Pans, whether non-stick, stainless steel, copper, or cast iron, go through the daily grind of cooking. Sometimes the pan is burnt or blackened, which can’t be cleaned in the dishwasher, and you need some extra elbow grease or time to clean the blackened crust or gunk from the pan.
In our kitchen arsenal, two of the most common yet magical ingredients, vinegar, and baking soda, are said to be the solution of all burnt, discolored, blackened, or oxidized pans.
Not just this, these two ingredients can clean any pan, including non-stick, enameled, ceramic coated, stainless steel, copper, or aluminum pans.
But in this article, we will be solely focusing on these two ingredients to clean the pan that are baking soda and vinegar. No matter you have ceramic nonstick frying pan or a best non stick pan without Teflon this formula will work on any surface.
In This Article
Removing Stains from Pots and Pans with Baking Soda and Vinegar
Whether you want to remove black marks from a gas stove or food stains from any pan and pot, the magical formula of cleaning stains is as follows.
Vinegar + Baking Soda + Sea Salt
Step 1: Sprinkle baking soda and salt on the stain and slowly pour vinegar over it; the sizzling sound will meet your ears.
Step 2: Let the mixture sit on the pan for approx. 20 minutes.
Step 3: Now, depending on the type of pan, either use an OXO brush with Nylon bristles (safe to use on non-stick pans) or a stainless steel scrubber to rub off the stains from the pan.
Note: Don’t use stainless steel scrubber on non-stick and ceramic pans or enameled pans.
The video posted below explains the procedure very well that we stated above:
Removing Burnt on Food from the Pan
It takes a moment of distraction to burn your food. The momentary diversion in attention leaves you with burned food and black crust on the pans. Now comes the action of vinegar and baking soda to rescue your pan.
- First, pour water and vinegar in the ratio of 1:1 in the pan
- Bring it to boil. (Use medium heat if it’s a non-stick pan).
- You can use a spatula to loosen the food bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Dump the vinegar solution and sprinkle baking soda generously on the pan’s bottom. Let it sit for a while.
- Start rubbing the surface with scotch-brite.
We have also discussed how to clean each type of pan in our detailed article of how to clean baked on grease from non-stick pans.
For Stainless Steel, Cast Iron, or Aluminum Pans
Use a steel scrubber to scrub the pan vigorously. To avoid scratch marks, scrub the pan in the direction of the grain or in a circular motion. After the blackened crust is cleaned, wash the pan with dishwashing liquid.
For Non-Stick Pan
Use either a soft sponge or nylon bristle non-stick pan-safe brush to remove the burnt-on food bits. If some bits still remain on the pan’s bottom, repeat the procedure from the start but never scrub your pan harshly to avoid ruining non-stick coating.
Another method
Boil water and vinegar solution. Take the pan to the sink but don’t throw the solution. Add baking soda, and the dizzying reaction will start. Let your pan cool down before washing it with the dishwasher.
Removing Grease From the Bottom of the Pan
Cleaning the outside bottom of pots and pans is often tricky due to grease build-up.
Sprinkle baking soda on it generously to clean the grease.
Slowly pour vinegar over it. For extra strength, squirt lemon juice also. Keep it on a flat surface so that the vinegar and baking soda don’t spill off.
Leave this paste on the pan’s bottom for 5-10 minutes. The reaction of baking soda and vinegar will break up the grease layer. Now use a scrubber to remove grease marks from the bottom.
Note: Don’t use a scrubber on an enameled or ceramic pan’s bottom that doesn’t have a stainless plate. You can use lemon skin to rub and remove grease marks.
Cleaning and Polishing Copperware
For removing tarnish of copperware, use an acidic solution containing vinegar and lemon.
Before that, clean the copperware using baking soda and water mixture. Wipe baking soda paste after cleaning.
Now, immerse the pan in vinegar, lemon, and salt solution (3 cups water, one cup vinegar, 1 lemon, and 2 tbsp salt) to remove tarnish and restore shine. After taking the pan out of the solution, rub it with lemon to clean the remaining tarnish.
Can We Clean Ceramic Non-stick Pans with Baking Soda and Vinegar?
Yes, baking soda and vinegar can be used to clean ceramic non-stick pans both from inside and outside. Use vinegar, baking soda, and dishwasher liquid paste and clean it with a soft bristle brush. Don’t use a rough scrubber on ceramic non-stick pans.
Wrapping Up!
Vinegar and baking soda are exceptional cleaning agents separately. Some people think combining it will neutralize the cleaning effect, leaving you with saltwater. However, it’s not entirely true. It depends on the ratio of vinegar and baking soda as the Good Housekeeping Institute. And when we tested the vinegar and baking soda on cleaning pots, we found it to be true by seeing remarkable results.
