Even seasoned cooks scorch a pan from time to time. Whether you just made a delicious sauce or cooked meat at a high temperature, you’re likely to have tough stains and charred bits stuck to your stainless-steel pots and pans. It’s always a good idea to clean your cookware ASAP after preparing messy foods. However, no one is perfect, and there are stain-lifting methods to help return your cookware to its former glory.

Basic cleaning

Cleaning a pot or pan you just used can take less than five minutes. But if you don’t take the proper precautions, you could end up causing stains instead of preventing them. Do the following for a quick and easy clean:

Supplies:

• Paper towels or a spatula
• Scouring pad or scrubbing sponge (like a Scrub Daddy)
• Dish soap
• Dish towel

Steps:

1. Carefully scrape out excess food and oil with a spatula or paper towel, then rinse the cookware with hot water. If you add cold water to hot stainless-steel, you risk warping and damaging the pan. Always let your dishes cool down before submerging them in cold water.
2. Put a generous amount of dish soap on your scouring pad or scrubbing sponge, and scrub in circular motions until you’ve lifted as much as you can.
3. Rinse and repeat as needed. Dry with a clean dish towel.

Stain removal

Dish soap and hot water may not cut it for set-in stains. Enlist the help of a few abrasive but gentle products that can tackle the job.

For mild stains

Supplies:

• Baking soda (if you don’t have baking soda, then baking powder or table salt can do the job as well)
• Scouring pad or scrubbing sponge
• Dish soap
• Dish towel

Steps:

1. Create a paste of water and baking soda, and ensure you have enough to coat all the stains evenly. Typically, a one-to-one ratio makes a spreadable paste—start with 1 cup of each, then add a ¼ cup of each as needed.
2. Spread the paste over the stains with your hands or a spatula. Cover the entire pot or pan for a deeper clean.
3. Let the paste sit for at least fifteen minutes, then scrub with a scouring pad.
4. Rinse with warm water and dish soap, then dry with a clean dish towel.

For tough stains

Supplies:

• Baking soda
• Diluted vinegar (optional)
• Scouring pad or scrubbing sponge
• Hot pad
• Toothpicks
• Spatula
• Gloves or oven mitt
• Dish towel

Steps:

1. Add equal parts baking soda and water to the pan, and bring to a boil. For exceptionally tough stains, use a diluted vinegar and water mixture instead of plain water.
2. The baking soda should start to leave a residue around the edges that you can scrape with a spatula. Continue boiling and gently scraping around the pan with the spatula until most of the water has evaporated.
3. Use a hot pad and gloves to transfer your hot pan straight to a flat surface, using the scouring pad in circular motions to lift the stains.
4. Rinse the pan with warm water, then wash with mild dish soap. Dry with a dish towel.

Pots and pans can be expensive, so don’t let stains age your cookware too quickly! Instead, clean them thoroughly after use and deploy the tactics above when stains happen.