Brown stuff all over roasting pan

[Matonski]

I'm very new to cooking. I have an All-Clad stainless steal roasting pan that costed $160. The problem is, everytime I try and roast a chicken in it, the entire pan turns brown all over. I roast the chicken for 20 minutes on 500 degrees before I turn down the heat to about 350, and finish it at that temp. Anyway, why is my pan doing this? How do I clean it?

[browniebaker]

Oil spatters are getting baked on. I use a solution of baking soda and vinegar. Let it fizz. Soak. Scrub.

Edited August 20, 2004 by browniebaker (log)

[Matonski]

Thanks for the reply. My pan gets brown all over, including the outside and the bottom as well. Do you still think it's oil spatters?

[Romaney O'Malley]

Does it stay brown after you wash it? ie is it hard to get off or just weird?

[browniebaker]

I'd say that, at the high temperature of 500 degrees F, you've got some smoke and oily vapors swirling around in that oven. That would explain why the outside and inside of the pan are getting brown.

My roasting pan gets not only spatters but areas of diffuse, vague browning, which I attribute to the smoke and oily vapors in the oven during roasting. I don't sweat it too much and don't bother to clean it off completely but, then again, my Kitchen-Etc.-housebrand stainless-steel roasting pan costs a lot less than yours. Like everything, I chalk it up to the Detritus of Living.

[Marlene]

I also have an All Clad stainless steel roaster and get the brown splatters. Most of them come off when I wash it (I put it to soak immediately after removing a roast), and anything that doesn't come off with washing usually comes off with a little stainless steel cleaner

[browniebaker]

[...] and anything that doesn't come off with washing usually comes off with a little stainless steel cleaner

Not to be confused with steel wool, which you should NOT use, or you will destroy the smooth and shiny finish of your pan.

[offcentre]

bloody hell....for $160 one would have thought that it would clean itself.

[Marlene]

[...] and anything that doesn't come off with washing usually comes off with a little stainless steel cleaner

Not to be confused with steel wool, which you should NOT use, or you will destroy the smooth and shiny finish of your pan.

Correct. I use a stainless steel liquid cleaner and a paper towel.

[jsolomon]

If anyone looks askance at your roaster, you can always use a formerly possible MIL's response: "It's TLC on there, dammit".

[fifi]

For minimum elbow grease, try the new Dawn Power Dissolver stuff. It is freakin' magic.

[Suzanne F]

Just don't confuse the "fond," which you want to keep and use, with gunk, which you don't. When you cook a roast, the juices that come out land on the bottom of the pan, and get concentrated and brown. This is what's called the fond. After you remove the roast from the pan and pour out the excess fat, you want to add wine or broth or water to the brown fond, place the pan on a burner on top of the stove, and gently boil and scrape up the fond to dissolve it. Then you can add a slurry (flour mixed with water) to thicken it. Voila: gravy! (If this looks/sounds familiar: that's what Grandma used to do to make the turkey gravy at Thanksgiving!)

However, it it's not that, but just gunk and discoloration, clean away! (I have to say that I've only used my AC roasting pan once since June, and did not experience that discoloration; but the pan is still young! )

[Matonski]

Thanks for the responses. I will try the suggestions. At the moment, I've been using those green and light green Scotch-Brite pads and a product called "Bar Keeper's Friend." Now that I have a dishwasher, I might try sticking it in there as well.

Do you think the brown stuff affects its cooking, or is it just and appearance thing?

[little ms foodie]

We use Bartenders Friend for all out stainless AllClad! Works like a charm if you make a little paste with it.

[achevres]

My best tip ever: spray oven cleaner, such as Easy-Off. Just spray on the cold roasting pan and leave overnight and then just wash off with water and the most minimal of scrubbing (mainly to dislodge the gunk). It like magic. This is the way I clean my one Le Creuset pan and the broiler pans when they get brown, since there is no scrubbing and absolutely no chance of scratching.

[Marlene]

Thanks for the responses. I will try the suggestions. At the moment, I've been using those green and light green Scotch-Brite pads and a product called "Bar Keeper's Friend." Now that I have a dishwasher, I might try sticking it in there as well.

