The Best Way to Take Care of Your Non-Stick Pots and Pans

We've discussed the best ways to care for your cast iron, but if you have non-stick cookware, it deserves love too. Luckily, the best way to give your non-stick pots and pans a good healing, rejuvenating scrub comes down to two trusty ingredients: baking soda and water.

Over at The Kitchn, they explain that if your non-stick cookware has seen better days, is starting to stain from old oil or food, or just needs a more thorough scrub than you've given it in a while, you can bring it back to life with a mixture of equal parts baking soda and water, gently scrubbed with a non-metallic sponge or brush. To repair any damage in the surface, apply a little vegetable to the pan (once it's dry, of course), rub it into the surface, and let it rest. Finally, whatever you do, even if the pan says it's dishwasher safe, don't put it through the dishwasher. It may hold together, but you'll drastically diminish its useful life.

From then on, they remind us that taking care of our non-stick pots and pans means not using metal utensils in them, and avoiding cooking sprays, which can leave behind the kind of gooey, stained residue that require the baking soda and water scrub to clean off in the first place. Then, just remember to season the pan in a manner similar to cast iron after cooking to keep it in top condition. Hit the link below for more tips.