How To Clean Stainless Steel Cookware? Pro Tips 2023

Stainless steel pans are a must-have for any home chef. This long-lasting cookware is easy to clean, holds heat nicely, and doesn’t need any extra tools or maintenance to function efficiently. While stainless steel will not rust or corrode, it can get stained or discolored by burns. Knowing how to clean stainless steel cookware is essential since it will inevitably acquire stains, water spots, and other unsightly marks from regular usage.

Cleaning a stainless steel pan after use usually takes less than five minutes, including rinsing and drying. Though, it may take more time to get rid of really stubborn stains. It is mandatory to clean it properly. It can take up to thirty minutes if you use elbow grease to scrub or if you boil baking soda and water in your pans. You can get rid of some stains by leaving a baking soda solution on them overnight and then rinsing them off in the morning.

We have made it easy for you by following the steps for how to clean your stainless steel cookware. Let’s dive into it.

Clean Your Stainless Steel Cookware In Simple Steps

The best way to clean your stainless steel cookware like All-Clad is to read the manufacturer’s directions first. In spite of the fact that many brands of cookware boast dishwasher safety, stainless-steel pans are best cleaned by hand. To clean your stainless steel cookware, there are two options. There is the option of a rapid clean, or you can devote more time to removing those stubborn stains.  Let your cookware cool down completely before cleaning to prevent warping.

Steps To Clean Stainless Steel Cookware

Here’s the step-by-step guide:

Get the Pan Clean First

Restoring their “like-new” appearance begins with a thorough cleaning.

Wash your stainless steel pan on a regular basis using hot soapy water and a nonabrasive sponge.

Scrape the Stucked Food 

Fill the pan with enough soapy water to cover the residue, heat to a boil, then scrape with a spatula or wooden spoon if food remnants remain attached to the bottom. You shouldn’t have any trouble removing the food. Once the pan has cooled, clean it as usual.

Putting Baking Soda and Water to Boil

You may need more aggressive cleaning for stains like burnt food or oil. Cleaning scorched stainless steel pans can be done quickly and cheaply with baking soda. If your cookware gets too hot, sprinkle some baking soda in it and add enough water to cover the charred spots. The water should mostly evaporate after being brought to a boil and simmered.

Wash then Scrub and Repeat

Remove the pan from heat when it has cooled enough to handle. Use a nonabrasive sponge and hot, soapy water to remove the buildup. Alternatively, you can clean stainless steel cookware by using a commercial cleaner, such as Bar Keepers Friend as directed by the manufacturer.

How To Clean Burnt Stainless Steel Cookware

Use dish soap for routine cleaning of your stainless steel kitchenware. In contrast, what do you do if the food in the pan has burned? Use these strategies to clean stainless steel cookware after food has been burned.

Option one: Use a Professional Cleaner

• Start with a commercial cleaner like Weiman that is both safe and effective. The stainless steel surfaces you use them on will remain unscratched and undamaged thanks to the special formulations of these cleansers. 
• Powdered form like All-Clad cleaner is superior to liquid when attempting to remove burnt food or scorch scars. 
• Saturate the charred food with water and moisten the pan.
• Spread the cleaner in a thin layer on the pan’s bottom.
• Using a nonabrasive scrubber or soft cloth, scrub the paste into the burnt food.
• Do a quick rinse by filling the pan with clean water.
• If the burned areas are still visible, you will need to repeat the process.
• Take note that a more potent cleaner may be required for deep burn marks and carbon buildup.

Option Two: Vinegar and Baking Soda

Vinegar and baking soda are two typical household items you can use to clean stainless steel cookware. Vinegar’s acetic acid component makes it an efficient cleaner for baked-on foods because it dissolves the protein bonds holding the food particles together.

• To loosen food that has stuck to the bottom of a pan, fill the pan with water until it just covers the food.
• Add 1 cup of vinegar to the water in the pot or pan and bring to a boil.
• After the mixture has come to a boil, take it off the heat and stir in 2 tablespoons of baking soda.
• Combine in a quick stir and discard into a new pan.
• With a soft, nonabrasive sponge or scrubber, remove all traces of food from the pan.

