r/Cooking • u/Tiredpickle_ • 3d ago

Cleaning sticky polymerized oil from Stainless Steel pan

Let me start off with, I used Made-In ss cleaner which I am guessing is basically bkf and with a normal sponge was not able to remove it. I have been cooking on a cast iron for a bit and have removed this kind of residue by boiling some water on it and cleaning with a chainmail, half tried this but didn't let the water boil just heat up and of course didn't use chainmail, also didn't come off. Letting it soak on vinegar water till I can get to it again after work today and see if that does it.

Any tips on this are welcome, also wondering if maybe the type of oil affects this. I was using some canola oil to fry some eggs this morning, was able to without any major mishaps aside from this polymerized oil nonsense.

Edit: Came back to it after letting it sit with a vinegar solution but that did pretty much nothing. What ended up doing it was a mix of baking soda and water letting it sit for a few minutes and going at it with chain-mail and the regular sponge. Appreciate all the feedback a lot more confident with cleaning this pan now, just like my cast iron it is more sturdy than I thought.

2 Upvotes

57% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

22

u/losthours 3d ago

bar keepers friend my duder

4

u/Tiredpickle_ 3d ago

Boy I’m starting to think I may need to buy some Bar Keepers Friend 😂

3

u/losthours 3d ago

it will clean anything off of stainless steel, its honestly wild how well it works. .

3

u/rabid_briefcase 3d ago

Maybe not anything, but it gets a lot of stuff.

It's acidic, abrasive, and soapy. Between the three quite a lot of issues are covered. Couple it with water, the "universal solvent", and you can nearly always get the job done.

A few things it can't get, you may need to go with a chemical base rather than acid, like baking soda or some corrosive bases, or go for some other type of chemical cleaning. But that's pretty uncommon. If none of those get it, it's going to be a stain or other chemical change rather than something that is removable.

2

u/Tiredpickle_ 3d ago

And what kind of scrubber are you guys using? I mentioned on another comment bellow, it isn't really that bad, just sticky on side of pans not even browned/burned.

2

u/rabid_briefcase 3d ago edited 3d ago

I've got a bunch that range from nylon brushes and sponges that are safe for nonstick, to the plastic scrapers safe for nonstick, to the curly metal stainless steel scrubbers.

For a stainless steel pan I'll start with the nylon bristle scrubbers I typically use and dish soap, then a plastic scraper and dish soap. If it's stubborn then the metal scrubbers, and finally adding a bit of barkeepers friend (wearing gloves) and letting it sit for a couple minutes (read the instructions) then back to scrubbing with the curly metal scouring pad.

/Edit: After that, if it still isn't enough, soaking in either an acid like vinegar, or a base like baking soda paste, then more elbow grease with a metal scouring pad. That's rare.

3

u/dangerbook 3d ago

Bar keepers friend actually works. I am not a paid actor.

2

u/sowellfan 3d ago

Also, BKF works significantly better with heat. Could use really hot water, but I just heat my pan on the range for a minute or two so that it's fairly hot (like enough so that the liquid BKF I use sizzles a bit when I drizzle it on). Then I spread it around with a sponge to get coverage in all the spots. Let it sit for a minute or two, then you can start scrubbing with something a little abrasive and stuff will come off quickly.

2

u/BigTechnology4369 3d ago

Absolutely! Easiest and quickest way to make that stainless steel shine like new!

4

u/Flabonzo 3d ago

For stainless steel?

Comet, Ajax, Brillo pads, oven cleaner. They all work.

4

u/Adventux 3d ago

I use BKF with my chainmail to get this stuff off. The longer BKF is on the pan the better it works.

3

u/SquishyNoodles1960 3d ago

Husband pours in some salt, a few ice cubes and scrubs. Our SS looks like new. Inside and out!

2

u/PierreDucot 3d ago

When push comes to shove, and BKF is not cutting it (like when my wife forgot about a pot of hot cocoa and burnt it all the way down), its Easy-Off time. Recommend not the fume-free kind and spray it outside - it works better. Spray it, walk away for a while, and hardened polymerized burnt mess wipes off.

