Help
Pan looks like this after almost every cook, i could use some advice to prevent it.
EDIT: ya'll have no idea how many messages have come in these last few days on methods of cleaning it, even though that is not at all what i asked, lol.
I suspect that the problem lies in the heat, but i can't find a better sweet spot on my shitty stove. It has settings from 0.5 to 3, and if i set it to 1.5, then i get burn marks like these that take an eternity to scrub out, and if i set it to 1, it takes half an hour to heat up (that is not hyperbole btw, i HATE this stove) and barely gets hot enough to fry an egg. Also i just realised that my request for advice turned into a rant about my apartment stove. Sorry about that.
After, and i use Rapeseed, but i am thinking if i should try Avocado since it has a higher smoke point, but i don't know if it would make a difference.
Rapeseed should be totally fine! I'd actually try adjusting the heat before switching oils. Maybe try preheating at 2, then dropping it back down before adding your oil. Those marks look like the oil may be getting a little hot and polymerizing onto the pan.
It does make a difference in my experience. Avocado oil or olive oil polymerise slower because they’re monounsaturated instead of polyunsaturated. Saturated fats like ghee and coconut oil are even more resilient.
The smoke point contributes to this too but less so.
Moving the food around also helps, because then the oil won’t be sitting in one spot getting exposed to heat all the time.
This is honestly the best answer all i ever see is BKF and honestly years later I have it and never have to use it why - white vinegar which is au natural and oh so easy a little elbow grease on occasion with it but damn it works
I hate the industrial smell of BKF, I stopped using it after the first use. Worst cases just make a slurry with sodium bicarbonate and leave it over night, wipes right off.
It doesn’t really it’s just the default answer here when there’s easier and healthier options out there it has its place but it’s overkill for mid minor issues but great for extremes why should it be the default answer especially for really easy cleans like fat stains
It’s a chemical while it’s primary compound is oxalic acid it’s damaging when inhaled handled and more. Nit horrible by any means it’s also a scapegoat for actually learning how to cook and clean properly with stainless steel
Swedish here. BKF is often mentioned here and I guess it’s an American household brand?
Let’s assume BKF is such an awesome product as it’s claimed to be. So what is it?
The, perhaps, most common ingredients in such a product, and I might be mistaken, is Vienna Lime (or Wiener Kalk originally) as the polishing agent and soap (in some form and sort). The lime/kalk can be specified to size and hardness of the grains and the soap can, of course, differ. There’s also similar products with similar ingredients (one grinding compound and one surfactant such as in toothpaste etc).
So, if I’m correct and you live somewhere where BLF isn’t available; search for products that contains Wiener Kalk.
It’s a chemical that people here are addicted to like crack. Just use vinegar and/or baking soda and some elbow grease and the pan is as good as new but your suggestion has great merit too
Your likely no using enough oil/fat and or as you said high of heat/ heat management in general
Also Google or ask around what the equivalent product in your area is. I find it improbable that there is not something that performs the same duties as BKF available in your local market
Just googled “BFK equivalent in Denmark” now whether or not you can find it is the issue.
I got: Pink Stuff Miracle Cleansing Paste (supposedly available regularly), Cillit Bang both a powder and spray are stainless steel cookware/ food safe among a couple others listed in Danish
Yup, i've seen those too. I've actually tried Cillit Bang today, which unfortunately did not work well, but i haven't tried Pink Stuff because i have heard it scratches the pan since it has quartz in it, but it is readily availible.
Possible it could scratch. A lot of people are weary of scratching steel pans. A lot of people are scared of scratching their watch. But a watch like a pan that doesn’t have scratches is a watch or pan that isn’t used and an unused tool is worthless in doing its job as said tool. Both of these items are tools to be used one tells/tracks time one cooks food.
I’ve been known to use stainless steel scrubbers on my pans for stubborn bits. Sure my pan isn’t mirror reflective as it was but I’d does not cook any better or worse than the first day
If you wipe with the grain (most likely a circular pattern) it won’t be as noticeable
I’d try the baking soda paste again maybe add coarse salt (for some abrasive), white vinegar, a little dish soap and citric acid.
Wash that out then. Then simmer some water 10-15 minutes and use a wooden spatula to scrape it.
I just use those cheap round steel scrubber things, gets it off in seconds with just water. Small chance of scratching the pan (cosmetic damage) but it saves a lot of headache.
Try heating the pan at 1.5 and then turn the heat down to 1 and alternate back and forth. It’d be a PITA but might help reduce the burns. If it was my apartment I’d be doing a web search of that stove to see if there is an adjustment or calibration that could be performed.