Option Three: Boiling Water

Are you clueless about how to clean stainless steel cookware If you don’t have any commercial cleaning supplies on hand? You do not need to worry as a pot of boiling water will do the trick. The leftover food in your pot will loosen up from the heat of the water, making cleanup much simpler. The procedure for the boiling-water-approach is as follows:

• Use a gentle scrubber to remove any large pieces of food.
• Add some dish soap to the water and fill the pot or pan.
• Make sure the trapped food is totally submerged for this procedure to work.
• Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for a few minutes.
• Take it off the heat and set it down to cool.
• Use a spatula to scrape the meal, since it should now be loose enough to do so.
• If this doesn’t work, try it again, or try one of the other methods given above.

How to Clean Discolored Stainless Steel Cookware?

Despite the name, stainless steel cookware is nonetheless susceptible to rust and stains. A few easy strategies are provided below for bringing back the lustre of your stainless steel cookware.

• Use Vinegar for Stain Removal

Vinegar is a great solution for removing the unattractive discoloration caused by overheating from your pan. You can easily remove discoloration by washing the pan with vinegar and then rinsing it in water.

Moreover, you can also remove white calcium buildup stains by using vinegar. Combine one part vinegar with three parts water and bring to a boil in the dishware Let the mixture cool, then pour it out of the pan and clean it normally.

• Applying Tomato Sauce to Remove Discoloration

If you have any leftover tomato sauce in the kitchen, you can use it to clean the stains off of your stainless steel cookware; thanks to the acidity of the tomatoes. To remove the discoloration from your stainless steel cookware, follow these methods using tomato sauce:

• You can add tomato sauce by filling the pan or pot with crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce until the damaged parts are completely submerged.
• Maintain a low simmer for about 10 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the sauce at a liquid consistency.
• Take the sauce out of the pan and wash it out. The tomato sauce can alternatively be left in the pan without cooking overnight.

How to Clean White Chalky Spots on Stainless Steel Cookware?

If you get powdery white patches that are caused by calcium accumulation in the water, simply bring a mixture of vinegar and water (about 1:3) to a boil in it, let it cool, and then wash and dry as usual.

How To Clean Stuck-On Food From Stainless Steel Cookware?

putting cold food into a hot pan from crumbs that are unable to move. You can use a nonabrasive sponge to remove any remaining food particles before filling the pot or pan with enough soapy water to cover the meal, bringing the water to a boil, and scraping the pot clean.

It is also possible to use baking soda instead of soap for this purpose. Bring it to a boil (keep an eye on it, though, because it will bubble up), then turn it down to a simmer. Food debris can be readily scraped off with a wooden spoon. As soon as you’ve achieved the desired outcome, switch it off and let it cool (but not completely). Bring it to the sink and scrub the mess away with a long-handled brush or scouring pad.

How Can You Clean Your Stainless Steel Cookware In Dishwasher?

Following steps are involved when you opt to clean your stainless steel cookware in a dishwasher.

• Check if Your Cookware Is Dishwasher Safe

A mark on the bottom of your cookware indicates whether pieces are dishwasher safe. If you need help finding a label or need to know what material the pan is made of, look at the original packing or the manufacturer’s website.

• Omit The Pre-Scrubbing Step

Premium Cascade ActionPacs may clean without pre-rinsing or pre-washing, saving water and time. If there’s a lot of stuck-on food, use a wooden spatula to scrape as much as possible into the trash before loading it into the dishwasher.

• Put Dishes In The Dishwasher

Consult your owner’s manual. Load your stainless steel Pots and pans on their sides on the bottom rack, according to specific dishwasher manuals. Loading a dishwasher follows regular procedures, and placing cookware mess side down on the bottom shelf works best for most machines. It will allow the spray jets to do their work.

• Cascade Platinum Plus Cleans Stainless Steel Messes

Use a Cascade Platinum Plus ActionPac in your dishwasher for the most remarkable results. It contains specific enzymes that latch on to, break down, and wash away food without pre-washing. So it’s strong enough to remove baked-on stains while not damaging any coated linings on your pots and pans.

