# Cleaning



## pontypool (Apr 22, 2020)

I always seem to get burn marks or stains on my baking trays.
It only seems to happen if something burns on it, like oven chips.
I find it impossible to remove, usually requiring a brilo pad and extreme scrubbing. 

I bought a new non stick pan and paid quite a bit for it, thinking it would have better non stick properties, but when I cooked potatoe wedges in there, once again bits of burned in the oil and left permanent stains.

I thought I could remove this tarnish with a method I used and loved to bring out my copper saucepans (lemon juice and salt) which is completely natural yet safe ingredients but worked fantastic. And unlike using a brilo pad didn't strip the surface of the pan, But even this didn't work on these stains.

I know it's only cosmetic really, I just prefer to keep things spic and span. 

Looking forward to hearing your suggestions


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## Andy M. (Apr 22, 2020)

I'm not aware of any process to remove stains from non-stick. Others may. 

I use aluminum half sheet pans. For certain items, I lay a sheet of foil down ease cleaning.


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## pepperhead212 (Apr 22, 2020)

I also don't know of anything to remove such items from nonstick, but usually they don't get bad grease stains.  Most other things I get off with Barkeeper's Friend, though what you are describing sounds much worse, since extreme scrubbing with Brillo doesn't take it off easily!  If I had something like that I would probably go to my workshop, for some wet/dry silicon carbide sandpaper, starting with the coarser grade.


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## Andy M. (Apr 22, 2020)

On a different note, if the pan is clean, the stain isn't interfering with it's functionality so learn to love it.


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## taxlady (Apr 22, 2020)

That is why I don't like non-stick for baking pans. They stain, but I can't use a harsh method to get the stain off, or the non-stick will get scratched or come off and then the problem is worse.

I know that this is mostly a cosmetic issue. But, I hate having old stains on stuff. It makes it hard to know what's an old stain and what is new dirt. If it's new dirt, I will put in some amount of effort to get it off.


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## pepperhead212 (Apr 22, 2020)

I have some nonstick loaf pans from the early 80s that I've made hundreds of loaves in, which still look almost new - no stains, inside or out.  And some Baker's Secret loaf pans almost as old, with a patina, that makes them even more NS.  However, NS sheet pans die faster (I was going to say that I've thrown some out through the years, but I actually still use them, in my garden) - different types of food that ends up scraped out, etc., and for those types, I line them with parchment, or, for really bad ones, like macaroons, the "release" foil.  That is the only thing that I have found that has been nonstick with everything I have cooked on it. 

And for those things that I put on a sheet pan, to catch the possible runover, like a gratin pan, some foil will prevent that cheese from burning on the sheet pan.


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## Rocklobster (Apr 22, 2020)

I use an old stained one for things like that..if I was to even think of using GF's good ones I would be sleeping in the garage..


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## pontypool (Apr 23, 2020)

I was thinking. Maybe you can get a baking tray which is ceramic.
0f all the cooking apparatus I use, ceramic I find can be cleaned completely yet not harshly. 
With my slow cooker it sometimes gets burned oil on it. But cover all affected areas with cif for a few hours or overnight and that stuff comes right off with only moderate work. 

Copper on the other hand.... Tarnishes easily even if completely dried. Then a normal wash won't suffice, you have to use a tarnish remover like lemon and salt and it requires additional scrubbing. 
Even a slight amount of blemishing really shows up easily. 
That being said. And I know this is veering off slightly but I find copper really distributes the heat evenly. 

I'm always looking for healthier cooking apparatus, which is why I am sceptical of Teflon or aluminium as I think most of us into a healthy lifestyle knows that both of which are harmful. 
So what's the alternative? 
Cast iron. (which requires upkeep like oiling/scrubbing and drying thoroughly) or ceramic which is liable to be broken easily.

I'm using a frying pan with a lid. The surface is "marble /stone like"
Which is the best thing I've ever cooked porridge without it requiring a huge effort to clean. But I have serious reservations about the healthiness of said pan. 
To begin with, actual stone should weigh a lot more. 

Interested in your suggestions. 
I don't think paying more *always * means you get better either. Sometimes there's value


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## GotGarlic (Apr 23, 2020)

pontypool said:


> I'm always looking for healthier cooking apparatus, which is why I am sceptical of Teflon or aluminium as I think most of us into a healthy lifestyle knows that both of which are harmful.


It's not true that there is evidence that either of those materials is harmful.

Teflon 


> Should I take measures to protect myself, such as not using my Teflon-coated pans?
> Other than the possible risk of flu-like symptoms from breathing in fumes from an overheated [over 550F] Teflon-coated pan, there are no proven risks to humans from using cookware coated with Teflon (or other non-stick surfaces). While PFOA was used in the past in the US in making Teflon, it is not present (or is present in extremely small amounts) in Teflon-coated products.


https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/teflon-and-perfluorooctanoic-acid-pfoa.html

Aluminum 


> What about [aluminum] pots and pans?
> It would be difficult to significantly reduce exposure to aluminum simply by avoiding the use of aluminum cookware, foil, beverage cans and other products. Use of aluminum in pots and pans only contributes to a very small percentage of the average person's intake of aluminum.
> 
> In summary
> Current research provides no convincing evidence that exposure to trace elements of aluminum is connected to the development of dementia.


https://www.alzdiscovery.org/cognitive-vitality/blog/is-there-a-link-between-aluminum-and-alzheimers


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## dragnlaw (Apr 23, 2020)

*+1 to GG post* on both the teflon and aluminum.  

Why do people only remember the bad stuff, which inevitably is found to be not true?


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## Andy M. (Apr 23, 2020)

+2 GG's post.

Teflon is perfectly safe when not overheated. Regarding overheating, what is meant is leaving an empty pan on a high burner for several minutes. That is, many times hotter than temperatures you would cook with. If it's used properly, it's perfectly safe. You can ingest fragments of teflon that have flaked off the pan and they will safely pass through your system unchanged.

Years ago, there was a much publicized study that suggested aluminum cookware caused alzheimer's disease. That has since been completely overturned. Sadly the correction of misstatements never gets the publicity the original claim gets.


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## IloveBBQ (Jun 8, 2020)

This is the best way I have found to clean them Pour a small layer of equal parts water and white vinegar on the bottom of the pan. Heat the diluted vinegar on the stovetop and allow it to come to a boil. After it boils for a minute, remove it from the heat and drain the vinegar down the sink.


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## pontypool (Jun 8, 2020)

GotGarlic said:


> It's not true that there is evidence that either of those materials is harmful.
> 
> Teflon
> 
> ...



I disagree


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## GotGarlic (Jun 9, 2020)

pontypool said:


> I disagree


On what basis?


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