I heard that restaurants use stainless steel cookware a lot because they can last a life time, but I noticed that my stainless steel pan is really hard to clean and whatever I do it won't go back to the way it was the day I bought it. I use an electric stove and the bottom of my pan turned brown and I just couldn't clean them ?

Does any body here knows a good way to clean it ?

Bartender's best friend is an abrasive, kinda like comet but not as harsh. I clean my stainless all- clads with it once a month or so.

P.S. Most grocery stores carry it for about a dollar U.S.

Thank you very much Dane I really appreciate it , I hope I can find it here in Canada .

Hi Kahled,

First what you mention seems more like a case where the metal will change colour when heated, not much you can do about it, however if its grease that burnt under the pot or certainly on the outside or inside then in that case spray some oven cleaner in a well ventilated place like outside and scrub them clean the next morning, that is what we do at the school every couple of months....don't get copper because now we're talking lots of polishing every time you use them but cooper pots are the best but not pans.
Happy cleaning and remember a stained pot is like a lady with crow's feet at the edge of the eyes....it's experience!!

I bought a stainless steel pan with a heavy copper bottom and on the packaging it mentioned that the pan should be left to soak for 20ish minutes in a baking soda bath before use. Apparently the manufacturer applied a chemical coating to the bottom of the pan to resist scratching and discolouration of the copper during shipping. Perhaps there was such a coating on your pan? It would discolour if heated up...

Assuming this is the problem I'm not sure how/if you could clean it, though the above suggestions seem as good as any! Good luck!

I tried the oven cleaner method , I sprayed the pan with a lot of it in the balcony , came back the next morning and nothing is different ?! some spot's turned back to the original color after scrubbing them but still it's not that clean ???

Jim I don't think that my pan was coated when I bought it , but I tried the method anyway and again nothing happened ?!

Remember, even in professional kitchens, stainless steel pans don't stay brand new looking. Sure, it's nice to keep them shiny but in the end, all that really matters is that they work and you can cook with them so don't worry too much about them. A good stainless steel pan can still last and work for a lifetime even if it discolors.

the stanley brand does NOT scratch the pan, stove or the panty hose... LOL :-). You'll be able to remove the last inch of grease. All my pans and pots are in their original color, since i wash them at nigth every time i use them, and i make sure everything is gone and clean.

I agree with Dan. Bar Keeper's Friend is the best thing! http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/. I will share my experience here.
A few years ago, we received an All-Clad pan for our wedding. I had never cooked on stainless before so I was afraid to use this pan but I wanted to keep it nice and shiny until I learned. Well, my mother came to visit and decided to make steak for me at lunch. I walked into my home and there was a nice burnt smell, as I approached the kitchen and looked on the stove. My heart just sank! My mom had a nice 1/4" layer of burnt stuck on my new pan. My mom is standing behind me and tells me this is not a good pan and that I should only have nonstick! I just stood there and took a deep breath and wanted to CRY! I never knew a kitchen item could make me feel this way. I scrubbed and scrubbed and took me days to get the layers of burnt off! I put it on the stove several times with boiling water and baking soda. The burnt finally came off but I was left with discoloration! Until recently, I was introduced to Bar Keeper's Friend and the pan is beautiful again! Now I have a whole collection of All-Clad (along with a back up supply of BKF) and every single piece is gorgeous as the first day!

can i find this in canada? if so were

I believe it is available in Canada. Not sure where you live exactly, so not sure where to suggest that you might find it.

I bought mine at Ming Wo maybe, if I remember correctly. I would think many other kitchen stores would also sell it. You might even try your local hardware store. Cheers!

Last July we purchased a set of stainless steel cookware. Along with the set came a product called Steel Glo if I remember correctly. We were not able to find this same product in a local store, but came across Lagostina Cleaner for Stainless Steel and Copper. We oftern will soak the cookware while we are eating and the cookware always cleans up. A light sprinkle of the Lagostina cleaner and the cookware is shining. We found this product in a hardware store, not in any of our local grocery stores. Wouldn't be without it and have passed it on to a few friends.

The instructions for my new stainless steel pan say that salt should be added after water is boiling or at the end of cooking to avoid salt damage. I understand the importance of seasoning food before cooking but is there a way to avoid this kind of damage? or does anyone know if Bar Keeper's Friend also removes this discolouration?

BKF has removed everything for me so far, although I have not seen any salt damage (I try to season my food before it hits the pan).

By the way for the other poster... I grew up in Holland, and there was a similar product called VIM. It's just a really fine abbrasive used for all sorts of cleaning, I am sure there is a similar product in Canada. My sister's cleaning lady actually uses BFK for cleaning shower stalls :)

In addition to being available online, BKF is available at Williams-Sonoma Stores found in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto. It also available at Golda's Kitchen in Toronto and they sell at $CDN and ship worldwide.

