The Secret To Reviving Your Crumbly Baking Sheets May Be In Your Medicine Cabinet

We all aim to keep a tidy kitchen, but some of our trusty tools are easier to maintain than others. While everyone loves a sexy little seasoning on the cast iron skillet, those same oils — bonded to the metal by heat — can look rather yucky on a baking sheet. It's true that those dark oily spots can contribute to better browning, but when combined with stains and burnt-on bits, you may be itching to give your baking sheets a little bit of TLC. For like-new baking trays, look no further than a household product that makes one of those kitchen cleaning hacks you need to know about: hydrogen peroxide.

There are a few tried and true methods for making well-used baking sheets look brand new again, all of which require varying degrees of elbow grease. The one that seems to work the hardest so you don't have to includes two things you've already got lying around the house. Hydrogen peroxide, on its own, works to lift dirt, stains, bacteria, and even fungus and viruses through an oxidation process that works similar to bleaching. However, this slightly acidic liquid becomes an even more powerful cleaner when mixed with a base like baking soda, which causes it to bubble and form a somewhat abrasive paste. When applied to even the gunkiest and most stained baking sheet, it works to oxidize and lift the organic compounds and grease.

Using peroxide and baking soda to clean your baking sheets is pretty straight forward. Make a thick paste out of the two ingredients before spreading it generously across the sheets you want to clean. Alternatively, you can sprinkle baking soda across the tray and use a spray bottle to saturate the powder with hydrogen peroxide. Allow the mixture to sit on the trays overnight so they can really give that grime the business. A spatula or steel wool can be used to easily slough off once-hardened bits before washing your cookware with a sponge and warm soapy water. You might not even recognize your sweet old baking sheets in the morning.

Now, if you have a rusty baking sheet instead of just a dirty one, that's an entirely separate issue. In severe cases, it could be time to throw that cooking utensil away. However, if you're looking to remove rust stains, try using a potato, sliced in half and dipped in baking soda. You can thank the organic compound called oxalic acid for this natural cleaning magic. Spuds naturally produce this chemical. To prevent similar issues from happening in the future, be sure to wash baking sheets by hand and thoroughly dry them before putting them up. Coating the entire clean baking sheet in a thin layer of oil and baking it can restore that coveted seasoning and prevent sticking in the future.