With a new frying pan, frying pan or frying pan, an egg or veggie burger glides right through the pan and even a pancake can fly out with a graceful swish. But after a while - or after frying a little too enthusiastically - that bottom cakes a bit. The result: that beautiful pan (sometimes with sensitive non-stick coating) no longer works as well as it did in the beginning. But there is a trick to get that caked-on pan sparkling clean again!
Annoying, a caked pan
Caked pans unfortunately come in all shapes and sizes, but mostly they are frying pans, casseroles and appetisers that can get a bit caked over time. You want to get that bottom back like new, but of course you don't want to damage the pan. Especially with non-stick pans, you need to extra care are. It is best to do the cleaning method below regularly. This will prevent it from caking too much and the pan will stay good and beautiful. If the damage is already done and the pan is quite dirty, you can treat the pan daily in the way below until it is completely clean again.
Saskia demonstrates: cleaning caked-on pans with soda vinegar and baking soda.
Safe pans
On our search for eco-friendly pans, Saskia has an extensive article written. When she found out in 2021 that we still had many old pans with a now-banned PFAS as a non-stick coating, we started looking for better alternatives at home. We then ended up with pans with a ceramic non-stick coating, stainless steel pans and a cast iron pan, among others. I am very happy with this new set, but due to intensive use, they can sometimes get quite caked. This can sometimes be so severe that you can't just take it off with a little suds and a sponge. You then have to come up with stronger guns.
Cleaning caked pans
Tools
- white natural vinegar
- water
- baking soda
- soft sponge
- tea towel
Instructions
- Add a generous splash of white natural vinegar and the same amount of water to the caked pan. Bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Use a lid if necessary. Make sure it does not boil dry.
- Remove the pan from the heat and dry thoroughly.
- Put a generous amount of baking soda in the pan and gently scrub the pan with a soft sponge. Do this dry, without water. Make gentle, circular movements.
- Keep scrubbing until the pan is clean.
- Is it not completely clean? Keep repeating this cleaning trick every day. You will see that a layer keeps coming off and eventually the pan will be shiny clean.
More cooking inspiration from thegreenlist.nl
- What are you going to put in that pan? Well we do have a few ideas such as baking vegan pancakes.
- Also delicious in that cleaned pan is This easy stir-fry vegetable recipe.
- And a personal favourite are These oyster mushrooms in beer batter.
Photo credits: thegreenlist.nl.