It's also available at WalMart in the US, so it may also be available at WalMart in Canada.

It is simply not feasible to get BKF where I am, but I have found that Stainless Steel scouring pads work amazingly well. Because they too are made from Stainless Steel, they don't rust, won't scratch the stainless steel pots, and do a great job of picking off the burnt on bits of stuff. These are not SOS type of pads, the metal surfaces are much broader... sort of linguine sized ... rolled into a coil to expose lots of edges. They won't "shine", BKF or Lagostina SS cleaner or similar are still needed for that, but they do come perfectly clean after mother comes to visit! The SS pads seem to be available at every store on this little island.

Boy did I learn alot from these posts...Going into the kithen and clean pans....LOL

I just got my first set of stainless cook wear. I had no idea of how to clean it, getting it drity is no problem. lol
Now I know how to clean it too. Thank you all.

BAR KEEPERS FRIEND = GOD.

I am here on a trial basis and am enjoying the information a lot. I looked through the tips section. I was glad this was posted because I was wondering the same thing. Will S.o.S steel wool cleaning pads ruin the stainless steel cookware? I want to know the best care to keep my cookware in good condition. I will see about this Bar Keepers friend in the meantime. Thanks.

Steel wool will usually leave fine scratch marks on cookware. To test this you could try using a fine steel wool on the bottom of one of your pots. To be safe though you may just want to try one of the other methods mentioned above. Cheers!

Thank you Dawn. I was concerned about the fine scratches because I do not know how it effects the cooking or life of the cookware. I am happy to see some alternatives. I looked Bar Keepers Friend up online. They have a site that gives locations of where it is sold in the states, as well as Canada. The list for Canada is small so I am going to post it.
Britannia Ornamental Hardware
Golda's Kitchen
Redmond's Hardware
Reliable Parts
Williams-Sonoma
I am excited to try this. Thank you once again.

I tried the Bar-keepers Helper and I think my pock marks are a little better. I used baking soda first, and I think that worked pretty well too for you folks who can't locate BKH. I've always used that to shine up my Le Creuset pans. I bought a 12 inch stainless pan that is just labeled "Stainless." Then I bought an 8" and it is labeled "mc squared." Does anybody know anything about the latter? The instructions for both include adding the fat to the cold pan and then preheating. I called the company to question this which is in complete contradiction to Rouxbe's technique. I'm as confused as Nick about the instructions to not salt until it's started to cook. I've just defied All-Clad's recommendations and hope that won't cancel out any warranty. I really love to see that mercury ball spinning around. This was such a great lesson. And I really appreciate everyone's advice and experiences. I did the chicken marsala with sherry. Not the greatest meal I've ever cooked but not too bad, and I'm really enjoying making pan sauces.

Le Creuset , because they are enameled, don't like to be pre-heated at high temperatures. I like their stewing pots, but not their skillets for that reason.

As for All-Clad, I've been using one at the school for years, and it has tolerated the mercury test like a charm. Don't know what "mc squared" means, but if they're making stainless steel pans that can't handle pre-heating these days, they've probably compromised their formula. I really find it odd that All-Clad recommends a method of using their product that leads to less than successful results. Stick to what every professional would do and recommend, or else let the food stick to the pan. Keep on making that chicken marsala Stephanie until IT IS one of the greatest meals you've cooked. Determined cooks never settle for "not too bad", and based on your bio you sound like a determined cook.

Having made a big mess due to a pan frying mistake, was looking for a way to clean my pan. I was a little relieved to see Rouxbe uses Oven Off, as that's what I've been doing for a long time. Also, along the same line, putting what you're cleaning (such as oven racks, baking pans, or those cast iron burner grates) in a garbage bag with 1/4 C of amonia overnight helps losen stuff so that it scrubs off. (Just put the bag in the sink or tub in case it springs a leak.) However, decided to try the Bartender's Friend which I found easily in a one of those fancy kitchen stores in my small town for $6.50. It's amazing! It made my 15 year old pots sparkle like new and my pans look like spiffy, well used pans. It also spiffed up my old stainless steel sink. Thanks for tip.

I am now back in Canada and have been able to find Bar Keeper's Friend all over the place. Surprisingly the cheapest place I have found it is at Bed Bath & Beyond for under $4.00. I have also purchased it from Home Outfitters for around $5.00, and several specialty Kitchen stores, which are usually a little higher, but I have honestly never seen it as high as Janice paid!

That being said, BKF also turns out to be the best cleaner I have ever found for use on glass stove tops. (Whoever invented glass cooktops should be condemned to a lifetime of cooking on them!)