Your pots, pans and oven dishes see a lot of use, so it’s not really surprising when you find yourself having to deal with tarnishes, grease and caked-on food stains. If you struggle to get your kitchen utensils looking as good as they once did then have a look at these handy hints, tips and tricks to get your pans and cookware sparklingly clean.
-    If you’re struggling to remove burnt-on food from your saucepans, try layering the bottom of the pan in table salt before heating gently on your hob. Use a wooden spoon to lightly scrape at the salt as it heats – this will help to lift burned food quickly and easily. Make sure to rinse well before using!
-    It can be difficult to get your glass ovenware clean and sparkling - especially if you cook a lot of lasagnes, pasta dishes or casseroles. Try soaking your glass oven dishes in a bowl of warm water mixed with a couple of tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda. You may have to leave them overnight if you’re dealing with particularly stubborn stains! Caked and burnt-on food should now simply wipe away, but don’t be afraid of a little elbow grease.
-    If your scouring pad isn’t getting you anywhere when it comes to getting your stained dishes clean, try scrunching up a square of tin foil and using this instead. It’s a little more abrasive than your scouring pad, so be wary when you’re using this to clean metal items so you can avoid scratching or tarnishing the surface.
-    Did you know that your fabric softener can be used to remove caked-on food stains? Take your glass oven dish and soak it in a mixture of water with a dash of your fabric softener. When you remove the dish you’ll find the stains just wipe away. Make sure to rinse thoroughly before cooking!
-    If you use copper pots and find yourself spending a lot of money on products to make them gleam and sparkle, try using tomato sauce instead. Layer the sauce onto any tarnishes or blemishes on your pots and leave for up to thirty minutes before wiping away. You’ll be surprised at how effective this can be!
-    Get your pans gleaming by rubbing them over with half a lemon and rinsing thoroughly. The natural antibacterial properties of citric acid will give your pans a bit of clean while removing any blemishes at the same time. This is a great and cheap way to give your cookware a bit of a boost if you’re suffering with old and tired-looking pots and pans.
-    You can also use white or distilled vinegar to help lift stains from your cookware. Simply dab the stain with the vinegar and leave it to settle for up to twenty four hours. Rinse with cold-water to reveal as-good-as-new-pans. Doing this for five or ten minutes before washing up will also help to lift stains more effectively.