Do you think the brown stuff affects its cooking, or is it just and appearance thing?

The brown stuff will not affect cooking. I put my all clad in the dishwasher all the time

[Shalmanese]

The proper way, of course, to clean the brown, stuck-on bits at the bottom of the pan after roasting is by using your tounge.

[andiesenji]

I second the motion about the Dawn Power Dissolver.

If any spots remain I use my old, "tried and true" method which is a barely damp cloth, dipped into dry baking soda and used to scrub off the clingy bits.

I do not use anything abrasive on any of my cookware. Eventually it will cause the surface to dull slightly.

And oven cleaner is okay on porcelain surfaces but not on some metallic surfaces, and certainly not on anything that is non-stick, even though it is not directly on the non-stick sufrace, the fumes can soften the stuff. This is not good.

Even the super-hard surface on Farberware's Millennium non-stick (takes metal utensils just fine) can be marred with oven cleaner.

Edited August 20, 2004 by andiesenji (log)

[winesonoma]

The proper way, of course, to clean the brown, stuck-on bits at the bottom of the pan after roasting is by using your tounge.

I agree.

[MGLloyd]

I do not believe that the overall brown patina can be explained by baked on food, spatters or smoke and oil vapors. Stainless steel cookware is commonly known to change colors with prolonged exposure to high heat. One sees a similar phenomenon with stainless steel gas grills.

I have several stainless steel cookware pieces that I use in the oven, and they often develop a color patina on the surface. I am able to clean it off using a paste of stainless steel cleaner and water, or barkeepers friend and water, along with a 'no-scratch' scrubbing pad. I do this only for esthetics, insofar as it does not really effect the metal of the cookware.

[scott123]

I have one more theory to add to the soup

The blotches on the bottom aren't cause by vapors and are too dark for high heat produced patina.

It's oil residue from not washing the pan thoroughly enough. If I place the pan in a greasy sink to soak, it takes 3 hand sudsing/rinsings to get the bottom squeeky clean. The tiniest bit of oil left on the bottom of a pan will turn brown the next time you bake with it.

The dish washer should make a difference. If you do hand wash it, make sure it's squeeky clean or you will get that slightly seasoned appearance.

Edited August 21, 2004 by scott123 (log)

[Ocean_islands]

I think you need to clean your oven first.

Personally I'd toss the pan and get one that has an enamel or non-stick surface. You could also try oven-cleaning products on the pan.

[Suzanne F]

I think you need to clean your oven first.

Personally I'd toss the pan and get one that has an enamel or non-stick surface. You could also try oven-cleaning products on the pan.

I agree that it could be added to by vapors from within the oven itself, but oh, no! Throwing it out would be a horrible waste! Besides, I've had the same trouble with LeCreuset that was not cleaned throroughly. Which leads me to think that Scott123 is also right about the residue. Unless you clean off all the surface dirt and gunk, it will just keeping cooking on. Think about how dark well-seasoned cast iron becomes, for a case where you WANT the grease to stay.

The brown spots might make your AC ugly, but as Marlene said, won't really affect the performance. And even though AC says not to, unless you're really fussy about keeping the stainless steel mirror-shiny, you CAN clean it with steel wool. You'll scratch the surface so it's not as pretty, but it will still work as well. Putting it in the dishwasher -- even the Master Chef pans with the dull outside finish -- is fine. I only wish my chef pan could fit. I'm all for the easiest way to get everything the cleanest.

[Mabelline]

You can always try getting a good stout plastic garbage bag, and some Parsons' Lemon Ammonia. Lay your bag out pour some on the bottom pour some in your roaster, slide it in the bag and secure it tightly. Let it sit overnight, then scrub it with your scatchless scrubber, and put it in the dishwasher.

Just by your description, I think your pan may have had a residue of the coating oil applied after manufacturing. Although it is 'stainless', the makers coat it with a neutral oil so that you do not go in the store and see a bunch of roasters with something called white rust.

[Ocean_islands]

Sell it on E-bay. That's my new solution for everthing.