Aluminum pots are gradually becoming a thing of the past, but in the kitchen almost every housewife in the post-Soviet space has this piece of utensils. They are not in a hurry to abandon them, because in an aluminum pan the water rises to temperature faster, it is better suited for boiling milk and preparing milk porridges.
There are also a number of disadvantages: it is easily deformed, darkens over time, can turn black and become covered with soot, and abrasive powders cannot be used on it. So if you have dishes made of such metal in your household, it’s time to learn how to properly care for them and learn how to clean an aluminum pan. This is a comprehensive event and helps to protect utensils from darkening for a long time. Photos and videos of the process will help you avoid mistakes.
How to clean the outside of an aluminum pan
Just because food only comes into contact with the inside doesn't mean you don't need to pay attention to the appearance of the cookware. And although the outer surface gets dirty less often, over time, blackness appears on the aluminum pan: something once boiled over, ran down the walls, burned, was not washed right away, etc.
Cleaning an aluminum pan from the outside gives you more freedom than from the inside, because the list of care products increases. But there are also a number of strict rules and restrictions.
Important : when cleaning aluminum, do not use hard sponges, products containing alkali or chlorine, metal scrapers and abrasive powders, so as not to erase the protective layer from the pan. Otherwise, it can later become hazardous to health.
There are several ways to remove burning, soot and blackness from the outside of the pan:
- Special means . Since we are talking about an external surface, you can take advantage of store offers for cleaning kitchen aluminum. When you purchase them in specialized departments, carefully follow what is written on the label: it should indicate that the product is suitable for caring specifically for aluminum cookware.
- Salt. To remove carbon deposits from the outside of the pan, make a paste: pour 20 ml of water into 40 g of salt and apply the resulting mixture to the walls of the container with a soft sponge. Keep it like this for 10 minutes and then rub it a little.
- Soda. Prepare a paste by adding a little water to the powder. Add liquid by eye and little by little until you get a mass of paste-like consistency. Apply it to the sponge and move in a circular motion over all the outer surfaces of the dishes.
- PVA glue. For these purposes, you will need another pan larger than the one you are going to clean, and in which you will not cook food in the future. Pour 6 liters of water into this pan, add 100 ml of PVA glue and half a piece of high-quality laundry soap, grated. Place an aluminum pan filled with plain water in it (so as not to float) and boil for about an hour. The product perfectly removes burnt fat.
- Apples. This method is elementary and is suitable for cleaning an aluminum pan both outside and inside. But it will help if the contamination is minor. Take a sour apple slice and rub the aluminum.
- Ammonia. It will help get rid of old soot and soot deposits. Grind half a piece of laundry soap, dilute it in 5 liters of water, add 40 ml of ammonia. Pour the solution into a pan larger than the one you are going to clean, immerse an aluminum pan filled with water in it and boil for 25 minutes. Wash thoroughly afterwards.
- Hydrogen peroxide. Mix it with soda to make a paste. Generously rub the paste onto the contaminated areas and leave for an hour. Afterwards, treat the dishes with a sponge.
Important : when using chemicals, be sure to wear rubber gloves and make sure that the room in which you are performing the procedure is ventilated.
Types of contamination of aluminum pans
There are several types of contaminants that form on the surface of aluminum:
- Darkening. They are formed due to metal oxidation, which, in turn, occurs due to food storage in aluminum containers.
- Nagar. Dark spots, more dense in structure. Formed during the operation of the pan: a regular detergent does not completely remove dirt; it gradually accumulates on the surface and darkens. If this carbon deposit is not cleaned for a long time, it can form quite thick layers.
- Burnt food. Everything is obvious here: they didn’t follow the cooking process and a thick layer of burnt food appeared.
Theoretically, all of these contaminants can be easily removed with any abrasive - a metallized sponge, emery cloth, sand or a metal brush. However, this should not be done under any circumstances. The metal is very soft, and under the influence of a hard abrasive its surface is severely damaged
. A rough, scratched surface, in turn, will become more contaminated.
There are many ways to combat stains and darkening of aluminum pans without the use of harsh abrasives, even if we are talking about layers of soot that accumulate over several years. The most popular and effective solutions and methods of working with them are described below.
How to clean from the inside
Much more often and much more seriously, the walls and bottom of dishes that come into contact with food are subject to contamination. Either they overlooked it and the food burned, or scale appeared. There is no need to despair, because there are simple folk remedies for any problem.
To understand how to clean an aluminum pan at home, you need to determine the nature of the contamination and use products that are effective in a particular situation.
Scale
Due to frequent boiling of hard water, limescale and scale appear on the walls of the pan. Citric acid deals with it most effectively . To bleach a saucepan, fill it with water and place it on the fire. As soon as it starts to boil, add 40 g of citric acid and cook for 15 minutes. After that, rinse with a soft cloth.
