Cleaning pots and pans have got to be one of the most annoying things to do – but do it we must! We often neglect the bottom of the pan until it’s too late, however! How exactly can you best deal with troublesome stains on the bottom of your cookware? Well, we’ll help you find out how!
Pressure And Abrasion
One of the simplest and most important things to remember when cleaning the outside bottom of your pans is that it’s no different from cleaning the inside – except that you might have to work harder to get it perfectly clean!
The most important things to think about are pressure and abrasion. If you’re not using enough pressure when cleaning the pan, then you simply won’t be able to get everything off it as you want to.
Unfortunately, cleaning the bottom of a pan is one time when you’re sure to need a little bit of elbow grease – so make sure that you’re pressing hard enough to get rid of the thing you’re trying to clean off.
Second of all, abrasion! Many cleaning products use mild abrasives to help remove things that are stuck on.
It’s similar to sanding down a piece of wood, in fact – the abrasives in the cleaning product grip and pull on the thing that needs to be cleaned off.
So, when cleaning the bottom of a pan, it’s important to remember that it can take hard work. You have to press quite hard in order for cleaning to be effective, and you might have to use some abrasive chemicals in order to get the result you’re after. Take your time, protect your skin and eyes – and learn when to accept good enough!
Store-Bought Cleaners
Store-bought cleaners are often the way that people prefer to go, as not everybody is confident enough that they’ll be able to get the ratios right when making a home remedy.
Also, store cleaners are often a lot stronger than anything we can make at home – with the downside that the chemicals used to make these cleaners are often rather nasty, and can cause skin and eye irritation at the very least.
Careful use, however, can make these the best option for a lot of people. This is particularly true if you don’t want to spend the time and effort messing around with home remedies – after all, you might not have the time for trial and error, and just need to get the job done as soon as possible!
One thing that is extremely important is to ensure that you’re using the right sort of cleaning product or solution for your cookware.
There can be very many different formulations of similar products, so it’s important to pay attention to the details to make sure you get the thing that you need.
Don’t be tempted to use other sorts of cleaners, such as those you might find in a hardware store! If the label doesn’t say that it’s safe to use on cookware, then don’t even consider it.
A lot of cleaning products can contain chemicals that can linger on cookware even after rinsing – and they’re definitely not going to be the sort of thing you, your family, or guests want to have in their meal!
Home Remedies
Of course, many people can’t stand the thought of using store-bought chemicals to clean their cookware.
They might be effective, but there are many good reasons not to use them, for a start, the chemicals are often quite nasty!
They can cause skin irritation, and you of course have to take care not to splash them in your eyes. And, of course, making sure that you choose the right product can be difficult! Added to this, some people just plain don’t want to use chemical products for environmental reasons.
Luckily, there are a few ways that you can make cleaning solutions for cleaning the bottom of your pots and pans at home.
The simplest method to use is to mix some salt, baking powder, and dish soap. Mix them together until you’ve got a paste-like mixture, and then rub it onto the bottom of your pan with some steel wool.
The combination of abrasion from the steel wool and salt, loosening from the soap, and chemical reaction from the baking soda will easily clean the gunk off the bottom of your pans. And you can likely make this mixture with stuff you’ve already got at home!
The main advantage of this mixture is that it uses things you’ll already have in your cupboard. Not just that, but it’s also far more environmentally friendly than chemical cleaners – and can be far kinder to your skin!
When To Give Up
Sometimes it’s far better to face it and just admit the truth – there’s a limit to how much effort it’s worth putting into this job! The simple fact is that you’re not going to be able to prevent the bottom of your pan from getting a little bit dirty every so often.
Sure, it doesn’t mean that you can just ignore it and let your pans go to ruin. However, it definitely does mean that you shouldn’t obsess over a little bit of a stain! The food never touches the bottom of the pan, so don’t worry about that.
And the fact that you might be putting your pan directly over a flame – well, there’s always a chance that it’s going to make your pan a little dirty on the bottom!
The simple fact is that cooking pots and pans are just tools – and even though it’s best to keep tools in their best condition, they will inevitably start to show signs of use as you cook things with them.
Don’t worry too much about it – it’s just a sign that a lot of love has gone into the food!
Conclusion
A little bit of cleaning early on can save you a lot of cleaning down the line – so the best thing you can do when it comes to dealing with stubborn stains on your cookware is to clean your cookware regularly, inside and out!
