Simple cleaning hack can help shift burnt-on stains on baking trays
What is it with baking trays? It seems no matter how much we scrub, it’s near on impossible to get the greasy ground-in grime off the bottom.
It’s no wonder we have been known to throw on a layer of tin foil and chuck it straight back in the oven, to avoid another round of scrubbing.
Thankfully, a TikTok user has come up with a simple yet effective hack to rid your baking trays of those stubborn brown bits you just can’t seem to shift.
What’s more, it only involves a few store cupboard basics.
And while the trick couldn’t be classed as new, it’s sure chalking up plenty of love from the cleaning fans of social media.
TikTok-er @hazz_jazz claims the simple method has left his baking trays “so clean I can see my face in it”.
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The method involves sprinkling bicarbonate of soda into the baking tray, then dousing it with white vinegar.
The combination of the two products should see the solution start to fizz and foam.
You’ll next need to use a scourer, sponge or Brillo pad to work the mixture into the sides of the baking tray, then you leave the solution to work its magic for half an hour.
Watch: How to easily (and safely) store your food.
We have to admit we were hoping this next step might see the solution washed off to reveal sparkling trays, but there’s a little bit more work involved.
After another quick wipe you need to rinse off the solution and get scrubbing with the steel wool, scourer or Brillo pad again.
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Although it isn’t the miracle scrub-free hack we were hoping for, if the video demonstration is anything to go by it will make a big difference to helping loosen those stubborn stains on the bottom of the tray.
And it will mean you won’t need to use as much elbow grease as normal.
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Perhaps for that reason the trick has attracted a mixed response from TikTok users.
While some were keen to give it a go, others said they’d rather just buy a new tray.
Some recommended their own baking tray cleaning solutions including: The Pink Stuff, oven cleaner and, er, washing powder.
According to Baqir Khan, owner of Proactive Cleaners, the hack is a great way to remove caked-on grease without having to use too much muscle power.
“Mixing white vinegar and baking soda helps to soak off tough, burnt-on stains which build up on your pans over time,” he explains. “These two ingredients react together and the fizzing when mixed that helps loosen the residue off the tray.”
Khan’s own version of the technique involves filling a sink with water and adding eight tablespoons of bicarb and eight tablespoons of white vinegar before leaving the tray to soak for about an hour.
“Once it’s been soaked, give it a good scrub with steel wool or a scourer,” he continues before adding a word of advice to use rubber gloves to keep hands from being irritated if you are using steel wool.
This isn’t the only baking tray hack that has been shared recently. Last month a TikTok user shared a clever solution to effectively store your trays, without them tumbling out every time you open the cupboard.
We also were recently schooled about the clever way of avoiding kitchen spills while pouring liquids from a bowl to a pan, or vice versa.
And back in August we solved the problem of cleaning stained tuppaware.
We were also impressed when a woman shared a clever trick for disposing of hot grease without having to pour it down the drain.
