It's always a good idea to line your baking sheets and cookie sheets. It makes cleanup easier, keeps your pan looking pristine, and can even preserve the life of your equipment. You can use parchment paper, aluminum foil, or a silicone baking mat pretty much interchangeably but there are a few things to keep in mind.
The second way pans get messed up: They change in color.
This happens as the surface gets roughed up during use and cleaning. Other times they darken or even turn black. This happens if you frequently roast things in oil.
Tips to Avoid Black Residue: Maintain the Seasoning: Regularly re-season your skillet by applying a thin layer of oil and baking it. Avoid High Heat: Use moderate heat when cooking to protect the seasoning. Cook Low-Acidity Foods: Limit cooking highly acidic foods until the skillet is well-seasoned.
Once you can see your reflection in your cookie sheet, the easiest way to maintain that shine is to line your bakeware with aluminum foil or parchment paper. (Hot tip: Precut parchment paper will make you feel like you have your life together.) Or invest in that silicone baking mat you've been sleeping on.
They are most likely carbon deposits. This happens due to overheating of fats and oils. Using an oil with a low smoke point will carbonize at high temperatures and cause residue from the pores of your pan to rub off onto your food. While unappealing, they won't hurt you in such a small amount.
Avoid Chef "Burn-Out"
Scour gently with mild abrasive cleaner, baking soda or plastic mesh pad. If scouring didn't work, soak it in a solution of liquid hand dishwashing detergent and/or baking soda and water to loosen soil.
The answer to how often you should replace your baking trays depends on how often you use them, the material of the baking tray sheet and how it has been washed. We recommend changing your baking trays or at least assessing them every year.
Heat Exposure
Prolonged exposure to high heat can cause aluminum pans to discolor and blacken. "This can happen when cooking at very high temperatures (especially if the pan is empty or contains a small amount of oil or food)," says Alicia Sokolowski, the president and co-CEO of AspenClean.
A dark metal pan absorbs and distributes heat more quickly and thoroughly than lighter-colored pans. So not only does your cake bake more quickly in a dark pan, its crust can potentially burn (or at least brown unpleasantly) due to over-exposure to oven heat.
Nonstick pans develop light or dark spots as food builds up. While it's still safe to use a nonstick skillet with discoloration, a darker color indicates that the coating is coming off. Again, it's best to toss your pan.
If you want to clean aluminum pans, simply boil water with a little vinegar and let it work its magic for a while. You could also bathe smaller utensils in a mixture of vinegar and water. By making a paste consisting of vinegar, salt, and flour, you can clean tarnished aluminum very well.
If you notice that your baking pans are developing rust, the best decision would be to replace them with new ones. "The risk far outweighs the benefit of trying to recover the baking pan," Le says.
Special attention should be paid to the aluminum pan. It should not be inserted in the dishwasher: to wash it, just use a soft sponge, hot water, and a solution of baking soda and detergent cream. This trick will help to prevent oxidation, which is the common enemy of all aluminum pans.
Our favorite baking sheet is the Nordic Ware Natural Aluminum Commercial Baker's Half-Sheet Pan. Cookies and cakes baked evenly, and roasted potato wedges browned nicely and released with ease. We've used these baking sheets for many years in our test and home kitchens and highly recommend them.
If sticking is a worry for you, silicone pans are your best friend. However, silicone is a poor heat-conductor and baked goods tend to brown very little, if at all, when baked in these pans, which means it's best for very light-colored cakes, breads, and muffins.
Boil water and baking soda in the pan
As the water boils and evaporates, it leaves a film of baking soda around the walls of the pan that you can then scrub off. When most of the water has boiled off, turn off the heat. Then use a long-handled brush or scouring pad to scrub off your mess (again, new pads work better).
What type of cookware do I use at home? Only HexClad 👉 it's just that good. Built with patented hybrid technology, this is how I cook my dishes to absolute perfection.
Baking soda is your go-to for cleaning a burnt pot or pan because it has mild abrasive properties and its alkaline pH can help neutralize acidic burnt foods. It can also combine with an acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice to create a fizzing reaction that helps loosen burnt food to get it off your pan.
The spray cleanser in the middle section still did a great job removing the baked on grease, but it did not seem to scratch the surface of the pan. Both of these cleansers from Bar Keepers Friend actually did a great job. They cut grease, beat grime, and cleaned up the sheet pan very well.
Mixing vinegar and baking soda causes an immediate chemical reaction. This reaction forms water, sodium acetate (a salt) and carbon dioxide – the fizzy part. The amount of carbon dioxide gas that is produced from baking soda is remarkable – one tablespoon (around 18 grams) can release over five litres of gas!