• Set Your Dishwasher

Use the pots and pans dishwasher setting if one is available. If your dishwasher lacks this option, choose the most extended cycle to give that baked-on food a little additional zip!

Which Scrubbers Work Best On Stainless Steel Cookwares?

Using a scrubber is the one consistent recommendation here for cleaning your stainless steel cookware. Several factors make this method preferable to utilizing a sponge. we have compiled a short list of the most effective scrubbers to stainless steel cookware.

• Steel Wool or Regular Sponge?

Steel wool sponges, which are normally yellow with a green backing, are widely available but are not as effective as regular sponges. Made of tiny steel flexible fibers, this is great for removing dried food particles. It’s tempting to use this sponge on your expensive stainless steel cookware, but doing so would only harm the surface.

A sponge without any rough surface is recommended. Soft sponges, however, might easily break down as you scrub the pots and pans. For these reasons, it’s not a good option to pursue. If you must use one, though, make sure it isn’t made of steel wool.

• Hand Held Dish Scrubber

The best tool to clean stainless steel cookware is a dish brush with dense, nonabrasive bristles. With the handle, you can easily pour boiling water without risking burns. However, you need to make sure the plastic used in the dish brush won’t melt when exposed to hot water. Some brushes may also include steel wool, however, this is extremely rare.

• Washcloths Made From Microfiber

You can’t beat the gentleness of microfibre cloth. It does a decent job of drying things out, but not so great of a job of cleaning them. It’s a safe bet that you won’t scratch your pan, as it’s quite pliable. It’s an improvement over having nothing, and making do with what you have is often the most effective strategy.

What is the best way to clean a stainless steel pan?

Pour in a generous amount of baking soda (approximately 14 cups or 12 cups), and then carefully lay your pan in the water. Reduce the water to a slow boil and leave the pan to cook for 15 to 30 minutes, tossing or rotating it as needed to ensure that all sides are boiled. Brown residue should begin to flake off.

Is vinegar harmful to stainless steel pots?

Leaving vinegar on the pan’s surface for an extended period of time may potentially cause damage. If you use a vinegar solution to clean a stainless steel pan, rinse it completely afterward to guarantee no vinegar remains on the surface.

How do you clean stainless steel without destroying it?

To remove dirt, grease, and grime, dampen your microfiber cloth with vinegar and massage it with the grain. Allow the vinegar to dry before dampening the other microfiber cloth with olive oil. Rub the oil into the grain. This simple process will clean, preserve, and polish your stainless steel quickly and simply.

How should tarnished stainless steel pans be cleaned?

Scrub with a non-abrasive sponge and diluted white vinegar. After thoroughly rubbing the vinegar into your cookware, just rinse and dry. The acidity of the vinegar will work to dissolve the oxidised rainbow coating, preserving the silvery appearance of your stainless steel pans.

How do you restore the lustre of stainless steel?

Baking soda is an excellent stainless steel cleaner since it is abrasive enough to remove mild hard water deposits as well as stuck-on oil and food, but not so much that it scratches glossy stainless steel fittings such as faucets. Make a paste of baking soda and water to clean your cookware.

What cleaning products you should never use on stainless steel?

Here Are 7 Chemicals That Will Ruin Your Stainless Steel Cookware:

• Abrasive scouring agents.
• Cleaning powders.
• Wool steel.
• Products containing chlorine, like bleach.
• Ammonia-based glass cleaners like Windex.
• Cleaners for the oven.

Is it OK to use baking soda to clean stainless steel?

Baking soda is a simple, albeit messy, method for thoroughly cleaning stainless steel and removing tenacious deposits. Make a baking soda paste by combining baking soda and water until the appropriate consistency is reached. Scrub into the stainless steel marks and buildup and leave for 20 minutes.

Conclusion

Stainless steel pots and pans might feel like a double-edged weapon. It’s safe to use, and no harmful chemicals will seep into your food, but how to clean stainless steel cookware might be a hassle. It’s a catch-22 because you don’t want to scratch them but grease and food stick far too easily. After spending hours soaking them, nothing seems to be budging!

I hope you know how to clean stainless steel cookware like a pro. Please write down which one works best for you.