How To Clean Your Baking Pans

How to Clean Cookie Sheets with Baked-On Grease

Thanks to their smooth, flat surfaces and raised edges, cookie sheets are versatile enough to bake chewy chocolate chip cookies as well as roasted vegetables. With such heavy usage, however, it's inevitable that your sheet pans may develop unsightly stains and residue build-up. To keep your health inspector happy and your food tasting its best, follow the methods below to combat grease, food particle residue, and even rust on your aluminized steel, aluminum, and non-stick cookie sheets.

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What Method is Best for Cleaning Your Cookie Sheet?

Before you clean your baking sheets, you'll need to know which method will work best for your type of pan. Refer to the table below to decide which method is safe to use on your kitchen's cookie sheets.

Method:	Aluminized Steel	Aluminum	Non-Stick
Baking soda and hydrogen peroxide	Yes	No	No
Baking soda and vinegar	Yes	Yes	No
Ammonia	Yes	No	No
Aluminum Foil	Yes	No	No
Washing Soda and Cream of Tartar	Yes	Yes	Yes
Water and Baking Soda	Yes	Yes	Yes

Methods for Cleaning Your Cookie Sheets

Now that you know which methods work with each pan type, learn how to implement them below.

How to Clean Cookie Sheets with Baking Soda and Peroxide

For this method, the most important factor is time. The mixture is simply baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, but you must give it enough time to attack your pan's food particles and grime.

Mix baking soda and hydrogen peroxide into a paste.
Spread mixture across the top of the pan.
Let sit for 2-3 hours.
Wipe mixture away with a paper towel and water.
If necessary, scrub any remaining sections.
Clean with regular soap and water to rid sheet of any remaining residue.

How to Clean Cookie Sheets with Baking Soda and Vinegar

Use 1 part baking soda and 1 part vinegar (we recommend 1/4 cup to start).
Pour the baking soda on the tray and spread evenly across.
Add vinegar to the tray and watch for the ingredients to begin to react.
Submerge the tray into a sink filled with hot water.
Soak the sheet for 30-60 minutes.
Remove from the water and scrub away dirt and grime with a scouring pad or steel wool.
Clean sheet with regular soap and water.

How to Clean Cookie Sheets with Ammonia

While ammonia can be very effective at removing tough stains and food particles, it's important to note that this method takes the most time to complete and involves harsh chemicals that you must take caution when using. For your safety, be sure to wear protective gloves and eye wear when handling.

Place your cookie sheets inside a durable plastic bag, such as a garbage bag.
Add 1/2 cup of ammonia to the bag.
Seal the bag shut and let it sit out in the sun for a day to allow enough time for the ammonia to soften and react with grease and food particles.
Without breathing in the ammonia, open the bag and remove the pans.
Scrub pans with steel wool.
Wash the sheets thoroughly.

How to Clean Cookie Sheets with Aluminum Foil

Soak sheet pans in water for an extended period of time.
Remove and dry.
Bunch aluminum foil into a ball and scrub burned spots and stuck-on food.
Wash and rinse with soap and water.

How to Clean Cookie Sheets with Washing Soda and Cream of Tartar

Sprinkle washing soda and cream of tartar onto the cookie sheet.
Pour a small amount of hot water on top of the sheet.
Mix ingredients into a paste.
Spread paste evenly across the pan.
Let sit for 15 minutes.
Scrub stains with a non-abrasive scrubbing pad.
Wash paste and dirt off the pan with water and soap.

How to Clean Cookie Sheets with Baking Soda and Water

Create a paste with warm water and baking soda.
Cover the cookie sheet with the paste.
Let sit for 30 minutes.
Gently rub stains with a nylon scrubber until the spots are gone.
Wash thoroughly and dry immediately.

How to Clean Cookie Sheets with Baked-On Grease

Baked-on grease can be a tough mess to deal with, but the following methods for each type of sheet pan should help solve the problem.

Aluminum Steel Cookie Sheets: Place your cookie sheet on the stove with water and a few drops of dish detergent inside. Bring the water to a gentle boil for about five minutes. Let the liquid cool completely, then scrub the pan with a stainless steel scrubbing pad to remove baked-on grease.
Aluminum Cookie Sheets: Sprinkle cream of tartar all over the top of your baking sheets. Add water and bring to a boil over the stovetop for 5 minutes. This should lift the grease off of the pan. Simply rinse away any remaining residue and dry.
Non-Stick Cookie Sheets: Sprinkle the top of the cookie sheet with baking soda. Pour vinegar over the baking soda so that the powder begins to fizz. Let the sheet stand for 30 minutes. Gently scrub any remaining grease. Rinse thoroughly and dry.

How to Clean Rust from Cookie Sheets

Instead of replacing old baking pans, try these methods to remove damaging rust and make your sheets usable again.

Using a Potato and Baking Soda or Dish Soap

Cut the potato in half.
Dip the cut end in either dish soap or baking soda. To figure out which would be best to use, you may wish to experiment with both.
Firmly rub the potato over the rusted area. The potato's natural oxalic acid will help break rust down.
If the potato starts to get slick, slice off the end and dip it in the dish soap or baking soda again.
Repeat steps until rust is removed.
Rinse off the pan and dry immediately.

Using Baking Soda

Rinse the sheet thoroughly, then shake it dry so it remains slightly damp.
Lightly dust the pan with baking soda so the powder sticks to the remaining water.
Make sure all rusty spots are covered with baking soda.
Let sit for about 30 minutes.
With the baking soda still on, gently scrub the pan.
Rinse everything off and towel dry immediately.

Cleaning Tools That Are Safe to Use on Your Cookie Sheets

Take the following into consideration when cleaning your kitchen's specific type of cookie sheet.

How to Clean Aluminized Steel Cookie Sheets

Aluminized steel is a tough material that is able to withstand rough scouring and scrubbing. For any of the methods you use, we recommend using a scouring pad, the rough side of a sponge, or steel wool. It's important to consider that while it is effective at eliminating stains, steel wool may leave small scratch marks on your pans.

How to Clean Aluminum Cookie Sheets

Aluminum baking sheets can be cleaned using similar methods as aluminized steel or stainless steel pans. However, you may need to use a gentler scrubber. To be sure, test the scrubber on a small section on the back of your sheet.

How to Clean Non-Stick Cookie Sheets

To preserve the integrity of the non-stick finish on your cookie sheet, do not use rough or steel scrubbers. Instead, opt for non-abrasive nylon scrubbers. Additionally, it's recommended you first try covering the cookie sheet with wet paper towels and let the sheet soak for an hour. For minor build-up, this may be effective.

Tips for Cleaning Your Cookie Sheets

To prevent build-up of food residue, grease, or rust, consider these tips for cleaning and maintaining your cookie sheets.

Avoid large messes to begin with by lining your pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Coat your pan with a light layer of oil to prevent rusting.
Dry cookie sheets immediately after washing to avoid a build-up of bacteria and rusting.
When possible, hand-wash your cookie sheets soon after use.

Cookie sheets are a great, versatile tool to use in your commercial kitchen. Use these methods to ensure longevity and reduce replacement costs. Choose the right method above based on what supplies you already have in your kitchen, any time constraints you may have, and what type of sheet you're using.