Usually, a quick scrub with mild dish soap and a soft cloth or sponge is enough to clean nonstick pans. For stubborn residue, you might need to soak the pan for a few hours in warm, soapy water before gently scrubbing it clean.
If your non stick pan is visibly charred, a mixture of white vinegar, water, and baking soda should help loosen and remove any black residue. Create a slurry of white vinegar, water, and baking soda directly in your non stick pan.
Use a soft sponge or cloth to gently scrub the surface. Avoid abrasive pads or harsh chemicals that can scratch the non-stick coating. For stubborn spots, mix baking soda with water to form a paste, apply it to the grease, and let it sit for 15 minutes before wiping clean.
Method: Fill the pan with hot water and add a few drops of dish soap. Let it soak for 30 minutes to an hour. Use a soft sponge to scrub, focusing on the sticky spots. Rinse thoroughly. Method: If there are stubborn bits stuck to the pan, use a plastic scraper or spatula to gently lift them off.
Standard PTFE/Teflon non-stick is unaffected by vinegar. Most other types of non-stick such as ceramic or anodized aluminium should also be perfectly fine to use with vinegar.
Cookware company Farberware recommends combatting cooked-on schmutz and stains with a “cleaning cocktail.” To do so, add ½ cup vinegar and 1 ½ cups water to your nonstick pan. Then, cook the mixture over medium heat for 5-10 minutes to remove stuck-on food particles.
White vinegar is an excellent solution for salvaging burnt non-stick pans. Once the pan has cooled, pour in a generous glug of white vinegar, along with enough warm water to cover the burnt areas. Stir in two tablespoons of baking soda, heat the mixture up, and bring it to a boil for a couple of minutes.
Rubbing Alcohol or Vodka
Vodka is a good substitute. Wet a paper towel or clean cloth with rubbing alcohol, and rub the residue to lift it off. For stubborn stickers, place an alcohol-soaked cloth on the area and let it sit for several minutes to soften the residue.
Don't Use on Non-Stick Pots and Pans
Dry erasers will remove the non-stick coating and leave you with a mess when you cook, and some of the coating can get into your food.
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.
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!
You should always wash kitchen equipment with non-stick coating by hand with hot water and normal washing-up detergent. In fact, it's extremely important to use washing-up detergent so that you remove all the food residue from the non-stick surface and so that your pot or pan is completely clean before you put it away.
Perhaps the simplest reason that some non stick pans start to stick, especially if the pan isn't very old, is that there's a layer of stuck-on food residue getting in the way. Even the thinnest layer of dried egg white or residual starch from stir-frying potstickers can cause food to stick.
You shouldn't use Bar Keepers Friend on delicate surfaces, such as marble, wood, cast iron, nonstick pans, painted surfaces, and other things that scratch easily.
One easy method is to use standard cooking oil or oil-based materials. Vegetable or canola oil can work wonders, as can peanut butter or mayonnaise. Spread it on, let it soak into the residue for about an hour, then wipe it away. For a tougher clean, try rubbing alcohol or vodka.
Oil-based solutions are a natural and effective method to dissolve sticky labels without harming delicate surfaces. Common household oils like cooking oil, baby oil, or even peanut butter contain compounds that naturally break down the bonds in adhesives, making them excellent choices for removing sticky label residue.
White Vinegar
It's even capable of removing sticker residue from surfaces, especially glass and metal. Vinegar's acidity is to thank, as it helps break down the adhesive and lets it be wiped away.
Vinegar to the rescue! Bring one part vinegar and two parts water to a simmer, and then cool and wash with soap. This should take care of all the sticky residue that has built up on the pan over time. Test Kitchen tip: Don't use cooking sprays on your nonstick pan.
Avoid harsh chemicals: Never use oven cleaners or other harsh chemicals to clean your nonstick pans.
Apply a 1/2 mug of white vinegar into the pan, then add hot water until it's about 2/3rds full. Once you have filled the pan, turn on the stove and let the liquid simmer for five minutes. Turn off the stove and place a paper towel in the pan to soak in the remaining residue and caked-on grease.
Water spots can be avoided by thoroughly drying your cookware after washing. However, if a water spot does appear, you can wipe the surface of your pan with distilled white vinegar. Avoid other types of vinegar as they contain additives that can harm the nonstick coating.
Salt, especially coarse Kosher salt, is great for alleviating scorch marks in pans and is especially great for greasy messes. Try pairing it with Dawn dish detergent and hot water, or massaging it into the burnt pan with the juicy core of a cut lemon.