How to Clean Roasting Pan? (Step-by-Step Guide)

Cleanliness should be emphasized in any cookware you might have in the kitchen. Roasting pans have been a cook’s best friend in the kitchen, especially for those who love roasted food. Thus, knowing how to clean roasting pans is essential knowledge and practice as it keeps your cookware in check and ensures your safety.

Roasting Pans

Roasting pans are your resident cookware that is large and high-walled, usually resembling a large casserole. As the name suggests, these pans are used in roasting food. Roasting pans are oven-safe and typically used to cook large cuts of meats and vegetables at high temperatures (usually 350 degrees Fahrenheit and hotter).

Materials

Roasting pans also come in variations in terms of their materials. The ideal material for a roasting pan would be thick, heavy, and can distribute heat evenly.

Both weight and thickness contribute to good heat-conducting conditions during cooking. The most common material for a roasting pan out in the market are aluminum and stainless steel. Cast iron, copper, and carbon steel are also pretty much bought and available.

When choosing which is which, you would need to consider two things. First, it needs to be sturdy but not too heavy that you would have a hard time moving it around the kitchen. Cast irons are pretty good at trapping heat and distributing it evenly.

In fact, this material is really good for roasting. However, the size of a roasting pan with cast iron as the material would essentially be heavy, so it would be hard to move around the kitchen. Nevertheless, in roasting pans, the heavier would be the better option. Just make sure that you can manage.

Size

A roasting pan’s standard size is 16 inches. It usually has a smaller version measuring 14 inches and larger ones at around 18 inches. In simpler terms, it’s small, medium, and large. These can accommodate approximately 12 to 20 pounds of turkey for reference.

If you are not cooking for a whole neighborhood or a catering chef, a medium-sized 16” pan is enough. For handles, you would want something that can cater to your needs, and it would be ideal to choose something that is extended so it would be more reliable, sturdier, and provide easy access.

Cleaning Burned-on Roasting Pans

Cleanliness is a serious business when it comes to cookware. This can determine safety, as well as credibility as a cook. Failure in cleaning your cookware, tools, and equipment can also downgrade them. They would be prone to damage, which could affect the food you cook in them., thus damaging the food you cook in them. In the long run, it might cost you even more.

While nobody ever likes burnt roasted food, things can get out of hand sometimes, and food can burn. Burning in roasting pans can cause black or brown bumps and stains, even stuck and hardened food on the surface of your roasting pan.

These stains can be pretty stubborn, as if bonded with a very strong glue. If not cleaned and removed properly, your next roasted food might be affected, and they might not cook evenly. Here is a cleaning method for burned-on roasting pans. For this method, you would need the following materials.

• Non-abrasive nylon scrubbing pad
• Soft-bristled brush and brass wool (optional)
• Detergent
• Hot water
• Large basin (if needed)

Steps:

1. Let your pan cool completely. This way, you are avoiding burning risks.
2. Get your hot water ready and fill up your sink or a large basin with it.
3. Add enough detergent. Just enough to get the water soapy and slippery.
4. Get your pan and submerge it into the mixture.
5. Let it soak in there for 40 to 45 minutes.
6. After soaking, take it out and gently scrub the area with a non-abrasive scrubbing pad (preferably nylon), brass wool, or any available soft-bristled brush.
7. If the stain is not budging, sprinkle some baking soda into the spot and scrub gently, again, with a moistened and non-abrasive scrubbing tool.
8. Rinse the pan and check to see if there are burned stains left.
9. If so, drain the water from your sink or basin and pour either white vinegar or cider vinegar and salt on the stubbornly stained spot.
10. Wait and let it soak for 3 minutes.
11. Scrub again.
12. After removing every stain, use hot water to rinse any residue of vinegar or soap away.
13. Dry your pan with a clean and dry towel.

