How to Remove Grease Stains from Pots, Pans & Bakeware

Baked-on grease has cooked into the surface, so it needs a good soak before anything else. On stainless steel or enameled cast iron, use the burnt-food boil first, then the warm soapy water soak to lift what's left.

On a pan that's aluminum, nonstick, or ceramic, skip the boil and stick with the soak and a soft sponge. If the residue still won't lift, the set-in section covers the next step.

Make a paste of a nonabrasive, non-chlorine cleanser with a little water, rub it in circles with a soft cloth, then rinse and dry. A nylon scouring pad is fine with the paste. If the stain is still there, repeat the paste and let it sit before you scrub again.

For a blue or rainbow heat tint, wipe with white vinegar on a soft cloth. For cloudy white spots, use the vinegar boil from the final rinse step.

On enameled cast iron, boil 2 cups water with 4 tablespoons baking soda, then loosen the residue with a pan scraper. Don't use metal utensils on enameled cast iron, and keep citrus-based cleaners off its exterior.

For persistent stains inside the enameled pan, use the bleach soak in the set-in section, as the last step after everything else is rinsed. If your skillet isn't enameled, stick to the warm soapy water soak and a soft sponge, and skip the bleach.

Start with the warm soapy water soak and a soft sponge, which lifts most sheet grease. Use the baking soda boil only on a stainless steel or enameled cast iron pan, since baking soda isn't safe on aluminum.

A baked-on sheet goes to the baked-on section, and a stainless sheet that's still greasy can use the cleanser paste from the stainless section. Rinse and dry it right away so it doesn't spot.

Aluminum can't take baking soda, so skip the boil and the paste, and use the warm soapy water soak with a soft sponge. If you need to disinfect an aluminum pan, scalding is the method rather than bleach.

For ceramic, the same soak and soft sponge is the safe starting point, and grease that won't lift can go to the set-in section, which explains what's realistic for old grease.

For built-up residue, give the pan the overnight dish soap soak from the soaking step, then rinse. Rub gently with a paste of baking soda and water on a non-abrasive sponge, or use a cleaner made for nonstick surfaces.

If the grease is still there, repeat the paste once and rinse well before you cook in the pan again. Keep the sponge soft and press lightly; the grease should lift without much effort.

Start by checking what the pan is made of, then follow the section that matches it. For any of these pans, begin with the warm soapy water soak and a sponge, and keep the baking soda boil for stainless steel or enameled cast iron only.

A pizza or biscuit pan that's aluminum follows the aluminum section, and one that's nonstick follows the nonstick section. If you're not sure of the material, use the soak alone and skip the boil.

Grease on the bottom usually comes from cooking, so treat it like the rest of the pan. Let it cool, then soak it in warm soapy water and wash with a sponge.

A stainless steel bottom can take the cleanser paste from the stainless section. An aluminum bottom follows the aluminum section, and a nonstick bottom follows the nonstick section.