Stainless steel pans are popular for their durability, but they're also magnets for burned food, discoloration, and hard-to-remove residue. A creator on TikTok, however, said she found a way to keep her pans looking brand new.
The scoop
TikTok user Sezzy Brown (@sezzy.brown) described the process as a simple two-step method using pantry staples.
In the video, Brown shows a stainless steel pan with cooked-on egg bits and dark residue. Instead of reaching for a specialty cleaner, she uses baking soda (also known as bicarbonate of soda), white vinegar, and a small amount of dish soap.
@sezzy.brown How to clean stainless steel pans 🍳 1. Scrub with dry bicarb soda then rinse 2. Scrub with a dash of vinegar and detergent and rinse Ur welcome ❤️
♬ original sound - Sarah Brown
Her key tip? Start with a dry pan and dry baking soda, and then scrub the baking soda directly onto the residue using a dry, wrung-out sponge. The grit helps lift stuck-on food without damaging the surface.
Baking soda acts as a gentle abrasive to loosen debris and neutralize odors. Once the residue is removed, you can add a splash of vinegar and a drop of dish soap to help lift discoloration and heat stains.
"I love that it's not fancy products," Brown says in the video. "It's literally just bicarb[onate] and vinegar — cheap and super easy to find."
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How it's helping
The biggest win for most home cooks is that the hack saves money. Instead of tossing a stained pan or buying a specialty cleaner, this method shows that common household ingredients can get the job done.
It's fast, too. Rather than soaking pans overnight or scrubbing with multiple products, the whole process takes just a few minutes.
Environmentally, skipping store-bought sprays helps to reduce single-use plastics and unnecessary chemical use. It also keeps your cookware in use longer instead of floating around in a landfill. Other pantry items, like cream of tartar, can help with stainless steel stains as well.
What everyone's saying
The overall reception was positive. Many viewers expressed their thanks
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$200 or more 💰 One user was shocked at the video's timing: "Girl, how did you know I had just googled how to clean my pan? Thank you!"
Another commenter exclaimed, "Mine needs this, so thank you. I'm going to try!"
A third person shared their own spin on the hack: "Thanks for the tip! I put vinegar in at the end for a bit of [extra] fizz."
Finally, one commenter summed it up simply, calling the hack "life-changing."
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