I have a confession. If you send me a “forward” (aka FWD:) on email there is a good chance I won’t read it. Especially if it’s one that says I must forward to 15 of my closest friends within 15 minutes, “or else”…
Every once in a while, though, one catches my eye.
When iDreamofClean first began, someone forwarded me an email titled “Bounce This Along” describing several unorthodox uses for Bounce dryer sheets. I imagine that any ol’ dryer sheet will do but using the name brand Bounce sure works with the catchy title. Either that or it was a clever marketing tactic. Either way, I recently decided it was worth a try to test one of those suggestions.
The claim is that you can remove baked-on foods from a cooking pan by putting a sheet in the pan, filling the pan with water, and letting it sit overnight. You should only have to sponge it clean the following morning since the anti-static agent weakens the bond between the food and the pan.
I’ve mentioned before that I cook everything on high, which means that I had no shortage of pans to test this method. I followed the instructions but, unfortunately, did not see the results I expected. As you can tell from the picture below, the pan is slightly less charred in the after (3rd) photo than in the before (1st) photo. But, it doesn’t look brand new as I had assumed it would.
I definitely could tell that soaking a dryer sheet in a pan with a minimum amount of cooked on food would be an easy way to remove the food. Unfortunately, my pans could possibly be a bit more disastrous than most! Sometimes kitchen tips work great, other times they need a bit of tweaking. I’m going to try this method again to see if a second round will make a better dent in the mess. Until then, I’ll just trust the handy, dandy pan scraper to remove the easy stuff!
Have you ever tried using a dryer sheet to remove cooked on food from a pan? Would you consider trying it?
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Never tried that, but I do use (used) dryer sheets to get soap scum off the bathtub, and it works like a charm!
Vanderbilt Wife´s last [type] ..Wordless Wednesday
Oh good, I’m glad I’m not the only one that tip didn’t work for! I felt really dumb, like, “How can someone possibly mess that up?” but if other people aren’t getting results either, then I guess the problem is the tip, not me. Phew!
Maria D. @ Downright Domesticity´s last [type] ..Our cats are also guinea pigs
So glad someone else tried this!!! I will say, I cooked dinner with that pan last night and the food tasted like a dryer sheet…Oops!!
Christine (iDreamofClean)´s last [type] ..Quick Tip- Reduce Your Electric Bill by Thinking Ahead
Twitter: AliciasTweeting
August 26, 2010 at 7:18 am
HAHA! The food tasting like dryer sheets just cracks me up. I never in a million years would have thought to try this tip. Thank you for trying it for us, Christine…I’m sorry your dinner suffered!
I am intrigued by what Vanderbuilt Wife said about shower scum..hmm. Problem is, I’ve stopped using dryer sheets lately!
Alicia
Alicia’s Homemaking´s last [type] ..Try New Adventures Thursday- Squishys Adventure
I have never tried this. (We can’t get those here.) But, I have heard they work well on crock pots. Sorry it ruined your food. Thanks for trying; and for sharing!
Mrs. Sojourner´s last [type] ..Cassava Root
Stopping by after Alica posted your link. Can’t say I’ve tried this one – for the fear of what chemicals are being transferred onto my pans. Before I got my Green Pans, I always sprinkled baking soda on my pans with a bit of warm water to soak overnight. To really scrub them clean, I used baking soda mixed with dishsoap, a scrubbie and a bit of elbow grease – it always worked! Good luck with your quest to cleaner pans! :)