This Genius Trick Makes Burned Baking Sheets Look Brand New
Get those pans sparkling clean!
I’ve always thought a well-loved sheet pan was a sure sign of a seasoned chef — those grease stains and blackened spots are badges of honor, and mean that some tasty dishes have been made on them. Still, we all dream of having sparkling-clean pans, as shiny as the day we first brought them home. If yours have seen better days, we’ve found the best way to clean baking sheets (and just in time for the end-of-year holiday baking season: a dishwasher tablet and boiling hot water.
While this cleaning hack may not get rid of every last scorch mark (let’s face it – some of those scars are there to stay), it will simplify the cleaning process for even the oiliest, grimiest pans. The best part? You won’t have to spend hours bent over the kitchen sink, scrubbing away!
How to Clean Baking Sheets the Easy Way
By far, the best way to clean baking sheets is with a dishwasher tablet and boiling hot water. This hack comes from a TikToker known as Miss Scruboholic, and as the name implies, her specialty is removing tough stains.
In the video, Miss Scruboholic demonstrates the trick with an extremely greasy, burned pan. She turns on an electric kettle to heat up some water, then takes a simple dishwasher tablet and drops it onto the pan. Once the water reaches a rolling boil, she pours it over the tablet and all over the pan, about half-an-inch deep. She then leaves it to soak for 20 minutes.
After that, she takes a brush and scrubs the pan in a circular motion. Before long, all the grease and grime are gone, and Miss Scruboholic is left with a shiny, squeaky-clean sheet pan.
Whie this TikToker uses Smol dishwasher tablets, which deliver only in the United Kingdom, just about any tablet will do. Other brands that performed well in quality testing include Cascade Platinum Dishwasher Pods (Buy from Amazon, $18.67) and Seventh Generation Ultra Power Plus Packs (Buy from Walmart, $14.87). You might want to try experimenting with a few different brands to find out what works best.
Other Sheet Pan Cleaning Tips
Don’t have dishwasher tablets handy? Try baking soda and hydrogen peroxide instead. The two ingredients react to help lift the caked-on oil and grime. Or try a combination of baking soda, dish soap, and hot water, letting the mixture soak in the pan overnight.
Other cleaning experts recommend placing your dirty sheet pans in the oven and turning on self-cleaning mode. Just keep in mind that this trick will make your kitchen smell like burned food, as the oven cooks off the grease and stuck-on food. If you try this trick, make sure to do it on a day when you can open the windows to air things out.
With these new cleaning tricks up your sleeve, you’ll be well on your way to sheet pans that look (almost) brand new.
