How to remove carbon deposits from a pan made of cast iron, aluminum, coated

Old cast iron or aluminum pans make the most delicious food. This is true. But, over the decades, they accumulate such a layer of soot that it becomes not only ugly, but also dangerous. Have you seen how an overheated frying pan covered with old fat burns? Scary and dangerous! So let’s talk about how to remove soot from the pan.

Cleaning a cast iron skillet

Cast iron, smoked to black frying pans are cleaned for a long time. Don’t expect a quick result. But even the most extreme methods can be used.

Almost any attempt to clean off carbon deposits requires the application of physical effort. So you will need a stainless steel kitchen scraper and gloves. Gloves are one thick rubber, the second which will help to endure heat. In addition, you have to scrape off soot, so you will need a knife, which is not a pity and a spatula.

A universal option for cleaning the pan inside and out – boil in an alkaline solution

This method works with a sufficient concentration of alkali. For a good effect, put the components according to the recipe (we are talking about quantity). In this way, you can clean cast iron and aluminum pans. without non-stick coating.

Use “home” products that have an alkaline reaction. Here are two “working” compositions:

1. For 8-10 liters of water we take:
   • 200 grams of 72% laundry soap;
   • 500 grams of soda ash;
   • 200 ml silicate glue.
2. In 5-6 liters of water we take:
   • silicate glue 100 grams;
   • 100 grams of mustard powder;
   • 100 grams of soda ash.

These methods of cleaning soot from a frying pan are often called “Soviet”, because this was done back in the days of the USSR. They have been tested over the years and work perfectly. But be prepared for the fact that black deposits will remain in the pits and scratches. It can only be removed by grinding. And not by hand.

Instead of soda ash, you can take food, but the result will be worse.

We clean carbon deposits from heated dishes. The fat comes off easily. To avoid getting burned, take thick gloves. The cooled soot leaves worse. So while cleaning is incomplete, let the solution boil. Periodically immerse the pan in the solution, boil for 5 minutes, and clean again.

Digestion order

The above recipes contain soda ash or baking soda. It is added to the solution, usually last. Pour a little, waiting for the reaction to pass (foam rises). When the foam subsides, you can lower the pan into the solution.

In general, the procedure for removing soot from pans is as follows:

1. Bring water to a boil in a large enamel/stainless bowl (bucket or saucepan).
2. Add ingredients without soda, stir until completely dissolved.
3. Gradually pour out the soda, stir each portion and wait for the end of the reaction.
4. We lower the cast-iron frying pan, cauldron or pan into the boiling solution.

Boil the pan for 30 minutes to several hours. Depends on the thickness of the soot. After boiling, you can leave the dishes in the solution for several hours. Where the layer is small, it dissolves completely, where it was thick – you will have to remove it with a knife / spatula, then clean it with a scraper.

The same method is suitable for aluminum alloy pans, enamelware. But there are important points: the pan should be without non-stick coating, and the enamel should not be chipped.

You can see several recipes with onions, apples and potato peels and the results with them in the video. Interesting experiments and their results.

How to remove soot from a pan without boiling

There are more modern options – for example, a mixture of Coca-Cola and citric acid. You need stainless utensils – the composition is caustic. A drink is poured into it, 4 grams of citric acid are added to 100 liters. Pour the lemon in small portions, waiting for the end of the reaction.

No need to boil, just leave the dishes in the solution (soak). Periodically check its condition – the soot will dissolve. Be careful: not all alloys and materials tolerate this composition normally. If you see color changes or cavities, remove the dishes and rinse under running water.

Burn soot from a cast iron pan

Soot in a cast-iron pan or saucepan can be cleaned with fire – burned. If the handles are wooden or plastic, then they must be removed. The pan must be put on fire and wait until the soot begins to fall off. At first it smokes and smokes, then it hardens and begins to fall off. It takes a long time to clean up. You can speed up the process if you run a knife blade over the soot. Do not scrape, namely just hold. Bits of black fly off, revealing metal.

It is not worth burning the pan indoors, because there will be a lot of smoke. The exception is if you have a fireplace with good draft. You can throw a cast-iron pan into it and wait until it is cleaned.

