If your utensils are covered with icky greasy grime, you'll need to make a little bit of effort. The first step is identifying what is causing the mess since some foodstuffs are more challenging to remove than others. For example, eggs and cheese can be removed by hand, but grease from fried foods needs a little extra help. With a few essential ingredients and a good scrubbing brush, you should have no trouble getting your utensils back into tip-top shape. This article discusses how to remove dirt from items such as pots and pans etc.
Cleaning ingredients
Dish soap or liquid dishwasher detergent
- You can also try using a non-degreaser, soap-based scouring powder.
- Just be sure to rinse well and towel dry immediately to prevent streaks from forming on the utensils' surface.
Baking soda
- A little bit of baking soda goes a long way in removing caked-on foodstuffs.
- Just sprinkle it into your pot or pan and add enough hot tap water to form a paste that covers the stains.
- Let the solution soak for about 15 minutes before scrubbing with a sponge or brush as usual.
- If you're dealing with especially egg yolk stains, try using a bit of vinegar in your baking soda solution.
White vinegar
- It is a great natural cleaner, especially effective in removing limescale and hard-water buildup on glassware and silverware.
- Soak the items overnight in full-strength white vinegar.
- After this, remove them in the morning and rinse them under hot running water to remove any remaining film.
Cleaning tips
- Soak utensils overnight in warm, sudsy water containing about 1 tbsp of dishwasher detergent or baking powder before washing them in the morning. It helps loosen up stuck-on foodstuffs that are often very difficult to remove. If you're dealing with adamant stains, add a little bit of baking soda to your sudsy overnight soak.
- Try pre-treating ingredients like oil and butter before adding them to pots or pans full of foodstuffs that are notoriously hard to clean off. For example, while mixing the sausage meat into your batter, you can prevent spatters from getting greased. Just dab away any remaining grease after you've finished eating. This simple trick should prolong the life of your utensils if done regularly.
- If food has burned onto your utensil while it was heated, try filling the pot or pan with water and bringing it to a boil instead of trying to scrub it manually. The hot water should soften the burned food enough for you to wipe or rinse it away without straining your wrist or elbow.
- If oil has spattered onto your stovetop during cooking, remove the splatter with an ordinary dryer sheet before it can harden and become impossible to remove. Just open up several sheets into a "Swiss-roll," dampen them under running tap water, and place them over any large oil stains on your stovetop until they've softened up. Next, wipe away any remaining residue with a clean rag and enjoy the fresh scent!
Additional tips
- Scrubbing utensils in an electric dishwasher is generally more effective than doing so by hand. If you don't have access to an electric dishwasher, try washing them in hot water on the top rack of your double-basin home dishwashing machine instead.
- A plastic scrub brush with soft bristles is best for removing dried food particles from utensils; avoid using abrasive powder cleansers.
Conclusion
Kitchen utensils need regular cleansing for proper hygiene. Follow the above instructions to know about easy cleaning and keep your kitchen and dishes well maintained and spiky clean.