After laboring over a deliciously hot meal, the last thing you want to do is spend more time figuring out how to clean burnt grease from the bottom of your frying pans. While it might feel like you're tossing out burnt pans left and right, you can remove burnt grease from the bottom of your pans with a little bit of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish soap. But, if you're all out of those ingredients, you can always pop into the pantry for some vinegar, salt, or ketchup instead.
How to Clean Burnt Grease From Your Frying Pan With Baking Soda
One of the easiest ways to remove grease from the bottom of practically any type of frying pan is with a mixture of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and Dawn dish soap. This hack works magic on stubborn grease stains.
Materials
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Baking soda
- Dawn dish soap
- Scrubbing pad
- Toothbrush
- Warm water
Instructions
- Make a thickish paste of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda.
- Add a few drops of Dawn.
- Use the scrubbing pad to apply the paste to the bottom of the pan using circular motions.
- Let the paste dry on the pan for 30 minutes to an hour.
- Scrub the pan with the scrubbing pad and a toothbrush.
- Rinse with warm water.
For caked-on grease, pre-soak your pans in vinegar for 30 minutes, rinse, and then apply the baking soda paste.
How to Clean Burnt Grease From the Bottom of Non-Stick Pans With Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar is a great all-natural way to get rid of grease. It's a simple but effective method for cleaning most types of pans that have light browning.
Materials
- Distilled white vinegar
- Scrubbing pad
- Toothbrush
- Dawn dish soap
- Warm water
Instructions
- Fill the bottom of your sink with distilled white vinegar — enough to submerge the pan bottom fully.
- Allow it to soak for an hour or so.
- Use a scrubbing pad, a toothbrush, a bit of Dawn, and water to remove the softened grease.
How to Clean Burnt Grease From Frying Pans With Salt and Vinegar
The vinegar soak is excellent, but sometimes you need to add an abrasive to make a homemade vinegar mix. In this case, salt comes in handy.
Materials
- Distilled white vinegar
- Salt
- Dawn dish soap
- Scrubbing pad
- Warm water
Instructions
- Soak the pan in white vinegar for about an hour.
- Pour salt on the bottom of the pan.
- Add a dab of Dawn to the scrubby.
- Scrub the bottom vigorously, adding more salt and dish soap as needed.
- Rinse with warm water.
Salt is considered an abrasive because it's coarse. Due to this, it could scratch the finish on some frying pans.
Related: How to Clean Baking Sheets: Your Guide to Removing Grime
Remove Burnt Grease From the Bottom of Pans With Vinegar, Salt, and Baking Soda
If you're looking for some deep grease-removing magic for your stainless steel cookware, look no further than vinegar, baking soda, and salt. This combo packs a punch that's sure to remove the grease lightning fast.
Materials
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Distilled white vinegar
- Scouring pad
- Warm water
Instructions
- Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with generous amounts of baking soda and sea salt, especially on the stained areas.
- Spray the baking soda with straight vinegar.
- Allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
- Use a scouring pad to scrub away the grease.
- Rinse everything off and dry before storing.
Oven Cleaner Also Works to Clean Burnt Grease From Frying Pans
While not a natural method, store-bought oven cleaner works well to remove burnt-on grease from the bottom of various types of pans. And don't worry about putting oven cleaner on your cookware; rest assured it's perfectly safe.
Materials
- Store-bought oven cleaner
- Scrubbing pad
- Warm water
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of the pan in the oven cleaner.
- Let it sit for a few hours — overnight is best.
- Use a scrubbing pad to scrub the bottom.
- Clean in hot soapy water to remove any oven cleaner residue.
This cleaning method works best on ceramic and non-stick cookware.
How to Clean Burnt Grease From the Bottom of Frying Pans With Ketchup
It might seem weird to coat the bottom of your pots and pans in ketchup, but it works in a pinch to soften and lift burnt-on grease. Since this one takes a bit more time than the others, don't plan on using the pans you're cleaning on the same day.
Materials
- Ketchup
- Dawn dish soap
- Scouring pad
- Warm water
Instructions
- Cover the bottom of the frying pan in ketchup.
- Allow it to sit for several hours, overnight if possible.
- Use a scouring pad and a pinch of Dawn to scrub.
- Rinse with warm water.
Use Bar Keepers Friend to Clean the Bottom of Stainless Steel Frying Pans
Another ingredient that works well to remove burnt grease from frying pans is Bar Keepers Friend. It breaks down the grime at the molecular level and works great on stainless steel skillets and frying pan bottoms.
Materials
- Bar Keepers Friend
- Scouring pad
- Warm water
Instructions
- Mix Bar Keepers Friend with enough water to make a paste.
- Apply this with a scouring pad to the bottom of the pan.
- Use circular motions to scrub the bottom of the pan.
- Rinse and wash in hot soapy water.
3 Ways to Keep Your Frying Pans Free From Burnt Grease
Completely avoiding scorch marks and burnt grease on pans isn't easy, but it is doable. Minimize the effect with these three tips.
- Wash pans immediately after use, making sure to scrub the bottom.
- Soak pans in hot soapy water to loosen the grease.
- Use a scouring pad and scrubber to remove grime from indents and crevices.
Burnt Grease Is Going, Going, Gone
Everyone likes to keep their cookware shiny and new. However, if you're a bit of a messy cook, this isn't always in the cards. Rather than ordering more takeout to avoid tackling the grease-stained dishes, use these hacks to keep your cookware sparkling clean.
