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How to Clean a Stainless Steel Pan — Burnt Base, Rainbow Marks and All

Sofia Marlowe4 min read
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How to Clean a Stainless Steel Pan — Burnt Base, Rainbow Marks and All — Household

Rainbow sheen, white spots and cloudy haze

The oil-slick rainbow that appears after high-heat cooking is heat tint, a harmless discolouration on the surface of the steel. It is purely cosmetic, and acid removes it: wipe the cool pan with white vinegar or rub it with the cut side of a lemon, leave a minute or two, then wash and dry. Chalky white spots are limescale from hard water doing the same thing from the other direction, and they respond to the same vinegar treatment.

A dull, cloudy haze across the interior is usually mineral deposit plus a thin film of old oil. Treat it with bicarb paste first, then vinegar, then dry with a cloth rather than leaving it to air-dry. Drying is the step most people skip and the reason perfectly clean pans still look tired.

The outside, which everyone forgets

The exterior base collects a brown lacquer of burnt-on oil that builds up invisibly until the pan looks secondhand. Make a thick paste of bicarbonate of soda and a little washing-up liquid, spread it over the base, leave it half an hour, then scrub with a non-scratch pad. For a stubborn ring around the rim, a powdered cleanser is your friend. Work in the direction of the brushed grain if your pan has one.

HouseholdLifestyle

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