In general, you can burn dishes on a fire. Cast iron utensils withstand such a procedure, but if we are talking about a frying pan made of aluminum alloys, you can only burn it in a flame – it can melt on hot coals.

Another way is to use a blowtorch. This option is better, since you can control the heating process, change the intensity of firing in places with varying degrees of pollution.

Recovery after cleaning

After boiling or firing, a cast-iron or aluminum pan loses its non-stick properties. Before cooking, you need to restore the protective film. First, heat a frying pan with coarse salt. We put it on fire, pour out about 500 grams of coarse rock salt. Kalim salt stirring constantly. How long? 15 minutes after the salt has become as hot as the pan.

Pour out the salt, wipe the pan with a paper towel, cleaning off the remaining salt. Do not wash. Just wipe with a paper or woven kitchen towel.

Next, restore the protective oil foam at the bottom of the pan. To do this, pour a tablespoon of sunflower oil into the pan, spread with a brush over the surface and sides. Put it on fire again and warm it up. Smear the oil from time to time. Try to keep it not only at the bottom, but also on the sides too. Don’t pour too much. The point is to form a film. There is no task to boil the oil. When a light shine appears, turn off, cool. You can wipe the inside of the warm pan again with a paper towel. Now you can safely cook.

Cleaning carbon deposits from non-stick pans

There is nothing left on the inner surface of non-stick pans and you only need to clean them from the outside. Even in this case, abrasives or scrapers should not be used. Only chemicals and ordinary kitchen sponges or brushes with artificial bristles remain.

You can clean the pan from carbon from the outside using:

• Means for dissolving fat.
• Grill cleaners.
• Compositions for cleaning glass ceramics.
• Gel for cleaning ovens.

The means are different, but the method of use is the same. It is necessary to apply on the back of the pan, wait a while. If necessary, rub with a brush or the hard side of a sponge, then rinse with water. If necessary, repeat the treatment.

Means for removing carbon deposits from the outside of the pan

What kind of tools give good results? Different. Most praise “Shumanit”. This is a “thermonuclear” tool. This refers to the smell and effectiveness. It cannot be applied to aluminum or cast iron, but it works perfectly with stainless steel or enamel.

All other tools are about the same. I can recommend a few from personal experience.

1. Well dissolves soot “medium” gravity “Mr. Muscle” for the kitchen. It is necessary to apply a couple of times and rub thoroughly, but the fat dissolves.
2. Slightly worse works “Silit Bang” for grills. It seems to be more efficient, but it worked slower. I had to apply 3-4 times.
   

3. The old burnt fat, which has turned not red, but black, removes the Amway oven cleaner. After keeping the gel in the pan for 15 minutes, put it under running water. The old soot is washed off. It just comes off. Small areas remain. You can re-apply the product, but rub it faster.

Probably all other tools will work about the same. There is simply no “magic” remedy. Choose which suits you best. And one important tip: do not try to clean the inside of a non-stick pan with chemicals. After cleaning, send it to the trash can. Everything will burn, all the time.

How to clean with improvised means

Not always the right tool is at hand. You can try to remove plaque from the pan with soda and ammonia. In soda (a couple of tablespoons), add ammonia until you get a slurry. Put it on the pan and leave for 15 minutes. Rub with the hard side of a kitchen sponge. So you can clean off not too old and thick plaque.

Ammonia has a very pungent smell, so you need to open the window. And it is better to work in a respirator and thick rubber gloves.

A not very dirty pan, baking soda and vinegar will help clean the outside. Apply baking soda on the back, pour vinegar over it and wait until the reaction is over. Next – take a sponge in your hands and three. An additional portion of soda helps, dip a piece of sponge in dishwashing detergent, then again in soda.

There is one recipe for cleaning the back of a frying pan of a personal invention. Apply a degreaser (I use Brill professional), crush a dishwasher tablet and sprinkle on top, leave for 10 minutes. During this time, “crawl” with a sponge a couple of times so that the powder from the tablet dissolves and is more evenly distributed. Fat, which has turned into a hard-to-wash jelly, ceases to be sticky and is peeled off. But you still need to grind.