How to Polish Stainless Steel Cookware
Stainless steel cookware has wonderful properties: pan bottoms heat evenly, lids tend to fit securely and pans accumulate cooking stains less than aluminum and enamel-ware cookware. Stains do set in, however, but you can get them out.
Other People Are Reading
Things You'll Need
- Soap
- Water
- Plastic scrubber sponge
- Powdered cleanser
- Steel wool soap pads
- Degreasing multi-use cleaner
- Copper polish
- Stainless-steel polish
- Rubber gloves
Instructions
-
-
1
Wash cookware in warm water and dish soap, using a plastic scrubber sponge to remove any recent food accumulations.
-
2
Continue using the scrubber sponge and add powdered cleanser to the damp pot. Use this combination to remove light staining and accumulations of food residues in crevices, working the sponge and cleanser into seams at the pan edges and handle connections.
-
-
3
The most stubborn stains appear on the bottoms of cookware--a combination of food drips and burner-heat. Scrub first with scrubber sponge and cleanser to remove as many stains as possible.
-
4
Scrub the most difficult stains with soap-infused steel wool pads. If you did not put on gloves earlier, it is a good idea to use them when working with steel wool. If stains have been there for a while, it may take two or three tries to remove them.
-
5
Scrub lids the same way (scrubber sponge and cleanser, followed by steel wool), paying special attention to seams and handle joints. Use an all-purpose degreasing cleaner and a scrubber sponge to clean any glass parts of lids.
-
6
Finish copper-finished pan bottoms with copper polish, rinse and dry. If there are no copper bottoms, finish the job by applying stainless-steel polish according to the manufacturer's directions.
-
7
To spare your hands next time, change your dishwashing schedule to include very thorough washing of one stainless steel pot every day or so, even if you did not use it to cook in. Rotating cookware-cleaning in this fashion will prevent having to do a hard monthly chore.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Soap-infused steel-wool pads used to be large enough to last for several dishwashing sessions. This was not always good news, as they tended to rust before they were used up. Look for smaller one-shot pads in your local store, so you can throw them away after the original job is done.
Occasionally a stain will prove very stubborn. Dampen the stained area and sprinkle it with baking soda, and then with vinegar. The foam created by mixing soda and vinegar may help to dislodge the stain.
More Like This
Comments
-
yogiwan
Aug 28, 2008
I sure would not use steel-wool pads on my stainless steel cookware and certainly not on copper. For most difficult food related cleaning, use the dish washer. While this is not recommended for frequent cleaning, it certainly will work every once in awhile. Just remove the cookware before the heated drying cycle. And if that still is not enough, try Barkeeper's Friend, a cleaner of last resort but one that does not scratch or dull your finishes. yogiwan Your Smart Kitchen -
yogiwan
Aug 28, 2008
I sure would not use steel-wool pads on my stainless steel cookware and certainly not on copper. For most difficult food related cleaning, use the dish washer. While this is not recommended for frequent cleaning, it certainly will work every once in awhile. Just remove the cookware before the heated drying cycle. And if that still is not enough, try Barkeeper's Friend, a cleaner of last resort but one that does not scratch or dull your finishes. yogiwan Your Smart Kitchen