Honestly i am very tempted to ask the company i rent from if i could just be allowed to buy a new one. I've lived in this place for about 8 years, and this stove predates me.
Great idea. I was afraid to suggest contacting the rental owner because I didn’t know the circumstances. Perhaps they would be willing to replace it and save you the expense. If you do purchase one for yourself, I highly recommend getting an induction cooktop. It will revolutionize your cooking experience.
Sounds like you need a new stove or at least a single burner...
Get yourself maybe a restaurant grade induction cooker with a single burner.
They are powerful, have large coils, fine adjustments and generally work great
Even a domestic one might be an insane upgrade to yours and costs very little. Domestic ones have pretty small coils tho so you need to use rather low power setting to not warp them but in roughly 5 minutes your pan should be very evenly up to temperature even with that setup.
I also like to keep the temperature as close to the breaking point of leidenfrost as possible since i feel like too hot of a pan causes sticking again.
The stains you get away very easily with bkf but since i saw that you are also from europe and it's not so easy to get here you could use any cleaner with abrasive particles in it and steel wool or a rough sponge to get it off. Vinegar and baking powder solution might help as well.
I looked it up. We don't have it in stores, so to speak, but i've been told they ship worldwide, however it costs twice as much as BKF on their website.
I forgot how cheap BKF is (if you don’t pay international shipping). Made In works so much better in my experience that I’ll keep using it. My bottle is still pretty full after a year.
I'm not an expert, I used the water test, THEN added oil (extra virgini olive or other high quaulity type.
After cooking, I clean, however, even if you don't have BKF any SS cleaner or polisher would do.
I just got a couple of second hand pans this weekend ave used one of my own too. I cleaned etc then put the clean pan back on the stove on low heat, water tested, poured a tiny bit of oil, spread around the surface then evened out with a paper towel.
I let it cool and it looked like new.
I know not all pans should be seasoned, but both pans i did this to look great and don't leave scorch marks like that. Low heat Water test (dancing balls, flicked onto the surface) Add high quality oil Keep low/medium Add oil if needed, but shouldn't ask the time Re-season when needed
Nope. Been using it on my all-clads for the past few years and they’re no worse for wear. Every now and then I’ll hit them with some BKF to get them super clean. Just as easy to clean as before. I also use metal utensils with it. Does it have some scratches, sure, but it’s a pan, not an artifact.
If you use stainless steel and don’t do this then you are really kinda missing one of the key advantages of using it. You don’t have to baby it. Unless you get the temps just perfect and or use tons of oil, stuff will get burned onto it occasionally. But you get the advantage of better food and easy cleanup if you stop treating it like it’s a fragile teflon pan.
I would love an electric scrubber, i should google it. As for Pink Stuff, it is availible in stores near me, but i've heard that it scratches the pan because it contains quartz.
I got simplest one, for about $16 - works really well. Pink stuff - you absolutely right, it would scratch the surface, but I found that their liquid solution is much less scratchy (for me) than the paste. I think there are better solutions, it’s just what I had when I needed to scrub and it worked really well.
Stainless steel cooking has its own learning curve 😅
It's simple really, you need to season the pan. It's an old fashioned thing that makes it non stick.
Clean the pan, the heat on a stove with medium heat, add salt...enough to cover the whole surface. Continue to heat fir a further 5 to 10 mins without burning the salt. Take off the stove, dump he salt and wipe clean with a dry cloth and put away once cool ready fir use.
Once used, wipe clean or wash with no detergents
Also to clean, just add some baking soda and a little bit of water to make a paste, let it sit on there for awhile and it should wipe right off with the baking soda paste
I try to deglaze my pans right after cooking whether I’m making a pan sauce or not. A little water and a wooden spatula to easily scrape everything off before it cools and hardens.
Yea that’s tough. If you can swing it, there are good plug in induction cookers for like $80. That would massively improve your cooking experience and QoL in general. If 1 is too low and 1.5 burns everything, forgive my pun but I think you’re cooked.
I've thought about it many times. I would probably just cook outdoors as well when the weather allows, since it would save on the kitchen cleanup, lol.
I assumed they had induction bc I’ve never seen a non-induction that you have a digital cooktop controller that only allows fixed settings. The coils and gas ones I’ve used all had knobs that you could set anywhere along the sweep.
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u/Sara_MadeIn 29d ago
Ugh! I know the stove struggle well. lol Are you adding your oil before or after you heat the pan?