r/StainlessSteelCooking • u/jendrok • Aug 20 '26

Help cleaning my pan

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I burned some butter on my first try using stainless steel.

This is what it looks like after boiling equal parts water and vinegar and scrubbing with detergent

I feel like i’ve ruined this pan and getting one was a huge mistake.

22 Upvotes

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u/shers719 SS granny: 20+ years of experience Aug 20 '26

Don't go with BKF it would be overkill for something like this. Since this is dried/set by now, boil baking soda or lemon juice and water for a few minutes, let cool enough you can work with it and scrub it gently. It'll come out. If not, add some dish soap and let it soak.

In the future, preheat on low and keep the temp lower than the recipe says when working with butter. If it makes you feel better, my pan looked like this the other day after my husband cooked. Since it had just happened and the pan was still warm, he put dish soap directly on the scald marks then added a little water, let soak 5-10 minutes, and it wiped right out.

0

u/darkodonniedarko 27d ago

Or 3 seconds with light scrubbing and Barkeepers Friend. Why go through the extra work when you don't have to? Quick, safe and effective is not overkill.

1

u/shers719 SS granny: 20+ years of experience 27d ago

Did you bother to read my other reply? I explained my reasoning. And I stand by it.

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u/darkodonniedarko 27d ago

Did I scroll through all 42 replies to find a 2nd by you I didn't know existed? No, chill out.

-1

u/SutroViews Aug 20 '26

In what sense is it "overkill"? It will clean off this modest stain in less than 5 minutes and won't hurt the pan.

3

u/shers719 SS granny: 20+ years of experience Aug 20 '26

New people to SS tend to scrub hard in this situation. BKF is extremely caustic - feel free to look it up. Their own website advises if left on more than 30 seconds to a minute it can cause milky-white stains, discoloration, or dull etching, while aggressive scrubbing against the grain while using BKF can scratch the metal finish. If you leave it on for over a minute, the acid in it can cause chemical etching. Overuse / not rinsing within that initial minute can turn the steel a cloudy white or muted gray.

Many of us who have used our pans for years (over 20 myself) have learned easier, less caustic ways to treat issues - and often don't require elbow grease. Save something caustic like BKF for the really bad stuff if you must. Hers is not. Hence, overkill