The Vinegar/Cookie Sheet Adventure

Some months ago Dear One was emptying a missionary apartment that was being closed.  A few cookie sheets were taken to the storage garages for use in missionary apartments.  I happened to be there with him one day soon after that and saw this pan.  It looked horrible but it was a nice heavy pan which said to me: no buckling in the oven. I do NOT like pans that are so thin that the moment you get them up to temperature in the oven they pop and twist.  I had purchased one half-sheet pan online soon after we arrived but here was this one was an even heavier cookie sheet, so it came to our missionary apartment.

The pan needed a good washing, which I did, then put it into the dishwasher for disinfecting, and started using it.  It offended my sense of what is right, dish-wise, every time I used it but I did not think I could make it look better.  Plus I often make roasted vegetables so there were more bits of olive oil attaching to the surface after a while.  So the pan was really ready for some spring cleaning.

A flyer came from Cash and Carry which advertised  stainless steel scratchers among all the other things they offered. That ad lodged itself firmly in the back of my mind for weeks. Finally, last weekend after Dear One's little hike, we went to Cash and Carry and purchased a sack of stainless steel scratchers.  Using paper towels on front and back of the pan which I had placed in a kitchen trash bag, I poured on white vinegar and wetted the towels then closed up the bag to soak for 36 hours.

Pan inside the garbage bag with fresh clean new stainless steel scrubber

Pan with vinegar-wetted paper towels removed from trash bag

After rinsing off the vinegar I started scratching.

Pan with paper towels removed

 And I scratched. And scratched and SCRATCHED...

Pan after first scratching ended


This was much better and the surface of the pan felt much more smooth and clean.

This is the pan after the third scrubbing/scratching.  Now that I have gone this far it appears that possibly Wearever had put on a non-stick coating.  There are some spots where the base shows through.  Oh well.  I don't like non-stick coatings anyway.  There are still some spots that are possibly heat-discoloration but the whole surface feels clean and smooth.  There is the tiniest bit of baked on grease in one corner which escaped my attention but I am pretty happy with this pan now.

Now for the half-sheet pan...but not today.  My hands cannot take any more.