Coca-Cola - can remove scale from dishes . Pour it into the pan, let it sit for 3-4 hours, and then rinse using a soft sponge.
Nagar
If food is burnt in a pan and a black layer has formed on the bottom that does not come off even after soaking, you can use several cleaning methods
- will cope with mild soot . Pour it into the pan, leave for 24 hours, and then wash.
- Laundry soap will help with fresh burns . Grind it into shavings, add about 50 g to an aluminum pan with water and boil for 30 minutes.
- If the deposit is old or too strong, use activated carbon . Crush 5 tablets and sprinkle the bottom of the pan, after moistening it. After half an hour, pour in water and leave for the same amount. Then wash. This way you can even get rid of burnt sugar.
Fat
- vinegar 9% works well for this type of stain . Prepare a solution at the rate of: a glass of acid per liter of water. Pour it into the dirty pan and put it on the fire. As soon as the liquid boils, remove from the stove, cool and wash.
- Another remedy is soda . Dissolve it in water at the rate of a tablespoon per half liter and boil in a saucepan for 20 minutes.
- A simple and affordable remedy is onion peel . Cleaning from about 5 medium-sized specimens will be sufficient. Place them in the bottom of a saucepan, add enough water to cover the husks, and simmer for 30 minutes. Then rinse the dishes.
- There is another way to wash a burnt aluminum pan and completely remove any kind of dirt from it. This is electrolysis , which is convenient for cleaning small objects, for example, coins, cutlery or a flask.
But if you decide to try with larger utensils, find a large clay or glass container, fill it with saline solution (10 g of salt per liter of water), immerse a pan and some steel object, for example, an electrode, in it.
Take the power supply from the device or the charger from the gadget. The main thing is that its capacity is from 6 to 12 volts. Divide the wire into “+” and “-”. Attach the minus to the pan using an alligator clip, and the plus to the object.
Connect the power supply to the network and watch how the solution immediately begins to darken, which will mean one thing - dirt is coming away from the pan.
Important : follow safety rules when working with electricity! Use rubber gloves and do not touch exposed wires! Do not connect the pan to positive, otherwise you will damage the utensils.
What are the features of the material
So, what is aluminum and what are its features? The answers to these questions will come in handy when it comes to choosing a cleaning agent for this material.
As for the dishwasher, the faithful kitchen assistant of modern housewives, in this case you will have to forget about it. Firstly, aluminum plates and spoons in it may not be washed properly. Secondly, drops and streaks of water will remain on them. And thirdly, aluminum will darken and tarnish from such treatment - simply no one will want to eat from such a plate because of its unkempt and unappetizing appearance.
Aluminum pan in the dishwasher: to wash or not
When there is this assistant in the household, you want to transfer all the troubles to her. But manufacturers of appliances and aluminum cookware do not recommend doing this. The reason is that special products are placed in the dishwasher, which contain chemical compounds that can harm aluminum. As a result, the metal will darken.
But these prohibitions are not categorical and have reservations. So, if you select a dishwasher detergent that does not contain alkalis and buy aluminum products coated with a special protective film, you can use it to wash your appliances.
Rules for the care and storage of dishes
To maintain the shine and cleanliness of aluminum cookware for a long time, it is important to know how to properly care for it.
To do this, follow simple rules :
- Do not use steel wool, abrasive particles or aggressive substances to wash products. This may cause the surface to turn black and food to burn.
- Wash pans after each use, ensuring that food residue or grease does not dry out. Professional or folk remedies will help you cope with the task.
- Do not place aluminum cookware in the dishwasher. Exposure to high temperatures negatively affects its appearance and functionality.
- Do not use sand, chalk or sandpaper for cleaning, do not rub too hard, or pick out carbon deposits with a knife or other sharp objects.
- Do not use the cookware for pickling or daily cooking. Do not store leftover food in it.
- Wash the aluminum pan after it has cooled completely, as water can cause the hot metal to warp.
In order to preserve aluminum products in their original form, take care of their proper storage
Don't overdo it when cleaning aluminum pans. Aggressive substances or abrasive particles destroy the surface of soft metal. Damaged cookware may release toxic substances that are hazardous to health.
Proper care and periodic general cleaning will help maintain the shine and cleanliness of aluminum cookware. For washing, use folk remedies and home methods, and turn to the help of professional chemicals in exceptional, especially difficult cases.
To shine
Due to non-compliance with operating conditions and untimely cleaning, aluminum pans darken, become dull and even blacken. This does not affect the functionality of the cookware and does not harm health in any way. But neat housewives want their kitchen utensils to have an attractive appearance.
You can wash aluminum until it shines and return the pots to their original condition. This is done simply, using accessible means available in every home:
- Vinegar. Both six and nine percent will do. Take a piece of soft cloth, soak it in vinegar and rub it on the darkened pan. After this, rinse and blot with a dry cloth.
- Dentifrice. Add a little water to it, mix the slurry, apply it to the darkened surfaces of the pan and leave it for 15 minutes. Then wipe off the slurry with a soft cloth, and then wash it.
