Cleaning Pots and Pans
With Pots and Pans you really do "Get what you pay for", and obviously the deeper you delve into your wallet, the more durable and long-lasting your cookware will be. To get the very best out of your cookware, we advise you to - if you can afford it - to purchase a "Lifetime Guarantee" set. Ultimately this will set you in good stead for later life, and will inevitably save you time and money in the long run!
Pots, pans and general cookware are tricky items to maintain and keep looking fresh, new and in relatively decent condition, what with the regular heating, grease, oils and burnt on food; so the subsequent easy-to-follow processes are a few simple ways in which to maintain a clean and hygienic set from the first time you use them.
The best way to maintain your cookware's condition is wash them immediately after usage, as burnt on food, grease and oils moulds on and deteriorate the items over time, meaning the longer you leave them, the shoddier they become. Even if you decide not to wash them immediately afterwards, take a moment to rinse off the excess mess and soak them in hot, soapy water and return to them later.
Burnt pots and pans can be nightmare, but there's always an answer! Try peeling off some onion skins (the outer layers) and placing them inside the burnt item. Now simmer the skins on the lowest flame possible for an hour or so and return to the burnt item on a regular basis and do not let it boil or burn. Once the hour is up, allow the item to cool down and then simply peel away the now-removable burnt sections of the pan.
If the above method doesn't suit you, then try sprinkling a pinch of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) into the pan and over the burnt on areas. Dampen it with a small drop of water, just a light layer, and leave it to set over night. Return to it in the morning and rinse off the solution and peel off the excess mess to leave a fresh, un-burnt pan.
Non-stick frying pans have a tendency to become easily stained and tarnished, so try soaking your pan in bleach overnight and then rinse thoroughly in the morning!
Regular use of baking trays result in a fair amount of rusting on the inside corners, which can become lose, ultimately tainting the food. To overcome this corrosion problem, cut a raw potato in half, soak it in washing powder and scrub the rusty and tarnished areas with it to leave you with fresh-looking baking tray.
If your enamel pot or pan has been scorched or burnt, then create a mixture of 1 Part Salt and 2 Parts Lemon Juice. Pour the mixture over the burnt base of the cookware and leave it to soak for an hour. Return to it and scrape off the black substance with a rough fine-wire scrubber.
As I'm sure you have noticed, your grill can get extremely unhygienic and grubby with all sorts of burnt of fats, grease and bits and pieces of meat, etc. These numerous different substances can mould themselves to the grill-pan and can be very hard to remove. To make life easier, line your grill-pan with a layer or two of tinfoil. Every day or so simply peel back the encrusted foil, remove it and dispose of it. Place a fresh layer over it and all is good, leaving you with fresh healthy grilled food each time.
Fat spills can become a messy job to deal with; if you spill a hot bubble of fat on your kitchen surface, quickly pour cold water over it to solidify the fat, enabling you to effortlessly peel off afterwards.
Chopping vegetables, fruit and anything with an acidic substance on a wooden chopping board will cause is to discolour and look unattractive to the eye. Mix up some salt water and wash the board with the mixture before slicing a lemon in half and scrubbing it in the same direction and the wood grains. Now don't manually dry the board, instead take the board outside on a nice sunny day and leave the sunlight to dry it whilst bleaching and sterilizing the chopping board itself making it look untarnished and good as new.