Cleaning Burned-on Roasting Pans with Vinegar and Baking Soda

Two of the most esteemed cleaning agents easily found in the kitchen are vinegar and baking soda. With these two working together, removing burnt-on stains would be possible. You will need the following things:

• Baking soda
• White vinegar
• Hot water
• Scrubbing pad

Steps:

1. Sprinkle and cover the roasting pan with baking soda.
2. Pour vinegar into the roasting pan and over the sprinkled baking soda. This should create a chemical reaction that would create bubbles.
3. Leave it for a few minutes to let the reaction help dislodge burned food on the pan.
4. Get hot water and soak the pan in hot water for 15-30 minutes.
5. Using a non-abrasive scrubbing material, scrub the stains away.
6. Use a spatula or something stronger like steel wool to scrub off larger chunks of stains. The baking soda and vinegar would have done most of the job so it would be nothing short of easy.
7. Rinse and wipe your pan clean.

Cleaning Roasting Pans With Baked-on Food Through Soaking

Baked on food can be a pretty normal thing when it comes to cooking and this does not exempt food cooked through roasting. These food stains can be challenging to remove, but they are sure to go away with ample effort.

Soaking

The usual aid for baked-on food is to let it soak for 30-60 minutes. This process will only require you to prepare the following:

• Hot water
• Detergent
• Scrubbing pad or brush

Steps:

1. Drizzle some detergent onto the pan’s surface, especially on the affected spots.
2. Fill the pan with hot water and let it sit for 30-60 minutes.
3. Scrub using a non-abrasive scrubbing pad or brush.

Cleaning Your Roasting Pan: A Normal Day

During a normal day when you need to clean your roasting pans, here are some quick and easy ways to clean them. You would need the following:

• Dish soap
• Salt
• Non-abrasive scrubbing pad or just dishwashing sponge

Steps:

1. The first thing you would want to do is have your pan filled with an ample amount of warm water.
2. Sprinkle some dish soap and let the water get soapy.
3. Soak the pan for a few minutes.
4. Scrub the stains, if there are any, gently.
5. Rinse your roasting pan thoroughly.
6. Wipe with a clean towel, and you are good to go!

Keeping Your Roasting Pans Clean

Cleaning your roasting pans does not stop after you dry them. It’s important to take care of them and ensure they are maintained properly. This way, you can earn your tools a longer shelf life. During cooking, it’s also important to apply preventive measures to avoid staining your roasting pans as much as possible.

Foil and parchment paper

Before firing your roasting pan up, you can place a layer of foil or parchment paper so it can catch juices that may overflow while preventing the meats from browning your tray.

Wash processes

After using your roasting pan, you are greatly encouraged to wash it every time. Avoid letting it sit for a long time unwashed as it may result in stains or caked-on food sticking to the pan even more.

This can result in an even harder time removing and scrubbing them away. Always take note to get all the stains visible when you wash them. Avoid thinking about getting that larger stain next time because it can damage your pans in the long run. In short, don’t just settle in rinsing it, but double, triple check your pan. Make sure it’s clean before setting them aside for storage.

Say no to dishwashers

Although roasting pans are usually labeled as “dishwasher safe,” it’s not a recommended step. The dishwasher is not human and can’t scan your pan thoroughly for any remaining stains.

It would be best to clean your roasting pans by hand than relying on a machine. Another good thing about cleaning your roasting pans yourself is that you get to make sure your pan isn’t scratched, keeping it still in its best conditions.

Polish your cookware

It’s recommended that you clean and polish your cookware once a year. Whether these pieces are overly used, seldom used, or not used at all, check on them and make time to clean and polish them.

You can buy good quality and trusty dish polisher from the market and make sure to polish your cookware, tools, and equipment at least once a year. This will help prolong their lives in your kitchen and get better quality than what you paid for.

Summary

In keeping your kitchen equipment and tools in check, it’s important to know how to clean roasting pans. This way, you don’t spend a lot of time and a lot of money buying things repeatedly. Knowing how to clean them would save you more money and time, especially if the process is done properly.