Best Way to Clean My Stainless Steel Cookware

[Ms B]

What is the best (and easiest) way to clean my All Clad (and other assorted) Stainless Steel cookware?

I tried Bar Keeper and it will not remove spattered grease and other dark brown, burnt discolorations. They look well used and unloved! :)

I tried spraying them with oven cleaner and putting them in the oven. It works well, but there must be something easier!

[escondido123]

SOS or Brillo pad works for me, and it does it pretty easily.

[al b. darned]

I use Bon-Ami on my SS cookware. ("Hasn't Scratched Yet") Shake it liberally on the pan and use a wet sponge. Rinse well, lest it leave a residue. And at about $1.29 a can it's cheaper than BKF.

[Procrastibaker]

Ditto on the Bon Ami. Plus I believe it's non-toxic. I would definitely NOT use oven cleaner-- that stuff is noxious. It's bad enough we have to use it in the oven, let alone on surfaces food might actually touch!

[dcrb]

Concur with the Bon Ami. I have BK Friend and do use it but not as my go to cleaner. I have also resorted to Dawn Power Dissolve as a last resort. I also use Bon Ami on our porcelain when necessary and have not noticed any dulling of the appearance.

[will47]

I don't think lye is actually toxic, as long as it's not present in large amounts. Small amounts of it are even used in food, e.g., pretzels.

I don't find BKF especially helpful for grease.

[sirregular]

I use Easy Off Oven Spray for my stainless, to get all of that burnt oil gunk out of them.

Step 1: Take a deep breath.
Step 2: Hold it.
Step 3: Spray the crap out of the pan, for about 10 seconds.
Step 4: Put the can down and leave the room
Step 5: Breathe.

After that, I let them soak in the Easy Off for 3-4 hours, then it all comes off with a scrubby sponge. After that, it goes right into the dishwasher to make sure all of the caustic Easy Off is gone.

It might be nasty, but my pans look fantastic!

Something that works better than "Magic Eraser" is to pour in some vegetable oil and sea salt. The oil will mix with and loosen up the burnt-on gunk and the salt is a mild abrasive.

[wminot]

My process exactly. Most of the time All Clad cleans beautifully with soap and a scrub, but there are times when stuff gets burned on. And thank goodness for easy off. Wish they still made it in a gooey paste.

For pan grilling I bring out the old black iron pan.

[RGC1982]

BKF works as long as you give it a lot of elbow grease. You can actually use steel wool on most pans, but if you are worried about the exterior shine, take one of those yellow and green sponges and use a lot of muscle. Soaking prior does help.

[Ms B]

"The outside of it looks a crack house that has been taken over by homeless people. " LOLOLOL!

Those are my pans also! They look horrible! Like they were set on fire and left for dead!

I will try everyones suggestions! Never thought abt the Magic Eraser!

[HaagenDazs]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. I put mine in the dishwasher as well. It's really the easiest way to deal with them. I don't use BKF to clean my pans because I know they're just going to get dirty again.

[soccerdadinctown]

The inside of my calphalon tri-ply stainless 5 qt saute pan is spotless and the pan is not warped at all. The outside of it looks a crack house that has been taken over by homeless people. The pan still cooks as good as the day I bought it, so I really do not worry about it. Mine was purchased at clearance for $30 from TJ Maxx, if I had an All-Clad I might be bent out of shape about it.

[peppatty]

If you make a paste with the powder version of BKF, a sponge some time and some elbow grease, you can get all of that stuff off. I've used the Magic Eraser as well.

[BeaN]

IMO, well used = well loved.

I put mine in the dishwasher. If something is cooked on, I put a little bit of the dishwasher detergent in the pan and soak it. If the splatter is on the outside, I soak it in a basin, also with dishwasher detergent.