Condition of pots and pans

TastyReuben

Nosh 'n' Splosh
Staff member
Joined
15 Jul 2019
Local time
7:41 AM
Messages
27,638
Location
Ohio, US
I was recently reading a Serious Eats/Food Lab post, and in the series of pics that Kenji Lopez Alt included was a black baking rack.

In the comments, someone chided him over using a coated baking rack, saying that the coating invariably flakes off and into the food.

KLA humorously pointed out that the rack wasn't coated, it just had years of crud baked onto it.

I used to be fastidious about lining baking sheets, mainly because I don't like scrubbing. The last couple of years, though, I've stopped doing that for the most part, and I just bake directly on the sheet, scrub it reasonably thoroughly, and if anything remains...so be it.

Here's my mini baking sheet after making sausage patties this morning:

75683

I'll get that pretty clean, but I've already noticed a little buildup starting. That's ok, I'll just call it kitchen mojo.

How about you? Are you a Fussy Felix about your pots and pans, and they must be kept in like-new condition, or do you like to show off the well-earned marks and scars of a pan or pot that sees lots of use?
 
I was recently reading a Serious Eats/Food Lab post, and in the series of pics that Kenji Lopez Alt included was a black baking rack.

In the comments, someone chided him over using a coated baking rack, saying that the coating invariably flakes off and into the food.

KLA humorously pointed out that the rack wasn't coated, it just had years of crud baked onto it.

I used to be fastidious about lining baking sheets, mainly because I don't like scrubbing. The last couple of years, though, I've stopped doing that for the most part, and I just bake directly on the sheet, scrub it reasonably thoroughly, and if anything remains...so be it.

Here's my mini baking sheet after making sausage patties this morning:

View attachment 75683
I'll get that pretty clean, but I've already noticed a little buildup starting. That's ok, I'll just call it kitchen mojo.

How about you? Are you a Fussy Felix about your pots and pans, and they must be kept in like-new condition, or do you like to show off the well-earned marks and scars of a pan or pot that sees lots of use?

Kitchen treassures!! Too bad that you weren't making gravy. You could deglaze the pan. Get all those brown particles up & make some gravy. A delicious small gravy to go over some biscuits!! Hah!! :whistling:
 
Last edited:
Yesterday i was thinking about this very subject and decided to clean one of my baking pans with Easy Off oven cleaner thinking I would just leave it on the pan for a couple minutes. . And then, I promptly forgot about it and it sat with the cleaner on it for about three hours. Yep, that baking pan got tossed in the trash. 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️..
 
I keep my pots and pans clean, but I don't worry about discoloration or stains. My Le Creuset cast iron pots are a bit brown on the inside bottoms, but that's life. I bought them to use. I do line my baking sheet/trays with foil, just for ease of cleanup.

Grilling "guru" Steven Raichlen always has spotless grill (BBQ) grates. But, I know he doesn't clean them that well. He just throws them away and uses a new grate for every video. My grill grates are all thoroughly black from use.

CD
 
Yep, I´d say it´s pretty near impossible to keep pots, pans and baking trays in pristine condition. Even if you are a maniac, that´s not going to happen. I clean my pots &pans meticulously every time I use them, but eventually, time will tell.
Provided you don´t use a dirty, caramelised bacon & onion baking tray to make strawberry gateau, you´ll probably get by.
 
On one of the rare occasions that I washed the dishes back in Yorkshire, I washed the Yorkshire pudding tin (bun tin). My wife went crazy. "That was your Mum's and your Grandmother's before that. No-one has ever washed it before!"
 
On one of the rare occasions that I washed the dishes back in Yorkshire, I washed the Yorkshire pudding tin (bun tin). My wife went crazy. "That was your Mum's and your Grandmother's before that. No-one has ever washed it before!"
yep, I've got one similar (I risked trying to bring it into Australia and got away with it, not that anything could ever grow on it...) someone way back in the dark ages made a griddle for my Grannie or Mamgu (Welsh for Great Grannie). going by the weight of it, it was never designed to be removed from the stove. it's also never been washed. the closest to clean is warmed and wiped with a paper towel... that's how I clean most of my stuff. I rant and rave when my husband washes stuff with washing up liquid because I then have to re-season them etc. he moans about me never doing the washing up... my response is the obvious one. i had cleaned it all it needed, nothing! lol
 
I was recently reading a Serious Eats/Food Lab post, and in the series of pics that Kenji Lopez Alt included was a black baking rack.

In the comments, someone chided him over using a coated baking rack, saying that the coating invariably flakes off and into the food.

KLA humorously pointed out that the rack wasn't coated, it just had years of crud baked onto it.

I used to be fastidious about lining baking sheets, mainly because I don't like scrubbing. The last couple of years, though, I've stopped doing that for the most part, and I just bake directly on the sheet, scrub it reasonably thoroughly, and if anything remains...so be it.

Here's my mini baking sheet after making sausage patties this morning:

View attachment 75683
I'll get that pretty clean, but I've already noticed a little buildup starting. That's ok, I'll just call it kitchen mojo.

How about you? Are you a Fussy Felix about your pots and pans, and they must be kept in like-new condition, or do you like to show off the well-earned marks and scars of a pan or pot that sees lots of use?
All of my baking sheets look like that (or worse) and I feel the same way about it that you do. I have some that are cleaner than others. My pots and pans are clean inside but the bottoms of them are stained, except for my enamel covered cast iron pots, which I baby and clean fastidiously.
 
yep, I've got one similar (I risked trying to bring it into Australia and got away with it, not that anything could ever grow on it...) someone way back in the dark ages made a griddle for my Grannie or Mamgu (Welsh for Great Grannie). going by the weight of it, it was never designed to be removed from the stove. it's also never been washed. the closest to clean is warmed and wiped with a paper towel... that's how I clean most of my stuff. I rant and rave when my husband washes stuff with washing up liquid because I then have to re-season them etc. he moans about me never doing the washing up... my response is the obvious one. i had cleaned it all it needed, nothing! lol
Yeah, most of my cast iron pans and cast iron skillets are like that.
 
Back
Top Bottom