Stained baking trays, with burnt on bits of food, brown caked on stains and a filmy layer of grease that just won’t come off are one of the biggest bugbears for those who love to cook.
Even if you're careful, and always line your oven tray with foil or a protector, somehow the grease, oil or juices always get between the folds and down to the metal.
Meaning your once shiny metal trays now look hideously dirty… even when you've washed them.
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Not to worry though, you don't have to throw out your trays every few months.
Thanks to this five-step method, there is a solution that will bring your trays up shining.
Step one
Firstly, pour boiling water on the tray, leave it for a minute and then empty the water out.
Do not dry the tray, and proceed to step two.
Step two
Sprinkle a liberal amount of bicarbonate of soda onto the tray wherever you want to clean.
It has to be baking soda, NOT baking powder, as soda is far stronger.
Step three
Add a layer of salt on top of the baking soda.
I find that coarse sea salt works best for this hack, rather than table salt.
Step four
Put white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar, into a spray bottle and liberally spray the tray over the bicarb and salt.
It will fizz, don’t be alarmed, this is good.
Step five
Using a heavy-duty scourer, or steel wool, scrub like your life depends on it.
If your trays are just metal, as in they don't have any special coating, then screwed up tin foil will work.
As you scrub with the - preferably wet but rung out - scourer, the ingredients should form a rough paste.
Work this into the pan for five to ten minutes and really give it some elbow grease!
Now, most of the gunk should wash away in the sink.
If your trays are so badly caked that this didn’t work then go in for the heavy duty stuff…
Go in with tin foil and Bar Keeper’s Friend Stain Remover — just make sure you wash it all off with hot water afterwards.
Now, go ahead and enjoy your shiny baking trays!
