How to Clean Stainless Steel Pots and Pans
Restore scorched, discolored, and grease-stained stainless steel cookware to a mirror shine using boiling deglacers, acid cleansers, and proper grain buffing.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Non-abrasive scouring pad (blue sponge or Dobie pad)
- ✓ Wooden spoon or spatula
- ✓ Microfiber drying towel
- ✓ Rubber cleaning gloves
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ Bar Keepers Friend (powdered cleanser)
- ✓ Baking soda
- ✓ Distilled white vinegar
- ✓ Liquid dish soap
- ✓ Water
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Never plunge a piping-hot stainless steel pan directly into cold water to prevent metal warping and thermal shock.
- • Wear rubber gloves when handling oxalic acid cleaners (like Bar Keepers Friend) to avoid skin irritation.
- • Do not use chlorine bleach or steel wool, which permanently pit and scratch stainless steel surfaces.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (6 Steps)
Initial Hot Wash and Degreasing
Allow the pan to cool completely to room temperature. Wash the interior and exterior with hot water, mild dish soap, and a non-abrasive sponge to strip loose surface oils and food particles. Rinse thoroughly with warm water.
- • Free-floating grease and soft food debris rinsed away, leaving only baked-on residue or discoloration.
- • Washing a hot pan directly under cold water.
- • Using green heavy-duty abrasive pads that leave permanent scratch swirls.
Deglaze Burnt-On Food with Baking Soda Boil
For thick, blackened carbon on the pan base, fill the pan with 1 inch of water and add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Place the pan on the stove, bring the liquid to a rolling boil for 3 to 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Use a wooden spatula to gently scrape the softened carbon flakes off the bottom as it cools.
- • Dark carbon residue lifting off the metal in sheets or soft flakes into the murky bubbling water.
- • Bare stainless steel floor visible beneath the lifted crust.
- • Using metal spatulas or knives to chip at stubborn carbon, gouging the steel.
- • Letting the water boil completely dry on the burner.
Apply Oxalic Acid Paste to Stubborn Spots
Dump the murky water and rinse the pan, leaving the interior slightly damp. Sprinkle a thin, even dusting of Bar Keepers Friend over the stained areas and add a few drops of water to form a wet, spreadable paste. Let the paste sit on the metal for no longer than 60 seconds.
- • Even, milky white paste coating the bottom and sides of the pan without drying into a hard crust.
- • Leaving oxalic acid cleaner on stainless steel for extended periods, which can cause dull etching.
- • Applying powder onto bone-dry metal without enough water to activate the paste.
Scrub Along the Circular Steel Grain
Using your damp non-abrasive sponge, scrub the paste in circular motions following the factory grain lines of the pan interior. Apply firm, moderate pressure along the sidewalls and bottom bevels until all yellowing and brown halos disappear. Rinse thoroughly under running warm water until no grit remains.
- • Stainless steel reflects light evenly with no remaining brown patches or sticky amber oil halos.
- • Scrubbing across the grain in aggressive zig-zag patterns.
- • Failing to rinse away all powder grit, leaving a powdery film.
Dissolve Rainbow Heat Tint with Vinegar
Inspect the pan for iridescent 'rainbow' heat tint or white cloudy mineral scale caused by calcium. Splash 2 tablespoons of distilled white vinegar directly into the pan and wipe over the surface with a sponge. The mild acetic acid will dissolve the rainbow oxidation layer instantly on contact.
- • Iridescent blue-purple rainbow sheen and white chalky mineral spots vanish instantly, returning the metal to a pure silver color.
- • Vigorously scrubbing heat tint with harsh abrasives instead of simply dissolving it with acid.
Final Rinse and Microfiber Buff Dry
Rinse the pan completely with clean warm water to wash away all traces of vinegar and soap. Immediately dry the entire surface inside and out using a clean microfiber cloth, buffing out water droplets before they evaporate to prevent new water spots.
- • Uniform, streak-free mirror shine across the interior cooking surface, exterior body, and handle rivets with zero water droplets.
- • Letting the pan air dry in a dish rack, which leaves chalky mineral spots from tap water.
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by NYT Wirecutter — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Bar Keepers Friend? A thick paste made of baking soda and a few drops of hydrogen peroxide or lemon juice
- No Distilled white vinegar? Fresh lemon juice or bottled apple cider vinegar
- No Non-abrasive scouring pad (blue sponge or Dobie pad)? A crumpled ball of aluminum foil used gently with dish soap, or a coarse washcloth