Chances are you’ve had to deal with baked-on food stuck to your favorite roasting pans. These food stains can be tough to get rid of, but with a little extra effort, you can eliminate those stubborn areas and get back to using your roasting pan. Roasting pans are a useful kitchen tool for preparing Thanksgiving meals, a holiday turkey, or simply roasting some vegetables as a side dish. But as time goes, your pans will start to accumulate gunk and burnt junk that will stick around for what seems like forever, especially if they aren’t thoroughly cleaned every time they’re used. If you’re not sure how to clean a roasting pan, don’t panic! We’ve got you covered. Follow these simple methods to have your roasting pan looking new and sparkling.
How to clean a roasting pan
If you maintain a clean roasting pan by cleaning it after each use, soap and hot water will be enough to keep your pans clean most of the time. Allow your pan to cool to room temperature (shocking a hot pan with cold water is one of the fastest ways to ruin a perfectly good dish). Rinse your pan gently with warm water and a non-abrasive sponge. Then let the pan soak in warm water for about an hour and start scrubbing again. Repeat until you’ve blasted all those stuck-on spots.
Truth is, even if you’re cleaning your roasting pan properly after each use, those burnt-on black spots can still appear. These tricky spots may seem impossible to get rid of, but with a few pantry staples, you can quickly knock them out. After soaking, rinsing, and drying, coat the tough stains in baking soda, enough to entirely cover the stain.
How to clean a burnt roasting pan using baking soda and vinegar
One of the best ways to get rid of tough stains on a roasting pan is to mix a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar with hot water. To do this, sprinkle baking soda over to cover the entire roasting pan. Pour vinegar over the baking soda and watch the chemical reaction between the two bubbles. Leave for a few minutes; this helps dislodge any pieces of food. Soak the pan in hot water for 15-30 minutes, don’t worry about removing the baking soda and vinegar first. Scrub the pan and rinse. Use a spatula to scrape any larger pieces and steel wool to scrub. Because we let the baking soda and vinegar do a lot of the hard work, this shouldn’t require too much elbow grease.