How To Clean Your Baking Sheets So They Shine Like New

If you're looking for a way to make your baking sheet shine like new, we have good news and bad news. The good news is that it's entirely possible to do it using inexpensive pantry staples. The bad news is that it's going to take a little work.

The first thing you should do is pre-treat the baking sheet to loosen up any baked-on food. Make a paste of vinegar and baking soda or cream of tartar and spread it on the pan. Allow it to sit for up to 3 hours, and then roll up your sleeves and scrub the pan with steel wool (obviously, this isn't well-suited to nonstick surfaces). Yes, there's some work involved, but the scrubbing will be far less work if you start with the pre-treatment.

If you're interested in exploring a somewhat less frugal alternative, try a product called Bar Keeper's Friend. It's easily found online or in most grocery stores and is well-known for its mildly abrasive consistency, which can help you break through especially crusty areas on the pan.

It's often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and that applies to baking sheets as much as anything else. In other words, it's a good idea to do everything possible to prevent foods from sticking to the pan ... especially after you've worked so hard to get it shiny again. Using parchment paper or a silicone baking mat is one way of protecting the surface from stuck-on foods – it's not recommended for roasting vegetables, however. Still, all too often, the food or its juices will find its way underneath and you're back to square one. 

So, the next time you use a baking sheet, try this trick: Give the pan a quick spritz of baking spray before putting the parchment paper or mat down. This can help to prevent any stray food from adhering to the pan and makes cleanup a breeze.

Using these tricks can extend the life of your baking sheets and save on money, extra work, and aggravation. Whether you're making pancakes for a crowd using a sheet pan technique or whipping up a batch of cookies, you'll have easy cleanup every time.