For questions about preparing food for cooking or about removing the results of cooking that food.
4
votes
4answers
147 views
How do I get the smell of burnt food off of the inside of my microwave oven?
Someone reheated a stick of barbecued pork on too high a setting and/or for far too long. Now the inside of my microwave oven smells like burnt something. It gets worse when I actually try to cook ...
24
votes
10answers
1k views
What is the best way to clean a grater?
A grater is a very useful instrument in the kitchen and it's fun to use. You can use it for a lot of food: cheese, citrus fruit peel, nutmeg, all kinds of vegetables, etc.
But cleaning a grater is a ...
6
votes
4answers
12k views
Getting stains off of a glass top stove
I have had a glass top stove for about three years now. I have two spots that have stained black. The stains look like a patch of burnt food, however they are flat to the surface. I have tried to ...
6
votes
7answers
2k views
How to clean scrambled eggs from a pan?
As an example, I made eggs using Gordon Ramsay's Perfect Scrambled Eggs, at the end the pan ends up having a layer of eggs attached to the bottom and sides that is very difficult to wash (not a ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
At what concentration is sodium bicarbonate a sanitizing solution?
I can't find an authoritative answer to the question @rumtscho asked me here about the concentration of sodium bicarbonate, mixtures of which I've come to rely on as a cleaning and sanitizing solution ...
8
votes
9answers
7k views
The best way to clean a French Press coffee maker
I have been using a French Press coffee maker for quite some time now, and I have tried a few methods for removing the spent coffee grinds from the vessel. It is always a bit of a chore to this in an ...
5
votes
7answers
2k views
Thick carbon layer on wok?
I just got a 100,000 BTU burner for wok cooking. Today when I used it, I got a very thick layer of carbon on the wok (see picture below). Is that normal? Should I remove it? If so, how?
EDIT - ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
How do I clean a pasta maker?
I am experimenting with a home pasta maker, and after all the fun comes the cleaning up.
My worries come from tiny bits of dry dough I find when I clean the machine. There always seem to be more every ...
1
vote
2answers
209 views
How can I clean these brown iron stains in my pot?
I use a big aluminium pot to boil water. I think the water contains iron because after 4-6 months, the inside of the pot is full of brown stains. The colour is just like ferric. There are lots of ...
3
votes
3answers
430 views
How to take care of glazed earthenware?
I got a traditional gyveche (гювече) as a gift, and since it would be hard to replace here, I intend to take good care of it.
For those who don't know it, a gyuveche is an earthenware pot intended ...
5
votes
4answers
565 views
Cooking messy foods in a bamboo steamer without a cleaning nightmare
For example, chicken.
I have tried:
chicken directly in steamer: chicken gunk goes everywhere, including between the woven bamboo slats.
chicken in a colander in the basket: gunk still goes ...
2
votes
5answers
185 views
Any cheap ways to clean restaurant stainless steel fridge?
so I know they have antibacterial solution to clean, but what can I say its expensive. Currently we use water+soap solution but its not working well. I am looking to clean the inside of ...
5
votes
3answers
2k views
Are recirculation extractor hoods good?
I am looking for a extractor hood, and I see that there exist ones with air recirculation, so a pipe to lead the smoke/greasy air away is not needed.
So I wonder, how good are these?
Can they really ...
3
votes
1answer
180 views
Should you store cutlery upside down?
I try to touch only the handles of my cutlery (as recommended here), but I have one doubt. After washing, I place the cutlery upside down in a plastic basket. This way the handle is 'handy'.
Is this ...
2
votes
4answers
973 views
How to clean stains from inside of vacuum flask?
I use my vacuum flask to bring my lunch to work. I've been doing this almost every day for half an year or so. Now there are some sediments or stains in the bottom of the flask although I wash the ...
16
votes
3answers
19k views
Is it normal to see flames inside my self-cleaning oven?
I spilled some sauce, cheese, and pepperoni in the oven last night while trying to transfer some homemade pizza from the pizza peel onto the pizza stone, so I decided to clean it today.
I wiped the ...
5
votes
6answers
1k views
How should I clean anodized cookware?
