Aluminum dishes have their pros and cons. The material heats up quickly and evenly and is much lighter than its counterparts, but at the same time, aluminum is a soft metal that easily deforms and tarnishes. Such dishes require careful care, especially pans, which are most often exposed to soot, fat and physical damage, for example, from spatulas when stirring food. Since it is not possible to clean an aluminum pan in the usual ways, let’s consider the best way to wash aluminum dishes.
Before talking about the cleaning procedure, it is necessary to stipulate the main “don’ts” and recommendations:
- Aluminum is a soft metal that is easily scratched or deformed. It is forbidden to clean with pressure, to use abrasive products. Immediately put away metal brushes, sand, sandpaper, do not try to scrape off the soot with a knife or spoon.
- Aluminum reacts with acids and alkalis, so aggressive chemical detergents will only darken the pan and cause dark spots.
- Washing powder and chalk-based detergents are contraindicated, as the coating of the aluminum pan will darken.
- For the same reason as above, it is forbidden to wash aluminum dishes in dishwashers. Dishwashing detergents contain substances that are aggressive to aluminum.
- Use wooden or plastic spoons to stir the food in the pan to avoid scratching the coating.
What to clean?
In an everyday situation, when you need to clean the aluminum pan after cooking, immediately remove food residues, rinse and wash with a soft sponge and liquid dishwashing detergent. After that, wipe the pan dry with a towel and put / hang it in its place. Do not leave it to dry naturally, so traces of water droplets will remain, and the surface will darken.
To restore the shine of an aluminum pan, rinse it in cold water with the addition of a teaspoon of ammonia.
If we are talking about serious pollution – soot , scale, blackness, then you can solve the problem in two ways: buy a special cleaning agent for aluminum dishes or use folk wisdom. There are no problems with the first solution – buy, read the instructions and use. Now let’s talk about the use of handy kitchen tools:
- Baking soda . The most trusted method. Prepare a gruel from soda and water. Apply a layer on the pan, leave for an hour and a half, wash as usual.
- Stationery glue + soda + boiling . This is a difficult, but also the most effective method. You will need a metal container in which the pan will fit, fill it with water, pour 100 g of soda and 100 g of glue, mix and let it boil for half an hour. After cooling, the dirt can be easily cleaned with a soft sponge and cold water.
- Stationery glue + household soap + boiling . The principle is the same as in the example above. The difference in the composition of the solution: 3 tablespoons of glue are added to 100 g of soap shavings.
- Kefir, sour milk, tomatoes, tomato brine . These products can clean aluminum cookware from dark spots. Rub the surface or pour inside one of the “cleaners” for a couple of hours, and then wash with ordinary detergent.
- Vinegar, lemon juice . Lemon juice is used diluted in water (1 tablespoon per glass of water). Dip a washcloth in this solution and rub the pan well. This is how dark spots and traces of scale are washed away. Be sure to use gloves, as acetic and citric acids are harmful to the skin.
- Citric acid . Fill an aluminum pan with warm water, add a tablespoon of citric acid and leave to soak.
- Sand + incandescence . Fill the dish with sand, heat it on the stove, leave it to cool. After a couple of hours, pour out the sand along with pieces of soot.
There are other popular ways to clean aluminum dishes. The most popular and proven ones are listed here.