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Although more versatile, multifunctional household appliances appear in kitchens every year, and the frying pan remains an indispensable component of kitchen utensils. Many cooking processes are unthinkable without it, so it is essential to take proper care of the dishes to serve as long as possible. At the same time, it is important to consider the product’s material – more stringent measures can be applied to cast iron and aluminum pans. Still, Teflon and ceramic will require delicate care. Our article will talk about how you can effectively get rid of various dirt, carbon deposits, and rust in different types of pans.
What are Carbon Deposits?
Carbon deposits can form on any type of metal surface when oil or fat is burned off the surface. The carbon deposits can cause the pan to become difficult to clean and can also affect the quality of food that is cooked in the pan. How to Remove Carbon Deposits from a Frying Pan?
There are several ways that you can remove carbon deposits from a frying pan. One way is to use a degreaser. Another way is to use boiling water. You can also use a steel wool pad or a scrubber.
Carbon Deposits Prevention
The best way to keep your pan clean, no matter what material it is made of, is to wash it regularly after every cooking under hot running water using a sponge, brush, or rag. But, to be honest, there is not always time even for such a simple procedure. As a result, after some time, we sadly look at a frying pan overgrown with soot or suffer from the constant burning of food.
To save your favorite frying pan from such a sad fate, it is enough to carry out simple preventive procedures, at least from time to time. For example, ignite a frying pan in the oven. To do this, sprinkle the bottom with plenty of salt and put the dishes in the oven. Wait until the salt acquires a sandy brown hue. Next, you need to wait for a little until the salt cools down and clean the bottom surface with it.
The last step is to grease the pan with vegetable oil and put it in the oven for a short time. You will get a real non-stick coating that will exclude the possibility of burning food. To prevent forming a layer of carbon deposits inside the pan, you can use ordinary baking soda: sprinkle it on the bottom, add water, and put the dishes on the fire. The mixture must be allowed to boil a little, and then the soda solution is drained, and the dishes are rinsed.
How to Remove Carbon Deposits from a Teflon Pan
A feature of modern Teflon pans, which have recently enjoyed considerable popularity, is a non-stick coating. Many people get the impression that they are not afraid of carbon deposits. In fact, if you do not take proper care of the dishes, it may well manifest itself both outside and inside. To fix it, we advise you to use one of the several methods below.
Method 1 – Citric Acid
The best way to remove the oily layer is citric acid. It is necessary to pour water into a frying pan, add one acid packet, put it on fire, and bring it to a boil. When the solution begins to boil, please turn it off and leave it to cool. During this time, the acid will do its cleansing work. All that remains is to rinse the dishes thoroughly.
Method 2 – Soda
You can also gently clean the non-stick surface with baking soda. This method is similar to the previous one: pour water into the pan, add soda (3-5 tablespoons), bring to a boil. Then we also wait for the water to cool completely and rinse.
Method 3 – Apple
A rather unusual method involves cleaning the dishes with an apple (you need one large or a couple of medium ones). The fruit must be peeled and finely chopped to form juice. Apply the gruel to the bottom of the pan, distribute it evenly and leave for 15–20 minutes. Then remove the apple mass with a soft sponge and rinse the already clean frying pan.
How to Clean Carbon Deposits from the Ceramic Frying Pan
Ceramic pans are recognized as one of the most comfortable to use due to their lightweight and coating. The food in them burns rather rarely, but troubles do happen, and you need to get rid of them using rather delicate methods. The coating reacts negatively to the use of aggressive chemicals, so you need to be scrupulous in choosing them.
Method 1 – Water and Citric Acid
If food is burnt in the ceramic frying pan, which happens very rarely, you do not need to remove it with a spatula or other device – this way, you can cause irreparable damage to the surface. You need to fill the pan with water and leave it on low heat for 15 minutes. As a rule, after such a procedure, any dirt and burntness can be easily removed with a soft sponge. If this does not help, you can add citric acid, but in no case should you use soda.
