Aluminum Utensils - Special Cleaning
Brighten aluminum utensils by cooking acid foods such
as tomatoes, apples, or rhubarb or by boiling 1 to 2
teaspoons cream of tartar per quart of water OR 2
tablespoons vinegar per quart of water for 10 minutes in
the pan.
Prevent discoloration in the bottoms of double
boilers or egg poachers by adding 1 teaspoon vinegar or
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar to the water in the bottom
pan.
Remove stains from outside of aluminum pans with
silver polish, or mild, nonabrasive cleaner. Soap-filled
steel wool pads scratch the outside surface, so use only
when removing burned-on food or grease is more important
to you than the scratched pan.
Remove hard water mineral deposits (lime scale) from
tea kettles where they have become crusted, boiling equal
parts of vinegar and water for several minutes and
letting stand an hour or so. The process may have to be
repeated in severe cases. Rinse with plain water before
using teakettle.
Burned-on Food or Grease
Fill pan with hot water and let stand 1 hour. Scrape
off as much food as possible with a dull item such as a
wooden spoon or half of clothespin, or plastic spatula or
plastic sponge. Complete removal with soap-filled steel
wool pad. For grease build-up, soak in very hot water
with detergent; then scour with soap-filled steel wool
pad.