Removing burnt on carbon from non-stick fryin g pan

[David]

I'm looking for recommendations from people who have successfully tried the solution (if any). :-)

Over a period of time a non-stick frying pan has gradually accumulated more and more carbon.

Internet search turns up the main fix as white vinegar boiled in the pan, then baking soda added.

Salt has also been mentioned.

I wondered about using oven cleaner as a far more aggressive approach.

Anyway, any tried and tested remedies? [Buying a new pan is out of scope. Likewise not burning anything on in the first place.]

Cheers

Dave R

[Tim+]

What is the pan made of? Is the non-stick layer intact? Caustic soda is great for removing carbon but will also dissolve aluminium (releasing hydrogen). Not a great idea to let them react for long. ;-)

Tim

[Jethro_uk]

Not really non stick then, is it ?

[Dave Liquorice]

accumulated

He he, my initial thought as well.

Hot soapy water, non-scratch scourer and a bucket of elbow grease will shift it. Mechanical removal is the only thing I've found effective against carbon. No, I tell a lie the other effective way is to wash the pan after very use and not let carbon build up in the first place.

[Jethro_uk]

We've slowly got rid of our "non stick" cookware. As I read somewhere, when you see the non stick coating fading, you have to wonder how much you have eaten.

Can't fault the cast-iron pans we bought over 10 years ago. Once seasoned, there's very little to complain about. And they came with the best free gift ever. A cast iron bottle opener (having been through several corkscrew-combi types) that will easily be something our lads grandchildren pass on to their grandchildren.

[Dave Plowman (News]

Have you ever found one that is? ;-)

Another example of ad-speak being miles from reality.

[Jethro_uk]

Not really - hence the reversion to cast iron pans.

I suspect there's a school of thought that says if your cooking is sticking to the pan, you are doing it wrong.

[Dave Liquorice]

They aren't bad when new but they don't stay "new" for very long.

I blame the stupid solid plate elctric hob. Far too much thermal mass turn it off and 5 mins later the pan is still boiling... The bang bang "controls" overshoot like crazy and even on 1 can cause things to stick.

I was brought up with gas, turn that off an it's off pan almost instantly stops boiling. Set low and you have nice steady supply of heat that you can balance against the losses to very gently and steadly simmer things.

[Jethro_uk]

I believe the wisdom is the older the better. You build up a layer of very tough flavinoid enhancing long chain fats. Or something like that.

[Chris Hogg]

Induction is good, very much like gas, an instant response to changing power level.

[The Natural Philosopher]

Nothing works. Throw it away and get a cast iron one.

[polygonum_on_google]

I don't think gas is that much better in this regard. The heat is simply not spread out sufficiently evenly.

Afraid induction is the best answer to enabling non-stick to remain working for longest.

Even then, if there is a build-up, gentle use of melamine foam can be effective and gentle enough not to damage the non-stick too much.

[David]

Cast iron pan with non stick coating.

Thank you for the first sensible suggestion. :-)

Cheers

Dave R

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

The idea of a non stick surface, ie ptfe, is that nothing sticks to it, by definition, if stuff sticks to it then the surface is at best pitted at worst coming off, yes you can remove stuff, but ultimately it will come off in food or just be not very non stick any more. Its like what happens to enamelled baths like mine. Fine for many years but eventually rough since the surface has been pitted. Brian

[Roger Hayter]

We've got some German stainless steel frying pans which are quite hard to burn things on and come up visibly clean (though probably with a thin layer of stuff) with minimal effort. No enamel or anything.

[DJC]

If it is burnt-on then it has ceased to be non-stick.

Caustic Soda (oven cleaner) will work if there is still some fat residue rather than totally carbonised. Other wise mechanical means are the only option. My leCreuset cast iron pan was non-stick once; when it deteriorated I removed it all with a wire brush in a drill, then re-seasoned the bare metal with groundnut oil. that was about 25 years ago which is about twice as long as the original non-stick lasted.

[Vir Campestris]

IMHO _better_ than gas. Quicker to respond, and better control.

It's also a damn sight easier to clean ;) - damp cloth, no more dismantling half a dozen bit and soaking them.

Andy

[The Natural Philosopher]

I only have stainless steel - which can be cleaned with aggressive abrasives - or cast iron pans and skillets. If te cast iron gets coated wire wool type scrubbers get rid of it. No teflon coated pan, tray or dish I have ever had has lasted more than abut 6 months before there was some damage to it.

[Martin Brown]

Particularly if there are an scratches in the surface coating since it will lift the PTFE coating and the you will have omlettes with added plastics. Provided you keep the frying pan well oiled the carbon build up shouldn't be very much worse than the non-stick surface.

You could easily ruin the pan trying to remove it!

[Max Demian]

I don't think my mum ever cleaned her cast iron frying pan. Just added more lard. (This was long before non-stick.)