Any fan of copper pans can tell you how wonderful it is to cook in a copper pan. But for the most cooking pleasure, you should take good care of your copper pan.
What do you do with it? How do you clean a baked copper pan again? In this article we explain how to solve this.
With some water, baking soda and yes, ketchup and lemon, every copper pan can be made as good as new.
Copper pans – stylish and classic
Copper pans are not only stylish, but absolutely timeless. However, if you do not know how to handle it, it is understandable that you cannot muster the appreciation for it.
Before we find the answer to the question, we must first find out the causes. Perhaps the answers are woven into the causes. Let’s put everything together.
Why is food sticking to my copper pan?
A popular feature of copper pans is that it distributes heat evenly over the bottom of the pan. Copper also absorbs heat quickly. Burning the pan can be caused by various reasons. These are:
- The pan has been on the stove for too long
- The pan has been on the stove for too long and has caught fire
- The pan has been empty on the fire for too long
- The pan has been empty on the fire for too long and has caught fire
If this happens, the pan may have a burnt smell and taste. That is not very pleasant. You don’t want this. But you don’t have to throw away your favorite pan, you can try to fix it.
My copper pan is burnt, what do I do now?
By applying a few simple steps, your precious copper pan can probably be saved.
Step 1- Remove burnt residue:
Remove all burnt residues from the inside of the pan. Add 2 to 3 drops of dish soap to the bottom of the pan. Fill the pan with water until the burnt residue is under the water. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda and let it sit for a few hours, at least 1 hour.
Step 2 – Sand off the burnt residue:
Try to sand the burnt off residue from the pan. Please note that do not use steel wool or abrasive wool. Leave the pan overnight if the residue is difficult to come off. Scrub the residue off the pan, then rinse with water and dry the pan with a tea towel.
Step 3 – Ketchup on the Bottom:
Now put the pan down with the burnt bottom of the pan facing up and see. Get your ketchup and eat some chips. No, that’s a joke! But you really need the ketchup. Here CheapGeek shows you how to get your pan clean again so cheaply:
Now pour an equally thick layer of ketchup over the bottom of the pan. Let the ketchup work for 1 hour and allow the sour parts of the ketchup to ‘eat’ the roasted parts. Then wash the bottom of the pan with hot water and scrub with a soft scouring pad at the same time. Rinse it completely and dry the pan with a dry cloth.
Step 4 – Salt / flour / vinegar mixes on the bottom:
Now take 60 to 125ml of white vinegar and put it in a microwave safe dish. Put the bowl in the microwave and heat the vinegar on medium-high for 30 seconds.
Now mix 90 grams of table salt with 90 grams of flour in a second bowl, while the vinegar is heating up. Remove the vinegar bowl from the microwave and mix with the contents of the 2nd bowl. Mix everything together until a kind of paste forms. Divide the pasta over the bottom of the pan.
Rub the salt / flour / vinegar paste into the bottom of the pan with a cloth. Leave the pasta on the pan until it dries. Wipe off the remnants of the paste with a cloth and rinse the bottom of the pan in hot water.
Step 5 – Final Lemon Stains:
Now take a lemon and cut it in half with a knife. Place the sliced portion of the lemon on some table salt to cover it. Then rub the areas where there are burnt residues or stubborn stains on the pan. Continue rubbing until the stains disappear. Rinse the pan with hot water and wipe dry with a clean cloth.
Seasoning again
Now that the pan is clean again, you can assume that the non-stick coating has also come off due to scrubbing and rubbing. So what you should definitely do again is ‘seasoning’ the pan again. You can read here how to do that again.
Cooking with copper – really recommended
As you can see, maintaining a copper pan requires some extra work. All in all, it can be done, especially with a little love and patience. It is quite an intensive approach, but one that can help you to get your beloved copper pan completely beautiful and shiny again.
Take good care of your copper pan
Anyone who loves his or her copper pans is absolutely committed to doing this ‘labor of love’. For example, it could be an heirloom or your favorite pan. You can also use this method for cleaning and other types of copper utensils.
And if you have applied the top method and the pan cannot be fixed, then it is time for a new copper pan. Sad as it is for your favorite pan.
Buy a new copper pan
You will still have to order another pan if the burnt parts really cannot be removed. Do not choose the first and the best pan you see, but choose a good pan. In principle, you only buy a copper pan once in your life, so to speak, because it is a costly investment.
Maintenance before, during and after use of your copper pan will determine the life of your pan. With copper pans you can prepare the most fantastic dishes where other pans would perform less. For example, they do great in the oven. We love cooking with copper!