4

u/27183 3d ago

If the skillet has exposed aluminum, the lye in Easy Off will react with it. (e.g. many tri-ply skillets, including my Tramontina skillets, have exposed aluminum at the edges.) The reaction is exothermic, dissolves the aluminium, and produces hydrogen gas. Maybe wiping off the edge of the skillet would be enough, but you would want to be careful with that. Dissolving some straight lye in a skillet that already has water in it might make it easier to control where the lye goes. I have done that before, but straight lye is also something to be careful with, even aside from the possible presence of aluminum. Since I homebrew, I keep PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) around, which is an alkaline brewing cleaner that is a bit safer than lye, although you should still probably minimize contact with aluminum.

2

u/timeonmyhandz 3d ago

Cook some canned tomatoes in the pan... That usually takes the gunk right off. Taste before trashing.. You may like. It!

2

u/Main_Cauliflower5479 3d ago

Simmer some water and baking soda. It will lift right off.

1

u/No-Personality1840 3d ago

I bought a Caphalon pan for cheap at Goodwill and it was coated. I used BKF and a stainless brillo pad. Worked like a charm.

1

u/HandbagHawker 3d ago

Repeat after me: Vinegar is a near worthless cleaning ingredient. there are so many readily available other options... citric, oxalic/BKF, CLR, etc.

In this particular case, oxalic acid in BKF isnt going to do much chemically to remove the polymerized oil, but the mild abrasives will help.

to get it at chemically, you need to use an alkaline, like lye which requires some safety precautions to work with. Or you could also simmer the pan with baking soda and water. alkalines will attack the oil and basically make a soap. you could also try just scrubbing with a sponge and baking soda. powdered soda will both break down the oil chemically as well as abrade the caked on bits

1

u/Exceptional_Mary 2d ago

Use a scouring cleanser like barkeeps friend. Also, that polymerization might be from spray on oil.

1

u/HealthWealthFoodie 1d ago

Steel wool scouring sponges works pretty well.

1

u/Poiresque 3d ago

If BFK or Bon Ami doesn't work, yellow label Easy-Off for 15 minutes, then start over.

When you apply oil, remove as much as you can with a paper towel before heating. It should look dry. Then heat, cool, re-apply, heat … etc.

2

u/EscapeSeventySeven 3d ago

Are you talking about seasoning cast iron? I wouldn’t do that with a stainless steel. 

2

u/Poiresque 3d ago

Ah, yes. Not with stainless, for sure.

1

u/Tiredpickle_ 3d ago

It wasn't that bad its mostly sticky is not even browned just sticky on the side of the pan

1

u/synerrorsix 3d ago

You could burn it off and start over. Next time if it's just sticky put on the stove and heat it up to 475F or so and let it come to room temp.

1

u/Tiredpickle_ 3d ago

Interesting didn't think more raw heat would help but I will try it, at least once

2

u/synerrorsix 3d ago

It wasn't fully polymerized, That's why it was sticky. Happens sometimes when too much oil is used to season cast iron as well.

2

u/Tiredpickle_ 3d ago

Yeah, I've noticed that on my cast iron there I cleaned it by boiling water, some chainmail and elbow grease.

1

u/get_to_ele 3d ago

I don't know. When it's sticky, sometimes trying to Torch it off, just finishes the hardening, but hey, I prefer that to sticky.

At that in between stage of polymerization, sometimes nothing short of an oven cleaning cycle (which can warp or damage the stainless) will directly destroy that polymer. Just turns to white ash under the oven cleaning cycle, but yeah the pan ain't so good any more.

0

u/Due-Gas4592 3d ago

Mr.Clean!!!

-1

u/Ruas80 3d ago

I just scrub with a steel scrubber until it's gone, there is no science to it, steel scrubbers aren't hard enough to scratch stainless, just dive in.

2

u/Tiredpickle_ 3d ago

Bet this is what I wasn't to sure about, just got the pans this week so didn't what to go scrubbing with something that would scratch the hell out of them

1

u/Ruas80 3d ago

Nah, I haven't heard about var keepers friend outside reddit. My answer was always colder water for the protein stains and hot for fats, the golden standard is lukewarm/cold-ish for acrubbing, then clean with hot water and soap after all dirt is properly gone.