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Nov 01, 2024

How to Clean Baking Sheets So They Look Brand New

Don't toss out that old sheet pan! Learn how to clean baking sheets with these simple cleaning solutions that remove tough messes. Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker.

Don't toss out that old sheet pan! Learn how to clean baking sheets with these simple cleaning solutions that remove tough messes.

Marcus Reeves is an experienced writer, publisher, and fact-checker. He began his writing career reporting for The Source magazine. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Playboy, The Washington Post, and Rolling Stone, among other publications. His book Somebody Scream: Rap Music's Rise to Prominence in the Aftershock of Black Power was nominated for a Zora Neale Hurston Award. He is an adjunct instructor at New York University, where he teaches writing and communications. Marcus received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Oven pans and cookie sheets take a lot of heat as they work to deliver meals and sweet treats, so learning how to clean baking sheets is invaluable to prolonging the life of your equipment. Even the most attentive cook can't prevent occasional burnt-on messes, greasy splatters, and sticky sugars that cause unsavory buildup on baking sheets over time. You'll eventually need to trade in your old oven pans for new ones, but sometimes all a cookie sheet needs is a little TLC to get it looking like new. The following methods break down how to clean baking sheets with DIY cleaning solutions including baking soda, vinegar, and hydrogen peroxide. Additionally, you'll learn which store-bought cleaners and tools work best for removing tough messes.

Before you start, note that non-stick baking pans require different care than their uncoated counterparts.

A no-scrub solution is one of the easiest and best ways to clean baking sheets, and the simple method requires just a few common household supplies.

This method uses baking soda to clean cookie sheets. Start by pouring boiling water onto the pan, then add a few tablespoons of baking soda.

Once the solution stops bubbling, allow it to sit for an hour before wiping away the burned-on debris with a soft cloth. Finish the job by hand-washing the sheet pan with mild dish soap.

If the scorch marks or burned-on messes are stubborn, tap into the abrasive nature of baking soda with this no-scrub method from Melissa Maker of Clean My Space. Soak the sheet pan with a mixture of 1 tbsp. baking soda, a few drops of dish soap, and hot water for at least an hour or as long as overnight. After soaking, you should be able to scrub away any debris or stains.

For non-stick pans, always avoid heavy-duty or abrasive scrubbing. Maker says this combination works well for non-stick pans due to the gentle abrasion of baking soda and the grease-lifting power of dish soap.

Use baking soda and vinegar to clean baking sheets crusted with extra tough messes. Leslie Reichert, the Green Cleaning Coach and author of The Joy of Green Cleaning, says this simple method for cleaning cookie sheets works well because baking soda is a great lifter and vinegar is a natural acid.

Fill your kitchen sink with hot water and pour in equal parts baking soda and vinegar (approximately a half cup each). Place the cookie sheet in the sink and let it soak for 30-60 minutes.

Scrub with the abrasive side of a basic kitchen sponge. After you've cleaned off the baked-on residue, wash the pan with mild dish soap.

You'll want to skip any vigorous scrubbing to protect the coating on non-stick pans. That said, baking soda and vinegar are safe for cleaning a non-stick baking sheet. Cover the baking pan with 2 tsp. baking soda and 1 cup vinegar and let the mixture sit for 30 minutes. This will release stuck-on food so it can be wiped away. Once the mess is gone, wash the pan with mild dish soap.

Another option is to roll up your sleeves and clean old baking sheets with scouring tools.

Use a copper cloth or even a rolled-up sheet of aluminum foil to scrub away burnt-on stains. A granulated detergent like Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami combined with abrasive scrubbing is no match for an old sheet pan. A little elbow grease will have your old baking pans looking like new in just a few minutes.

The research and development team at Calphalon recommends skipping scouring tools and agents when cleaning non-stick pans. The silicone polyester coating is good at keeping food from sticking but can be damaged by an abrasive cleaner or cleaning tool like a steel wool sponge.

In addition to its medical uses, hydrogen peroxide is a household cleaning agent. Keep a bottle in your caddy and break it out alongside baking soda to clean your cookie sheets.

Sprinkle your scorched pan with baking soda and pour hydrogen peroxide over it, followed by another layer of baking soda. Let the mixture sit on the pan for up to two hours.

Wipe the mixture off with a sponge. If needed, repeat the process for tough stains. Once finished, rinse the baking sheet well and wash it with mild dish soap.

Maker cautions that peroxide can have a bleaching effect and is not a food-grade product. If you choose to use it, first test the peroxide on an inconspicuous spot. Thoroughly rinse and wash the sheet pan after you complete the stain treatment. There are several ways to clean baking sheets without hydrogen peroxide, so start with one of our other methods first.

As a last attempt, place your ruined baking sheets in the oven and turn on the self-cleaning cycle. Be sure to follow the oven manufacturer's instructions for using the self-cleaning feature. Once the cycle is complete and your sheet pans have cooled, wash them with mild soap.

If your attempts to salvage a scorched baking sheet aren't successful, it might be time to purchase new pans. This is especially true if they are scratched, warped, or the non-stick coating is peeling, scraped, or worn away.

Cover all rusty spots on the baking sheet with baking soda. Let sit for about 30 minutes. Gently and carefully scrub the pan while the baking soda is still on the spots, then rinse well.

If your baking sheets are discolored due to dark food stains like ketchup or mustard—not from scorching—a paste made from 1 tbsp. of baking soda and 2 tbsps. of hydrogen peroxide will help. Scrub the pans, then spread the mixture onto the stains. After about two hours, scrub the mixture off. The stains should be gone, but repeat if necessary. Wash with mild soap after treating with paste.

A proper cookie sheet has two raised sides for better air circulation as opposed to the four raised sides of baking sheets. The best cookie sheet should be light in color and heavy duty enough to support a full sheet of dense cookie dough.