Ina Garten Keeps Pots And Pans Clean As A Whistle With This Trick

Regardless of how many pots and pans you need or have, cleaning and keeping them looking brand new is always a challenge, especially if you often cook oily and greasy foods. Accidentally burning your food can create more problems by causing hard residue to stick to the bottom of pans. It's tempting to use abrasive tools like steel wool to clean them, but this can damage the surface of your cookware. Using bleach is also a bad idea, as it corrodes stainless steel and other metals. If you are running out of options, then you might want to consider Ina Garten's way of keeping her kitchenware sparkly clean. It's quite simple and doesn't even require a strong cleaning solution.

When a fan asked Garten on Instagram about her secret for keeping her favorite pots and pans from All-Clad clean and looking new, the television personality said (via TheKitchn), "The trick to keeping your cookware clean is to soak it overnight in the sink with very hot, soapy water. The next morning, it will clean up really easily with a sponge or Brillo pad. I have pots and pans that are 40 years old that look almost brand new (because of this trick)." While this may seem distressing for those of us who like our sink clutter-free overnight, it's worth a try, especially considering that Garten swears by it.

Apart from All-Clad, Ina Garten considers Le Creuset pots and pans among her kitchen must-haves. She's used them for nearly four decades. "I know there is lots of really good cookware available, but the ones I use are All-Clad stainless steel and Le Creuset enameled cast iron. They're expensive, but they really do last a lifetime. They're also incredibly easy to clean," she said of her cookware collection. While both brands offer durable products, it's still up to home cooks to keep them in good condition. In Garten's case, her simple cleaning trick does wonders without putting in much elbow grease.

Leaving pots and pans to soak overnight in hot, soapy water gives both the hot tap water and soap time to work their magic. The heat from the water softens any grease or burnt food residue, loosening them from the surface of the cookware. And dishwashing soap breaks down and emulsifies grease and oil to form water-repelling droplets that are easy to rinse off the next day. By morning, you won't have to do any intense scrubbing to remove food residue. You also no longer need to use cleaners to remove oil and grease. As Garten said, you'll only need a sponge or Brillo pad to remove all visible dirt. A gentle rinse is all that's left to do after that, and you'll have sparkly clean kitchenware.