Your kitchen will not be complete without a good set of cookware.
With the right pots and pans, it will be easy to prepare the meals that you love and this will boost the ambiance in your home.
As you use your cookware to prepare tasty meals, they will deteriorate and lose their quality.
The non-stick finish will wear off and some parts of the cookware will catch rust due to continued exposure to water.
When this happens, you don’t have to get rid of your favorite cookware and buy a new set.
You can still restore your cookware to the best condition and save on the cookware replacement costs.
Let’s now get started on what you need to do to bring your cookware back to life.
The need to invest in top-quality cookware
You won’t need to rejuvenate your cookware if you bought top-quality in the first place.
This is because top-quality cookware is able to withstand harsh cooking conditions without getting damaged.
The non-stick finish will not wear off easily even when they are exposed to harsh cleaning reagents.
The surface will not get deformed when the cookware is exposed to sudden heat changes and this will ensure that you are able to use your cookware for a very long time. You will pay a premium amount to get top-quality cookware but what you get in return is years of excellent service as you prepare tasty meals for your loved ones.
This is not to mean that top-quality cookware will not deteriorate. They will but it will take long for them to lose their quality than their inferior counterparts. When this happens, you can still rejuvenate them and here are 3 easy steps that will help you in this regard.
1. Deep cleaning to remove dirt
Grease and all manner of dirt collect on the edges of the cookware as you prepare your meals.
People usually miss this dirt when cleaning their pans and with time, they accumulate to form an ugly dirt layer on the edges on the cookware.
Other than being a health hazard, the accumulated grease causes stickiness on your pans and this will ruin your cooking experience.
It is, therefore, advisable to thoroughly clean your pots and pans regularly to eliminate the harmful dirt pile up.
To do this, you will need some water, vinegar, and baking soda.
Mix one cup of water with half a cup of vinegar and about 2 tablespoons of the baking soda. Bring the mixture to boil on a stovetop as you swirl it around to access all the edges. Let it cool for some time.
Pour the solution and use soap and a gentle dish scrubber to wash the pan. Make sure to clean every part of the cookware so as to eliminate all the dirt. Wipe the pan with a piece of cloth or paper towel.
This exercise removes all the dirt on your pans thereby making them safe for use.
2. Rust treatment
Rust is one of the things that eat into the surface of your cookware when they are exposed to water.
When left untreated, your pans will get damaged and you will not be able to use them to prepare meals.
To remove the rust, you will need steel wool to scrub the rust off. Pay close attention to the parts that are greatly affected by the rust.
Once this is done, you will need a potato slice for the next phase of the treatment. Dip the potato slice in scouring powder and scrub it across the surface of the affected cookware.
Wash the cookware with warm water and wipe it dry with a dry piece of cloth.
This exercise eliminates the rusty portions of your cookware.
Rust is a health hazard and you need to make sure that you are not preparing your meals on rusty cookware and this method will help you keep your cookware rust free.
This method, however, can only be done on pans that don’t have a non-stick coating. This is because steel wool is very harsh and it will remove the non-stick finish when it is used for scrubbing.
3. Seasoning your cookware with oil
The non-stick finish on your pots and pans will also wear off with time.
When you notice that your meals are beginning to stick to the surface when you cook, then it’s time to rejuvenate the non-stick finish and here is how to do that.
Place your pan on a stovetop for a few minutes. This will open the pores on your pan’s surface thereby making the treatment exercise very easy.
Next, find some vegetable oil and use a pastry brush to apply it on the surface of the pan. Place the seasoned pan back on the stovetop for a few minutes.
As the pan is heating, pre-heat the oven to 350F.
Remove the pan from the stovetop and wipe off the excess oils. Place the pan in the oven for half an hour to allow the oils to get absorbed by the tiny pores on the surface of the pan.
Remove the pan and let it cool. The non-stick finish of your cookware will be restored and now you can use it to prepare your favorite meals without food particles sticking to the surface.
Note: Don’t treat your pans this way if they are not certified as oven-safe.
Conclusion
When your pans lose their quality due to continued use, replacing them is not the only solution.
You can still restore their functionality and above are useful ways on how to go about that.
