Cleaning Tips

CLEANING STUBBORN POTS AND PANS

The fun of cooking and entertaining can be somewhat dulled by the dreary task of kitchen cleanup, especially if you’ve got lots of pots and pans that can’t or shouldn’t go in the dishwasher.

Try these tips for quicker, easier cleanup, so you can spend more time enjoying your guests and good food, and less time in the dreaded cleanup phase.

Soak, soak, soak. In the bustle of last minute meal prep, especially when hungry guests await, it’s easy to leave crusty pans on the stove, where they will dry and harden into substances that seem to rival diamonds when it comes time to clean. Before you sit down to eat, fill them with water and a squirt of dish soap and let them soak. Even better, delegate this chore to an agreeable spouse or helper. To avoid splashing grease and water on good clothes, fill a plastic pitcher or teapot and bring the water to the pan instead of vice versa.

For particularly challenging pots and pans, heat water in a teakettle before slowly pouring it in the pan.

If you forget to soak the pans before you eat, do the next best thing. Put a squirt of soap in the pan, fill it with water, then place it on a burner turned to medium high. Bring the whole mess to a boil, then turn the pan off and let it cool. Scraping it clean will be a breeze. Alternately, you can place the water-filled pan in a 200 degree oven and let it loosen there. Adding a few drops of lemon juice will lend an agreeable fragrance to the process.

Prevention can be key. Use parchment paper for baking and cleanup is a snap. Lining a broiling or baking pan with foil is well worth the time and small expense. The new nonstick foils are a dream and may be worth the extra cost.

Use muffin liners. Also, spray the top of muffin tins with non-flavored cooking spray before filling and baking to make for easier cleanup in the event of spills and muffins that rise above the edge of the cup.

It’s best not to use cooking spray on nonstick pans and griddles. It will cause a gooey buildup that becomes tough to remove and actually ruins the nonstick surface.

Use care when scrubbing. A scrubber of plastic mesh will do the trick in most cases, and lasts a very long time. When in doubt, don’t use harsh abrasive cleaners. Baking soda can provide a bit of grit without harming the pan’s surface.