I'd been bought an anodised wok as a birthday present a couple of years back, but recently, when using a honey/mustard marinade, I managed to burn some of the excess marinade, and now can't seem to ...
2
votes
1answer
125 views
How to clean a toaster from inside?
This is the toaster that I have. I wish to clean it from inside. It has got a kind of wire mesh inside it. What's the way out?
1
vote
3answers
86 views
How can I unstick lollies stuck in a jar, welded by heat?
I left some humbugs in a jar in the sun on a kitchen shelf. They melted a bit and are now stuck in the jar. How do I get them out?
5
votes
2answers
315 views
How do I eliminate a lingering smell of fried food?
Some great friends of ours cooked us an amazing meal in our home three nights ago. The meal included gourmet french fries cooked in a home use deep fryer. While the fries were outstanding the ...
3
votes
2answers
581 views
Lining a frying pan with aluminum foil to reduce post-cooking cleanup?
I make a lot of stir fry in my frying pan, and I hate cleaning it up. Often, if I do not clean the pan immediately, the stir fry residue (little pieces I have failed to scooped out when moving the ...
3
votes
6answers
3k views
How often should I clean my coffeepot, and what is the preferred method?
We use a typical drip coffee maker with a thermos-type pot. Naturally I rinse the pot and filter holder every day, but how often do I need to clean it more thoroughly? I've heard that it is bad to use ...
6
votes
7answers
3k views
How do you remove the stickiness from reusable plastic container or lid?
I have a blue plastic lid for my glass Anchor container. I noticed that the lid is very sticky to the touch from both sides. I've cleaned it thoroughly with soap but the stickiness is still there. ...
4
votes
5answers
1k views
What is the best way to clean a roasting tray/baking tray that has sauce burned on to it?
I made this recipe last week - chicken wings roasted in a marinade of soy sauce, brown sugar and white wine vinegar. It was delicious but lots of the marinade has burned onto my baking tray, and I'm ...
1
vote
3answers
181 views
How should I clean this mess at the bottom of my wok?
I've been using my wok for about a year now, and recently it's developed a kind of patina around the bottom of the cooking surface.
I've tried to follow the care instructions as best I can, taking ...
7
votes
3answers
288 views
How to clean and maintain cast iron lids
I have a number of cast iron lids that fit skillets, dutch ovens, etc. Most have the little cone-shaped spikes on the underside to collect and return moisture to the food.
I have no issues cleaning ...
5
votes
7answers
2k views
What to do about beetle infestation of wheat products? How do we prevent reinfestation?
Today my wife went to make some bread. She noticed some very small insects in the whole wheat and regular flour. Upon further inspection, many of our wheat based products were infested with these ...
4
votes
4answers
1k views
Keeping bugs out of rice
Recently, a sack of whole grain organic rice that we bought became infected with small black bugs. We bought the rice in the bulk bins at the same organic supermarket we always visit, but this time we ...
3
votes
4answers
197 views
Grinding melted latex off a pizza stone?
My fiance and I got a pizza stone for christmas, and are still learning how to use it. Tonight we accidentally used a potholder which had silk-screened designs on it, and almost immediately the white ...
4
votes
3answers
118 views
How to clean ice from ice cream maker bowl without thawing?
I made a sorbet using a bad recipe (too watery) and I had a 3 mm thick layer of solid ice form around the walls of the ice cream maker bowl. The plastic spatula can't break it and the user's manual ...
6
votes
1answer
244 views
Does soap kill germs?
This accepted answer about knife cleaning seems to presume that soap sanitizes:
...in household use soap is required to sanitize your knife blade.
However, a cursory search seems to undermine ...
5
votes
1answer
321 views
Knife cleaning: safe to do without soap?
Knife Skills Illustrated: A User's Manual suggests that knives can be cleaned with hot running water alone. "With sufficiently hot water, soap should not be necessary." Is this safe? What if I am only ...
1
vote
3answers
156 views
How to efficiently remove the food particles stuck in the scrubbing pad?
Food bits get stuck in this. Simply washing it under tap doesn't help.
How to efficiently remove the stuck particles from this scrubbing pad?
Don't have a dishwasher.
