How to Clean Roasting Pan With Baked-On Food

Close-up of roasted food being scraped off bottom of pan with rubber spatula.

Whether you regularly enjoy home-cooked meals or save the cooking for special holidays, chances are you’ve had to deal with baked-on food stuck to one of your roasting pans.

Roasting pans are a useful kitchen staple for preparing a holiday turkey or simply roasting some vegetables. Over time, it’s inevitable that your pans will start to accumulate gunk and baked on pieces of food, especially if they aren’t thoroughly cleaned every time they’re used.

Baked on food can be tough to get rid of, but with a little extra effort, you can eliminate those stubborn areas and get back to using your roasting pan. These tips from Molly Maid will give you everything you need to know to get your roasting pan sparkling again.

How to Clean a Roasting Pan

It should go without saying that you should clean your roasting pan after each use. If you maintain a clean roasting pan, soap and hot water will be enough to keep your pans clean most of the time. That said, sometimes no matter how hard you scrub, there are stains and pieces of food that can’t be dislodged with soap and water alone.

Follow one of these methods to tackle those tough spots.

Let It Soak

It may be a classic recommendation, but soaking pans is a great way to make the cleaning process a little easier. Drizzle a little dish soap in the pan and fill it with hot water. Let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes, then give it a good scrub.

If your roasting pan needs a little more love, try the next method.

How to Clean a Burnt Roasting Pan with Baking Soda and Vinegar

One of the best ways to get rid of tough stains on a roasting pan is to mix ½ a cup of baking soda and ½ a cup of white vinegar with hot water. To do this:

  1. Sprinkle baking soda over the entire roasting pan.
  2. Pour vinegar over the baking soda and watch the chemical reaction between the two bubble! Leave for a few minutes. This helps dislodge any pieces of food.
  3. Soak the pan in hot water for 15-30 minutes. Don’t worry about removing the baking soda and vinegar first.
  4. Scrub the pan and rinse. Use a spatula to scrape any larger pieces and steel wool to scrub. Because we let the baking soda and vinegar do a lot of the hard work, this shouldn’t require too much elbow grease.

How to Clean a Stainless Steel Roasting Pan

The baking soda and white vinegar method will work well at getting rid of all but the toughest of food stains. But if you’re cleaning a stainless steel roasting pan, then you’ll need to lather the pan with a generous amount of baking soda and scrub the pan thoroughly with a scouring pad.

Contact Molly Maid for Your Cleaning Needs

For over 35 years, customers have trusted Molly Maid with their cleaning needs. If your busy schedule is preventing you from maintaining a clean home, then you can trust Molly Maid’s professional staff to keep your house and your pots and pans clean and tidy! Get started by finding your local Molly Maid today.

Make your special meals easier with this advice for six kitchen tools you need this holiday season from our friends at Neighborly®. Neighborly is a trusted community of home service brands, including Molly Maid.