Best way to Clean Baked on Food

December 5, 2018 by JulietAyer


Cleaning baked-on food off of bakeware like pots and pans can be a lot of work. Whether it be from baking casseroles or any other residue, this guide provides some tips and tricks to make cleaning baked on food a lot easier.

Tips for Cleaning Baked on Food

Remember those little plastic tabs that are used to close bread bags? They are also great for scraping baked-on food off of pots and pans (even those non-stick Teflon pans). Best of all, they do not scratch! You can also use them on stove surfaces when things have spilled and hardened. These tabs are also easy to get, so you can just use and toss them.

It turns out that fabric softener sheets have more uses than just laundry. Fill the burnt pan with soap and water and then add a fabric softener sheet. Let this sit overnight, and then wash it in the morning. If the burn on the pan is especially bad, repeat this process. Another trick for burnt pans is to boil either rhubarb or bio washing powder in the pan. Both work!

Cream of Tartar

You can also clean baked-on food by taking enough cream of tartar to cover the area to be cleaned. Add vinegar to make a thin paste, and then cover the area to be cleaned and apply a lot of the paste on baked on areas. After leaving the paste on for 12 hours, wipe it off and wash thoroughly. If necessary, repeat this process.

Let is Soak.

Another method is to soak the bakeware in dishwasher detergent. Just put some detergent in the pan, add hot water, and let it sit for a few hours or overnight. The baked-on food should come right off. You can also replace the dishwasher detergent with a splash of bleach, let it soak for a while, and then scrub with an SOS or Scotch Brite pad. However, if possible, try getting some plastic scrubbing pads as they will work just as well. If you absolutely have to use SOS pads, scrub very lightly to avoid damaging your bakeware.

You can even combine a couple of these solutions. For example, you can add hot water, some dish soap, and baking soda. Let it soak for a little while, and then add a little white vinegar, and let it sit for another 10 minutes. Add a little extra baking soda on your sponge when cleaning, and it should do the job.

If you have spic and span on hand, then you can easily scrape of baked-on food by sprinkling it on and then adding a little water to cover it. Wait a bit, and the food should come off.

Soaking the dish in just plain water is not enough. However, for something simple, just add water until the stain was covered, put in a teaspoon of salt, and a squirt of dish soap. Microwave this for three minutes on high. Then you can easily scrub off the baked on food with the scouring side of a dish sponge.

Cleaning off Baked on Grime with Baking Soda

For another interesting method, put a good amount of baking soda and a small amount of water. Set your stove on low, and put the bakeware on the stove and watch as the baked-on food is “simmered” out. As soon as you take the dish off the stove, dump the water out and start rinsing the leftover baked on food with a sponge and water. This can be useful in cleaning dishes with burn stains or baked-on food from garage sales.

If you have some coca-cola soda, pour some over the area and let it rest for a bit. Then use a brush and it should easily come off.

Soaking really does wonders. Soak the pan or bakeware with about two to three tablespoons of dishwasher detergent, which is the kind you put in your automatic dishwasher. Fill the bakeware with hot water and let it sit for a while. Then, take a pancake turner and scrape the sides or bottom where food is burned on and let it soak until all of the residues come off. However, be careful. Dishwasher soap is more harmful to your skin than hand dishwashing soap, so wear rubber gloves or limit the time your hands are in the water. Next time you are baking, be sure to use Pam spray to prevent baked on food on the bakeware.

Unfortunately, sometimes a Pam-sprayed baking sheet can even be baked on. How could you get rid of this? Well, Clorox is also something that can do wonders. Be sure to use gloves, and let the bakeware soak overnight in hot water, dish soap, and Clorox cleanup. You can even just spray it with the Clorox clean up alone and let it soak for a while.

Bar Keeper’s Friend is also one of the miracle cleaning products. If some baked on food still does not come off after being soaked in a solution made with automatic dishwasher detergent, use Bar Keeper’s Friend and it should come off!

For just glass and stainless steel bakeware, add white vinegar, hot water, and a good liquid dish soap to the bakeware, and heat it up on the stove. Then, leave it covered overnight. Make sure not to do anything to scratch the glass as this can weaken it and cause it to break. This solution is not for use on aluminum though.

There are also some things NOT to do. Do not waste your money to buy Mr. Clean Erasers to get rid of your baked on food as it does not help much.  

You should give these solutions a shot no matter what! One blogger claims that he had a dish that “was all messed up before” and “had all types of spots over it” and “had been like this for at least a month.” However, after soaking the dish in cascade dishwashing detergent with water for an hour, softening up all the grease, and scrubbing all the grease away with a brillo pad, the dish came out looking brand new.