I Finally Found a Miracle Cleaner for Stainless Steel Pans
This little-known product is a game changer.
What’s the most underused pan in your kitchen? Mine is no doubt stainless steel. Time and time again, I find myself reaching for a nonstick or ceramic skillet, not because it’s better suited for the job at hand, but because it’s so much easier to clean. While I love the versatility of stainless steel when I’m cooking — you can crank up the heat, or throw it in the oven and not worry about potential chemicals leaching into your food — I really don’t love spending a lot of time scrubbing stainless steel when dinner is over.
Even with all the tips and tricks out there, from scrubby sponges to Bar Keepers Friend’s Cookware Cleanser, I have yet to find a truly effective way to clean stainless steel. The sides of all my stainless steel skillets are flecked with spattered oil that’s been baked on by heat — and that I’ve failed to remove, despite trying the many remedies suggested by coworkers, chefs and the Internet. I recently burned popcorn in one of my stainless steel pots, leaving it with black specks that refused to budge, no matter the number of stronger-than-me people I asked to scrub it. The pot was still usable, so I continued cooking with it but felt mildly annoyed whenever I looked at the Sharpie stain-like marks. Who knew burnt popcorn kernels were so indelible?
My relationship with stainless steel changed when I received a Hestan pan and a bottle of Hestan Professional Grade Stainless Steel Cleaner as a gift. While I started using and enjoying the pan right away, the cleaner went untouched underneath my sink for months. I assumed it would be just like all the other products that yielded middling results. But on a whim one day, I tried using the cleaner on the stubborn popcorn kernel spots, and with a few swipes of my sponge, the marks miraculously disappeared. In a matter of seconds — and with minimal elbow grease! — my pot was as good as new. I was so excited that I immediately broke out my stainless steel skillets and began scrubbing the oil-baked sides. These required a little more strength (we’re talking several years of buildup) but also turned out completely clean.
And just like that, I started using my stainless steel cookware on the daily. Whether your stainless steel pans have been gathering dust in your kitchen, or you’re ready to swap out your ceramic or nonstick cookware for stainless steel, consider buying a bottle of Hestan cleaner. You'll thank me later.
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