Method 2 – Alcohol
Alcohol can be a great help in cleaning your ceramic skillet and can easily remove unsightly dark stains. You need to take a soft sponge or cotton pad, moisten with alcohol and rub the dirty areas of the pan surface. If you did not manage to get rid of them instantly, apply an alcohol-coated cloth to the stain and wait 5-10 minutes – it would surely disappear.
How to Remove Carbon Deposits from a Cast Iron Pan
Although cast-iron kitchen utensils are gradually giving way to more modern materials, such pans are still found in the arsenal of many hostesses – someone got them from grandmothers, and someone buys them to this day, paying tribute to the durability of the material. Be that as it may, but the question of cleaning a cast-iron frying pan does not lose its relevance, so we have collected some practical tips that will help in this difficult matter.
Method 1 – Powder and Soda
This method involves completing the cast-iron frying pan from the outside and inside using the most affordable means. To begin with, you need to find a sufficiently deep and wide container (bucket, pan) where the frying pan will fit. We collect water in it, put it on fire, add washing powder (5 tablespoons) and baking soda (1/2 cup), mix. The powder can be replaced with a grated half of a bar of laundry soap. Add clerical glue to the resulting solution and lay the pan. After boiling, the dishes should simmer over low heat for about two hours. In the process, the carbon deposits will gradually lag. After the specified time has elapsed, the pan must be removed from the container and cleaned with a metal brush.
Method 2 – Laundry Soap
If you are worried about carbon deposits inside the pan, it is easy to eliminate them with regular laundry soap. It is necessary to grind half a bar of soap on a grater and pour the resulting crumbs onto the bottom of the pan. We fill everything with water and put it on fire. After boiling, the pan should stand over medium heat for about forty minutes, after which it is removed from the heat and allowed to cool. The mixture must be drained, and the pan washed with ordinary detergent.
Method 3 – Calcining on Fire
For those who live in the private sector or have a summer cottage, we suggest using the most primitive but effective way of cleaning a cast-iron frying pan from fat – by roasting over a fire. In this case, the most difficult moment will be making a fire and keeping it burning for a long time, so you need to stock up on firewood in advance. Then everything is simple – you need to put the frying pan into the fire and wait until the carbon deposits begin to fall off by themselves. It is important to ensure that the handle material does not melt or catch fire.
In apartment conditions, such a procedure can theoretically be replaced by calcining under the influence of a high-temperature regime in the oven. Still, you will need to take care of high-quality ventilation – after all, the greasy carbon will melt and smoke. Therefore, it is better to give preference to the more gentle methods discussed above.
How to Clean the Carbon Deposits from Aluminum Frying Pan
Aluminum pans are long-lasting, lightweight, and ideal for quickly reheating food. However, during the cooking process, food often burns, so the care of the pan should be systematic.
Method 1 – Salt and Vinegar
The inside of an aluminum skillet can be cleaned using the most common salt and vinegar. You need to take a small container and mix both components in it until a paste is formed. We apply the resulting composition to the surface and clean it with a hard sponge or brush. Carbon deposits and rust are thus removed rather quickly, and the pan looks new.
Method 2 – Boiling
As in the case of a cast-iron surface, boiling a pot in a bucket will come to the rescue. We fill a large container (10-liter bucket) with water and add the following components: a pound of soda, a grated bar of laundry soap, several bottles of silicate glue. We put all this mass on the fire and put the frying pan. As a rule, carbon deposits will begin to lag after 30–40 minutes, but for reliability, you can hold it longer. After such a bath, the dishes must be thoroughly rinsed with a brush under running water.
Method 3 – Blowtorch
This method provides for the involvement of a blowtorch and male power in work on the comprehensive cleaning of the pan. Everything is quite simple – the lamp’s flame must be directed at the vessel and held for some time. Typically, it takes 5-7 minutes to remove plaque, but the time will depend on the degree of contamination. It is worth considering that such an event cannot be carried out in a closed room and near flammable objects.
In conclusion, I would like to note that you can choose a special detergent for any frying pan regardless of what material it is made of. With the help of various solutions and pastes, it is easy to maintain the dishes in proper condition so as not to overshadow your free time later by cleaning kitchen utensils.
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