Knowledge Base > Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

Eric Wynkoop - Ask Me Anything (Office Hours)

This event was on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 11:00 am Pacific, 2:00 pm Eastern

Join Chef Eric Wynkoop in his virtual office as he welcomes all of your questions. This event was created for you and we encourage you to Ask Anything – from cooking techniques to co… Read More.

Recorded

Question:

What is the best way to clean stainless steel pans that is non-toxic? Can plain steel wool pads be used?

— Diane Dankert

Answer:

So, um, yeah, I'll tell you what I do. Uh, again, there are multiple great answers, I'm sure to your question here, but I'll share what I do. And for routine cleaning, I use these 3M brand scrubbies. Um, I happen to use the, the blue colored one, which is kind of a, a medium coarseness. Um, if you use a green one, it's even tougher and more coarse and can be used on, you know, more stubborn things, but it can also scratch other surfaces depending on what other things you're cleaning. So I find the blue one to work well, uh, for us. Um, I've also got a stainless steel scrubby, and in, in the last question, I think, or maybe a couple questions ago, I mentioned the nearby restaurant supply store. And so I just get a, a big old, um, I guess it's, I, I think it's just called a, a stainless steel scrub pad. It's not even a steel wool, which is very fine. Uh, this is gonna be pretty coarse and in no time, it'll clean up stainless steel pans, uh, of the most stubborn, um, things that might be hanging around. So do, you know, do consider that. And, uh, perhaps steel wool, you, you know, or, uh, you know, the, the finer sort of item, uh, might work for you as well. But give, give it a try. You know, in terms of cleansers, that's up to you. Um, I use cleansers. Um, I personally prefer, uh, cleansers that have no color and no aromas added to them. I, I tend to be sensitive to that kind of stuff, so I avoid it. And, um, but if, if you wanna stay clear of that sort of thing entirely, or maybe choose a, a brand, uh, that is, um, you know, maybe less harsh on the environment, uh, that's, you know, I think a perfectly great way to go as well. There are many choices for you out there, but give it a try. Maybe no cleanser, you know, maybe some sort of a cleanser that works for you.
Eric Wynkoop

Eric Wynkoop

Director of Culinary Instruction

rouxbe.com