How To Clean Red Copper Frying Pan

Copper pans and other cookware add elegance to any kitchen. However, like other types of cookware, they can also lose their shine or develop an unpleasant tarnish layer. Even if you keep the copper pans in optimal conditions and away from direct sunlight, it can still develop a layer of tarnish. While tarnish itself isn't injurious, but it looks ugly and unsightly.

So, when it's about cleaning a copper pan, you'll need to take extra care. Cleaning them can be difficult because you can scratch the copper and damage the finish if you scrub it too hard. Copper, a soft and elegant metal, is known for its excellent heat conduction. Still, copper cookware needs a bit more care and vigilance than any other cookware materials.

Having said, below are some of the easiest and the best ways to clean copper pans and other cookware. All these tactics are practical, and we have included them after testing on our end.

So, let's get started!

Table of Contents

How to Clean Copper Pans Right after you Cook!
- 1. Worcestershire Sauce method
- 2. Lemon Juice and Tartar Cream
- 3. Lemon Juice and Baking Soda
Homemade Copper Cleaner
- Salt and Vinegar Copper Cleaner
How do you Clean Badly Tarnished Copper?
How do you get Burnt on Grease off a Copper pan?
- Baking Soda Method:
- The Ketchup Method:
- Vinegar Method:
Clean Copper Pans – FAQ's

How to Clean Copper Pans Right after you Cook!

Follow these methods to make your copper pans rich, shiny, and beautiful than ever before:

1. Worcestershire Sauce method

Most of you might not like the taste of this sauce but possess one good quality. It is an excellent cleaning agent for copper utensils. Here is how to do it:
Take a sponge (soaked) with Worcestershire sauce. Now rub the sponge gently on the affected copper pan and let the sauce on the surface for 1 or 2 minutes. Now, wash and rinse your cookware. And dry it properly.
You'll be surprised to see the results after applying this simple process to your copper cookware.

Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce Review

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2. Lemon Juice and Tartar Cream

Tartar cream might not be the most common household item, but it is useful when it comes to copper cleaning.
Having said, tartar cream, when used with lemon juice, makes an effective copper cleaning paste that works rapidly. Here is the method:
Mix both these ingredients and make a paste. The paste should be just thin enough so that you can spread it on the copper pan's surface easily, but it should be thick enough to stick to the cookware.
You can use this mixture on your dirty copper pots or pans by using a soft fabric. And let it dwell for about 5 to 10 minutes. Lastly, after that, wash your copper cookware with warm soapy water, rinse, and dry. Here is your new and shiny piece of copper cookware.

how to use Pure Cream of Tartar

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3. Lemon Juice and Baking Soda

Here comes the magical yet most common household ingredient, the baking soda. Baking soda is a magical product as it has countless, and when it comes to copper cleaning, it doesn't disappoint.
To use this method, take a few teaspoons of lemon juice with two tablespoons of baking soda and form a mixture. Apply this mixture using a dry cloth and scrub this mixture on the affected parts of your copper cookware. In no time, you'll see that the grime has started to dissolve.

Read more: How to season Red Copper Pan

Homemade Copper Cleaner

Yes, you can make effective and affordable copper cookware at home if you don't want to use ready-made copper cleaning agents. Below, you will find some tested and verified homemade copper cleaner that is handy and, most importantly, economical and practical.

Salt and Vinegar Copper Cleaner

Acid is the most common chemical that you will find in copper cleaning products. So, there is no harm in using vinegar to clean copper pots and pans. When you mix the vinegar with salt, you will get an aggressive combination that works superbly on all copper cookware.

To follow this method, pour three tablespoons of salt into a spray bottle and then fill it with vinegar. Suppose your copper cookware is in terrible condition. In that case, we will advise you to use white vinegar instead of normal vinegar as white vinegar includes higher and stronger acidic properties than other types of vinegar.

Now, shake the bottle well until the salt dissolves. Now, spray the solution on your copper cookware liberally and let it there for about ten to fifteen minutes. Then, give a gentle scrub to your copper surface by using a sponge. At last, rinse and dry the cookware, and you're good to go!

How do you Clean Badly Tarnished Copper?

