There's nothing more annoying than cooking and realizing that all your hard work is damaging your kitchen utensils.
If you've noticed that your pans, especially stainless steel ones, have developed unsightly brown stains, there's no need to worry about throwing them away.
TikTok creator Elle Kress, a mother of two from Australia, recently shared her favorite method for removing these stains from dishes. All you need is a piece of fruit that you probably have in your fridge. In the video's description, Elle says:
"Don't throw away your stainless steel pans if they have brown spots without trying this method!"
How to clean stainless steel pans
If you have brown spots on your stainless steel pans, even though you've scrubbed them a lot, they're usually caused by:
Burned fat;
Mineral deposits from hard water;
Overheating, which creates color changes.
These spots are usually not harmful, but they can look annoying.
Elle shared a super easy way to remove them, which works even for "very dirty" pans with brown stains. She says this trick will "change your life."
Steps:
Place the stainless steel pan on the stove;
Cut a lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the pan;
Turn on the stove to high temperature (just below maximum);
Add boiling water from the kettle and let it boil;
Once the water is boiling, use a wooden spoon and gently scrub the brown stains. They should start to disappear;
When the spots begin to melt, remove the pan from the heat;
Pour the lemon water, rinse the pan, and scrub it with a sponge.
Result: the brown spots should disappear. Elle says:
"Honestly, it looks like it's completely new."
Why does lemon work?
Lemon helps remove brown stains because of its citric acid, which acts as a natural cleanser. It:
Dissolves mineral deposits;
Removes burnt food residue and heat stains;
Restores the natural shine of metal.
Lemon also has a mild bleaching effect, helping to remove the most difficult and unpleasant stains.
