Restoring Old All-Clad Pans: Tips For Sparkling Cookware

All-Clad cookware is a premium product, so it's important to know how to clean and care for it properly. Here's a step-by-step guide to cleaning your old All-Clad pans:

Step 1: Pre-Treatment

Before cleaning, ensure the pan has cooled down. For tough stains, cover the surface with water, white vinegar, or a mix of water and baking soda or cream of tartar. Bring this to a boil and let it simmer for at least 30 minutes.

Step 2: Cleaning

Wash the pan with warm, soapy water using a sponge or soft cloth. For more difficult cleaning, a nylon scouring pad can be used. Rinse with warm water and dry immediately with a lint-free towel to prevent water spots and rust.

Step 3: Removing Tough Stains

For burnt-on food or tough stains, use a non-abrasive, non-chlorine cleanser like All-Clad cookware cleaner, Bar Keeper's Friend, or Bon Ami. Form a paste with the cleanser and a small amount of water, then apply it with a soft cloth or sponge, rubbing in a circular motion. Rinse and dry the pan afterward. Repeat if necessary, allowing the paste to soak on the pan for tougher stains.

Step 4: Removing Discoloration

For blue or rainbow discoloration, wipe the pan with a sponge or soft cloth and white vinegar. For cloudy white hard water spots, boil a 1:1 mixture of white vinegar and water, then rinse the pan.

Step 5: Polishing

To restore the pan's original luster, polish it with a product like All-Clad Cookware Cleaner and Polish, Brasso, or Bar Keeper's Friend Polish.

Use Bar Keepers Friend

To clean old All-Clad pans with Bar Keepers Friend, start by sprinkling a very small amount of tap water into the pan. Then, add a couple of generous shakes of Bar Keepers Friend powder cleanser. Using a non-abrasive scrubbing pad or sponge, mix the water and powder together to form a paste.

Spread the paste so that it covers the entire pan, including the sides and walls. If necessary, make more paste by adding more Bar Keepers Friend and water. Scrub away at the stains, adding more Bar Keepers Friend to your sponge for those pesky spots. For crevices, use a detail brush, like a toothbrush, to ensure a thorough clean.

Rinse the pan as usual and dry it with a lint-free towel. If there are any remaining stains and discolouration around the All-Clad logo, grab a toothpick, dip it in the cleaning paste, and work it away. Repeat the process for the outside of the pan if necessary.

Bar Keepers Friend is an ideal cleaning product for All-Clad pans as it is bleach-free, oxalic-acid-based, and powdered, making it perfect for stainless steel items. It can easily remove rust, tarnish, mineral deposits, and tough stains from most surfaces, and also helps to protect the surfaces of your pans, preventing them from tarnishing and rusting in the future.

For very tarnished or greasy pans, it is recommended to start scrubbing with steel wool. Once the surface is mostly clear, switch to a soft sponge or rag. Always wear kitchen gloves to protect your skin while scrubbing, as the product is abrasive.

Bar Keepers Friend is also available in a liquid version and a cookware-specific variant. However, reviews suggest that the regular powdered version is more effective at cleaning tough stains.

Make a paste with water

To make a paste with water, first, wet the pan so it's slightly damp. Then, sprinkle Bar Keepers Friend on the brown spots or staining. Next, mix the water and powder with your sponge to create a paste, and let that paste sit on the pan for 15 seconds.

You can also use Bon Ami cleaning powder or baking soda with the same technique. If you decide to use baking soda, let the mixture sit for a few minutes, and then scrub it off with a scouring pad. You can also repeat the process and let the paste sit for longer or move on to other intensive methods.

Use a non-abrasive brush

To clean your old All-Clad pans, you'll need a non-abrasive brush, such as a toothbrush, and a soft sponge or cloth. You'll also need a specialist cleaning product like Bar Keepers Friend, Bon Ami, or baking soda.

First, make sure your pan is slightly damp. Sprinkle your chosen cleaning product on any brown spots or stains, including the outside of the pan. Next, mix the water and powder with your sponge to create a paste, and let it sit on the pan for around 15 seconds.

Now it's time to use your non-abrasive brush. Dip it in the paste and scrub around the rivets and the All-Clad logo. You can also use a toothpick to get into any tight spaces. Once you've scrubbed off all the stains, thoroughly rinse your pan.

Always dry your All-Clad pans immediately after cleaning them to prevent water spots and rust.

Rinse and dry

Rinsing and drying your All-Clad pans is an important step in the cleaning process. After you have scrubbed your pan with a sponge or soft cloth, you should rinse it with warm water. It is important to dry your All-Clad pans immediately after rinsing to prevent spotting and rusting. Use a lint-free, absorbent towel to dry your pan. Leaving your pan to air-dry is not recommended, as it can cause water spots and rust.

Drying your All-Clad pans is also an important step in maintaining their appearance. Over time, hard water can cause white stains on your pans. Drying your pans after each use will help to prevent these stains from forming.

If you are cleaning your All-Clad pan in the dishwasher, it is still important to dry it thoroughly afterwards. The high heat and harsh detergents used in dishwashers can corrode and dry out the surface of your pan, so it is important to make sure that it is completely dry before putting it away.

Avoid harsh detergents

All-Clad recommends washing your cookware with mild soap and a sponge. Avoid harsh detergents or detergents containing bleach or peroxide, which can damage the pan.

To keep your All-Clad looking brand new, wash your cookware with soap and a sponge. Allow the pan to cool before cleaning. Rinse off any excess food with warm water. Soak in warm, soapy water, then wash with a sponge or soft cloth. Use a nylon scouring pad for more difficult cleaning. Rinse with warm water and dry immediately to prevent spotting.

For tough-to-clean spots or marks, like burnt fat, protein shadows, and charred food, clean with a non-abrasive, non-chlorine cleanser, like All-Clad cookware cleaner, Bar Keeper's Friend, or Bon Ami. Form a paste with the cookware cleanser and a small amount of water. Apply the paste using a soft cloth or sponge, rubbing in a circular motion. Rinse with warm water and dry immediately. Repeat if needed, allowing the paste to soak on the pan before scrubbing.

Some stains and food remnants may take more care to remove. For discoloration, like blue or rainbow colouring, wipe the pan with a sponge or soft cloth and white vinegar. For cloudy white hard water spots, remove by boiling a 1:1 white vinegar to water solution.

For burnt food, sprinkle the surface generously with baking soda, add water, and bring to a boil. Use a wooden spoon to loosen the food particles from the surface.

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