’ve worked hard to build up. I only use soap and water when absolutely necessary. Otherwise, a nylon scrubber, Kosher salt, or some other such scrubbing can work just fine. Rinse thoroughly, then place in a warm oven or stove burner till dry.
As for Rust, I find any metal scrubber that you may use on your cooking grill works perfectly before rinsing, drying thoroughly and reseasoning.
Many find that for the most stubborn stuck-on food, popping it in the oven for awhile dries out the food enough to scrape it off. If all else fails, keep it in your oven while you set it on the self-clean cycle, then reseason.
The best way to keep it clean is learning the proper temperatures. If food sticks too much the pan is probably not seasoned enough (lightly oil it), or the cooking temperature is either too hot or too cool.
12 May 2008 at 5:13 pm
[...] like me, you pots and pans don’t get the care they deserve. Tipnut has some…well…tips that will help get them back in [...]
13 May 2008 at 7:14 am
How about stoneware? Any tips on cleaning that?
13 May 2008 at 11:49 pm
Hi nettajean, I wasn’t able to get my hands on the stoneware cleaning tips I have…still looking ;).
19 May 2008 at 11:10 am
[...] Cookware cleaning and stain removal tips [...]