- Eraser. A regular pencil eraser is a great tool for adding shine to aluminum. Arm yourself with an eraser and rub the darkened areas until they begin to shine.
Descaling
To remove limescale, use acid-containing products. To remove traces of scale, you can use citric acid or vinegar as a base. Such products are used in cases where the contamination is complex. Weak lime deposits are removed with the help of apples: the fruit is cut, one half is rubbed on the surface of the pan. Instead of citric acid, you can use fresh lemon juice.
Fermented milk products: kefir, whey help remove limescale. It is necessary to fill the contaminated dishes with the product. After 3 hours it is cleaned. However, fermented milk products contain fatty components, so you additionally need to clean the dishes using dishwashing detergent. Using the same procedure, scale is removed using brine.
Helpful Tips:
- Do not use steel wool for cleaning as it may scratch the surface with disastrous consequences.
- If you want to clean the dishes not only from the inside, but also from the outside, then place them in a large pan or bucket.
Pour an acidic solution at the rate of: per 1 liter of water - 2 tbsp. tablespoons of weak acid (vinegar, lemon, cream of tartar). Place the container on the fire. Boil for 15-20 minutes to remove oxidation from the aluminum. - If you don’t have a large container, you can clean the outside of the pan with a cut lemon, after dipping it in salt.
- The acidic solution reduces the tarnishing of the metal.
Therefore, to clean the surface of the dishes, use the juice of acidic fruits and vegetables, such as rhubarb or apples. Instead of a solution, you can put the peels of sour apples into the boiling water - in this simple way you will be able to clean aluminum from oxidation. - If you don't want to waste time boiling utensils, then use a mild aluminum cleaner. Use it as you would a soft dish brush or soap. Wipe the dishes with a sponge soaked in cleaner, and then rinse with water.
Important! There are many conjectures and myths associated with aluminum cookware. If you use one and like it, find out whether aluminum is really bad for your health.
Laundering methods
It is impossible to say unequivocally whether it is possible to wash a meat grinder after using a dishwasher. Firstly, everything will depend on the degree of darkening and oxidation of the metal, and secondly, it is important what alloy the device is made of. Even aluminum can be different. Therefore, you should not immediately despair, trusting the words on the forums that the black film is sodium tetrahydroxyaluminate, which cannot be dissolved at home. It may be impossible to dissolve, but who forbids physically cleaning it?
We will not rack our brains with complex chemical names and conduct dangerous experiments, but will try available means that have been tested by experience. It will help some, it won’t help others, the main thing is that it won’t get worse. Let's list these means:
- Baking soda. You need to pour it onto the damp surface of the meat grinder and rub it with a metal brush. After several such cleanings, the coating will come off and the smearing will stop, but the metal will not shine. Just don’t boil the meat grinder in a soda solution, you’ll make it even worse.
- Soap. Rub the darkened parts with a brush for a long time using soap.
- GOI paste for final polishing. You need to apply the paste to a felt cloth and rub off the dark spots with force.
- Dialux polishing paste.
- Rust converter HORS. This product is intended for cars, so you should only use it to clean the meat grinder as a last resort, after you’ve tried everything.
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Important! Such improvised means as acetic and citric acid should not be used when cleaning the meat grinder after washing it in the dishwasher; they are weak and are unlikely to help.
Soda
One of the most affordable and safest means of cleaning a burnt pan inside and out is soda. When choosing between simple and calcined, it is better to give preference to the latter. You can bleach dishes that have turned black on the outside by boiling them in a deep container with the addition of 1 cup of soda and 2 tbsp. l.
Rubbing it with soda, slightly diluted with water, will help to clean the aluminum pan from burning. This method is suitable if the dishes need to be cleaned from carbon deposits on the outside.
Activated carbon
Activated carbon works great against burnt foods, especially milk. To clean a burnt aluminum pan, sprinkle crushed coal tablets on the bottom of the pan, leave for 40 minutes, then add cold water and leave for the same amount of time. After this, the container can be easily cleaned with a sponge and detergent.
Tooth powder has a similar effect. To combat stagnant carbon deposits, you need to rub the pan with it, after moistening it with water so that the reaction begins, and leave it overnight. In the morning, remove the softened dirt with a napkin and rinse the dishes with soapy water.
Food products
Dark spots can be removed using natural acid products. Bunches of sorrel should be laid out on the bottom of an aluminum pan, filled with water and simmered for 30 minutes over low heat, covered with a lid. Curdled milk, kefir and cucumber pickle have a similar effect. By leaving this mass in the pan overnight, you can renew it without much effort.
You can rub half an apple on the burnt surface, let the acid work, then wash with a sponge and liquid soap. To clean the pan from burnt food, you need to cook 2-3 cut onions in it for half an hour. You should first peel the onion, otherwise the metal may darken.
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