4
votes
2answers
398 views
Cleaning a tea pot
I have read somewhere (don't remember where, long time ago) that tea enthusiasts clean their tea pots only with water and without soap. Additionally they only rinse it and don't use a scrub to remove ...
1
vote
1answer
121 views
How to know whether the default coating on the iron cookware has totally come off?
http://cooking.stackexchange.com/a/29609/6168
But you can't season a pan "on top" of the wax coating. The real seasoning would stick to the wax, and when the wax melts, the seasoning will come ...
5
votes
4answers
1k views
How to clean my unanodized aluminium pot?
I got some acidic food in the pot and its starting to look ugly.
Can this pot be saved, or do I need to throw it out?
8
votes
6answers
7k views
How to clean a burnt cast iron pot?
I have this cast iron pot that my friend completely burnt. I was wondering what might be done to save this pot. I realize that this question seems similar to this one but in that one his skillet is ...
6
votes
6answers
9k views
How to clean a clogged Misto oil sprayer/spritzer?
I use a Misto oil spritzer. You fill it up with oil and pump it up and spray a pan with it.
It's gotten clogged up so that it just squirts a steady stream of oil (not a spray).
Any ideas how to ...
3
votes
6answers
5k views
Cleaning a clogged espresso machine Portafilter
Can anyone recommend a method for cleaning the clogged holes in a "Basket" of an espresso machine Portafilter? I had this problem with both DeLonghi and Saeco home espresso machines.
For example, in ...
4
votes
3answers
242 views
How can I clean white burn marks in the center of my glass top burner?
I have this glass top burner for almost 5 years. It was fine until I cooked food in Aluminum Pot and Aluminum frying pan... the base of these pots leaft white marks on the glass. It looks like part of ...
4
votes
1answer
796 views
Removing hair from pork belly
I bought some pork belly yesterday and I was just about to cook it when I saw thick hair on it. I tried to cut it with a sharp serrated knife but it didn't budge. I was really put off an put the pork ...
19
votes
7answers
355 views
preventative cleanliness tips [closed]
I recently discovered the trick of roasting vegetables on a piece of parchment paper in a pan, rather than directly in the pan, which saves a lot of time and effort during cleanup. What other easy ...
2
votes
2answers
12k views
How to remove olive oil stains from cotton/wool cloths?
I think any cook have came across these nasty stains. What is the best home method of removing them from cotton/wool cloths? I know that the best method is to act proactive and wear protective ...
5
votes
2answers
404 views
Cleaning burr coffee grinder
I have a medium-end, drop-through burr espresso coffee grinder (a Solis Maestro Plus). I haven't cleaned it since I first bought it, and I thought it was about time. Both the plastic bean funnel and ...
12
votes
2answers
1k views
Odour removing metallic soap: what is it and how does it work?
When browsing for kitchen tools, I found a metallic soap. It's purpose is to remove any (food) odour from your hands. Here's a cheap ($2.55) example.
I am unfamiliar with this.
Does anyone have any ...
7
votes
3answers
574 views
Cleaning bacon in new cast iron
I have a new cast iron skillet. It came unseasoned, but I seasoned it using the flaxseed oil method that seems the new (recent?) hotness. When I then cook bacon in it some of the bacon is nailed to ...
3
votes
2answers
3k views
Wooden cutting board turns black
My wooden cutting board is turning black!
I tried reposition the cutting board and even tried hanging them but regardless of the different configuration, water still accumulate at a certain region ...
19
votes
5answers
5k views
Cure for burns from hot peppers / capsicum oil?
So, I foolishly ignored advice about wearing gloves while handling hot peppers. I thought since they were "just" anaheim peppers I'd be fine... I was wrong, and I repent.
Does anyone know of a way ...
12
votes
6answers
9k views
How do I remove turmeric stains from metal/plastic cookware?
As much as I value tumeric for its rumoured cancer-battling qualities, I find its tendency to stain anything it comes into contact with (including 'stainless' steel) discouraging to the point that I ...
7
votes
3answers
817 views
How to stop oatmeal from sticking to the sides of my slow cooker?
When I cook oatmeal, I usually do steel-cut oats in the slow-cooker overnight.
They are tasty, etc., but invariably there is a layer of oats stuck/burned on to the side walls of the ceramic ...
