Baking sheets are among the most commonly used items in the kitchen, and it’s easy to tell. These baking pans are often coated with unsightly brown spots and stains that make you wonder if they are even usable. Learn how to clean baking sheets with a variety of deep-cleaning solutions and get them looking like new.
Isn’t it amazing how brand new nonstick cookie sheets and baking sheets turn from clean and shiny to dull and stained, seemingly overnight? These stains result from high temperatures, grease, and burn marks, and everyday dish soap doesn’t always get them clean.
You use your bakeware for cooking everything from homemade cookies and cinnamon rolls to pizza and oven-baked bacon. It’s no wonder they are anything but gently-used.
Remove Tough Stains on Baking Sheets and Keep Them Looking Like New
Before you toss your baking sheets into the garbage and buy new ones, try cleaning them with a few simple cleaners using what you already have in your kitchen.
While you wash your favorite well-seasoned sheet pan after each use with hot, soapy water, there comes a time when they require stronger cleansers and a bit more elbow grease to remove grime, gunk, and stains. Fortunately, many of these cleaners are already in your kitchen cupboard.
The Easiest Way to Clean Baking Pans is with Baking Soda
The simplest way to clean baking pans that are not terribly stained or soiled is to use some scrubbing power and the combined scouring action of baking soda and aluminum foil. It’s also an easy way to clean oven racks, as well.
Shake baking soda over the pan’s surface and sprinkle enough water over the top to make a paste. Ball up a sheet of foil and use it to scrub the dirty pan.
Consider using steel wool if you do not have any aluminum foil. Scrub the baking sheet with a circular motion and reposition the foil in your hand as it flattens out. Wash the pan with a bit of soap and warm water and rinse it thoroughly.
Clean a Burnt Baking Sheet with White Vinegar
Try using the bubbling action of baking soda and white vinegar to clean a burnt baking sheet or as a DIY rust remover solution for your favorite baking pans.
Vinegar loosens grease and food while baking soda absorbs the greasy residue and acts as a mild abrasive. This powerful combination is also useful to get burnt food out of oven.
For a highly efficient baked on grease remover, shake a decent amount of baking soda across the baking sheet and drizzle enough vinegar over the powder to form a paste.
Use your hand to rub the bubbling paste across the pan’s surface and let it sit for about half an hour. Scrub the dirty pan with a sponge or scrubber until the dirt is loose and rinse the pan under cold water. Try this remedy for getting baked on grease off a non stick pan or pot, as well.
You can also clean the bottom of your oven quickly with this method. It’s much more tolerable than the caustic fumes of a commercial oven cleaner.
How to Clean Baking Sheets with Cream of Tartar
Instead of using a commercial product such as Bar Keepers Friend or an oven cleaner to get sticky grease off sheets and pans, use a mixture of cream of tartar and white vinegar.
This method combines a mildly acidic liquid with a non-abrasive cleaner for dissolving and removing grease.
Combine enough cream of tartar and white vinegar in a bowl to make a pasty substance. Spread the paste over the grimy areas of the baking sheet and let it sit overnight.
Wet a sponge with warm water and clean the pan using circular motions. Rinse it under cold water, wash it thoroughly with soapy water, and give it a final rinse before drying it.
If you have a filthy oven, consider using white vinegar or hydrogen peroxide for cleaning baked on grease from the oven.
Removing Tough Baking Sheet Stains with Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide is a mild oxygen-based bleaching liquid, and combining it with baking soda creates a powerful cleaning agent for removing brown stains from bakeware.
Shake baking soda over the top of the baking sheet to coat it lightly. Pour hydrogen peroxide into a bottle and spray the liquid over the surface of the pan until the powder is wet.
Let it sit overnight and use a spatula or plastic scraper to scrape the dirty baking soda from one side of the pan to the other, and then into the garbage. Wash the sheet with soapy water and give it a good rinsing.
Cleaning a Baking Sheet with Dryer Sheets
Believe it or not, but it is possible to clean scorch marks from your bakeware with a dryer sheet. This kitchen hack is straightforward to perform and only takes an hour to complete.
Fill the baking sheet with warm water and add a squirt of dish soap. Place a dryer sheet over the stained area and let it sit for about one hour.
Dump out the soapy water and dispose of the wet dryer sheet. Wipe down the baking pan with a sponge and rinse it thoroughly with cold water.
Use this unbelievably easy solution as a homemade aluminum cleaner and polish, as well. You’ll be delighted with the results.
Preventing Stains on Baking Sheets and Pans
After you deep clean a baking pan, it’s essential to take preventative measures to keep those pans clean and stop food from sticking. If you have a dirty oven, try making an oven cleaner with Dawn.
Now that you have clean baking sheets, there are a few easy things to do to keep them looking shiny and new. Spread a sheet of parchment paper or foil over the pan before adding any food to keep the surface from getting burn and grease stains.
Always wash the pan immediately after cooking with hot water, grease-cutting dish soap, and a scrubbing sponge to stop grease and food particles from hardening on the metal surface.
Avoid using a knife to cut food directly on the baking sheet. Sharp cooking utensils such as knives and metal spatulas leave scratch marks on the metal.
These scratches allow food particles to stick easier, making the pan more challenging to clean. Remember to dry your baking pans immediately after washing to prevent them from rusting.
Baking sheets are among the most versatile items in the kitchen, whether you whip up a sheet pan dinner or bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
Many of them have non-stick surfaces, and the accumulation of burn and grease stains cause discoloration. It’s easy to salvage these pans using the proper cleaning solutions and techniques.
Now that you know how to clean baking sheets to restore them like new, why not share our baking sheet cleaning tips and methods with your friends and family on Facebook and Pinterest?