To give a new life to badly tarnish copper, follow these simple steps:

Fresh Lemon and Table Salt – For this method to work, you'll need half lemon and three spoons of table salt. Besides, you will also need a small quantity of elbow grease. This cleaning mixture works flawlessly on stubborn copperware marks and stains. And if you have a badly tarnished copper, it is the best cleaning method for that purpose. Here is how to do it:

To begin, pour some salt into a dish. Then cut a lemon in half. Dip the lemon juice into the salt and start to scrub on the affected surface of your pots and pans.

The salt will work against stains and marks as you will scrub off, whereas the lemon juice has a mild acidic content, which helps clean the copper surface. Both these ingredients, when combined, form a killer combination that works best.

Finally, rinse your copper pan with lukewarm water, and rinse it with clean water. Ensure that it is scorched before you use it.

How do you get Burnt on Grease off a Copper pan?

Burnt on grease marks are filthy and affect the efficiency of your copper pan. If not attended timely, these burnt-on spots and stains can damage your copper cookware permanently. However, by following these simple tactics, you can quickly clean these burnt-on greases from copper cookware.

Baking Soda Method:

Step 1

First, get rid of all burnt food and residue from the pan. Now, pour two to three drops of liquid dish soap and fill it with lukewarm water. Fill it until all the affected parts get covered. Now, pour two tablespoons of baking soda and let the pan soak for about one hour.

Step 2

Now take a non-abrasive scrubbing pad and scrub the burnt food gently from the pan. If the pan is in extremely bad condition, let it soak for a night. Remove all the residue from the pan and wash it in lukewarm water. Then you can dry out the pan with a soft fabric.

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda

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The Ketchup Method:

Here comes another method to remove burnt-on grease from the copper pan.

Turn the copper pan upside down and spread a layer of tomato ketchup on the burnt bottom. Let the ketchup for about an hour on the affected spot, and the acid will eat away all the burned marks. After doing so, rinse the ketchup with lukewarm water with any non-abrasive scrubber. Then, dry it with a soft fabric.

Vinegar Method:

Take ¼ cup of vinegar in a microwave-safe bowl. Now, heat the vinegar in a microwave for about one minute at medium temperature. Then take ½ cup of table salt with ½ cup of white flour in another bowl while the vinegar is warming up in the microwave.

Now add vinegar to the dry mix and form a thick paste. Apply this paste on the affected parts of your copper pot or pan. You can apply this paste with any soft fabric. Let the paste on the surface until it is completely dry. Then, remove the excess paste and rinse the pan by using hot water.

Clean Copper Pans – FAQ's

How do you clean the inside of a copper pan?

To clean the inside of the copper pan, follow this simple method:

Lemon juice and baking soda:

Take three or four tablespoons of lemon juice and two tablespoons of baking soda.
Rub the paste on the inner side of the pan until you see all the grime starts to dissolve.
Clean the surface with a clean cloth.

How do you Remove oxidation from copper?

Removing oxidation from copper cookware is simple. Here is how you do it:

Take a half cut lemon and three tablespoons of table salt. Mix them and form a paste. You can increase the quantity of both these if your cookware has too much oxidation. Now, apply it on the copper cookware and buff with a clean fabric. Then, wash with plain water and dry.

This solution is quite effective because the acid in lemon removes the oxidized patina from the copper cookware, and the salt works as a strong abrasive to eliminate all the grime.

What is the Best chemical to clean copper?

Here are the best chemicals to clean the copper surfaces:

Citric acid- Citric acid is the strongest of all. It is an organic acid that you can use to eliminate oxidized copper.

Acetic acid- This is the most common acid to clean the copper utensils. If you are thinking about where to get it, you will find it in the form of vinegar in your kitchen.

Hydrochloric acid- Hydrochloric acid is an extremely strong acid, and you will find it in most household cleaning products. The chemical is effective in removing stubborn stains from all types of cookware as well as from sink and tiles. However, be cautious when using any product that contains Hydrochloric Acid as it is very strong and harsh.

Hydrochloric acid for cleaning

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Can you use steel wool on copper?

No, don't use steel wool, wire brushes, or abrasive cleaners on copper. Because if you do so, it might affect or remove the patina.

Can you use baking soda to clean copper?

Yes, you can. Using the baking soda with vinegar makes an effective mixture that you can safely use on the copper surface. Rub that paste on the copper cookware and let it sit for up to 30 minutes. It will fizzle a bit but will settle down in a minute. Rub the paste on the affected copper pan using a toothbrush and then rinse it with lukewarm water. Dry it thoroughly before the next use.