Is there anything wrong with stains on stainless steel pans?
September 18, 2011 4:18 PM   Subscribe

Are there non-aesthetic (e.g. health, cooking efficiency) reasons for removing stains from my stainless steel pans?
posted by long to Food & Drink (10 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 
What kinds of stains are we talking about here?
posted by Stephanie Duy at 4:40 PM on September 18, 2011


Response by poster:
What kinds of stains are we talking about here?
I think oil (once I let heating oil get away from me and it all started smoking), and the bottom of food burnt into stains.
posted by long at 4:42 PM on September 18, 2011


Best answer: If the "stains" change the surface feel of the pan, they may also make it more likely that food will stick again--even when using proper technique.
posted by Netzapper at 5:07 PM on September 18, 2011 [2 favorites]


Best answer: I have a few older All Clad pans and I think those stains do indeed change the way that sucs (ie "fond" here in the states) form on the pan. My admittedly non-scientific observations have been that a spanking clean pan seems to create more usable sucs.

Oh, and cleaning stainless steel pans is pretty much trivial with Bar Keepers Friend. I thought I had stained my pans forever until I found that stuff.
posted by foggy out there now at 5:41 PM on September 18, 2011


Not really. If the oil doesn't smoke when heated, then you should be just fine.
posted by Gilbert at 7:45 PM on September 18, 2011


I'm still not clear what type of stains you have, but if you've got white marks those are easy to remove. Just rub some vinegar on the spots then rinse (well typically I re-wash then rinse).
posted by sardonyx at 11:22 PM on September 18, 2011


Response by poster: @sardonyx, @Stephanie Duy

To be a little clearer, the stains are brown (from oil) and black (burnt bits of food).
posted by long at 12:32 AM on September 19, 2011


Oil and burnt food bits would definitely change the heating efficiency of your pan, and possible alter the flavor of any food you cook in the pan. I think Netzapper and foggy out there now have given you really good answers already :)
posted by Stephanie Duy at 6:59 AM on September 19, 2011


Time for Barkeepers Friend! Far superior to all other cleansers. I have T-Fal stainless and this stuff keeps them spotless. I had one pan that I believed was permanently damaged, until I got the Barkeepers Friend.
posted by dust of the stars at 8:51 AM on September 19, 2011


Bar Keepers Friend works pretty well for stains or burnt food. The can does not indicate that gloves are required, but I always wear them now after an incident where some Bar Keepers Friend got into a tiny cut on my finger that I didn't even realize I had. Ow, did it ever hurt. And getting oxalic acid into a cut is probably not such a great idea in general.
posted by grouse at 2:25 PM on September 19, 2011


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