Adjusting a Thermometer Port
There are many commercial pan cleaners on the market and many people have had great results from them. However, there are also more natural approaches to cleaning your pan and you won’t have to go any farther than the grocery store to get the necessary ingredients. Natural methods does NOT require a lot of elbow grease, are gentle enough to not scratch the mirror finish stainless steel, and can make your pans look as good as new. NOTE: Excessive exposure to ANY cleaning agent/acid — regardless of being commercial or natural — could potentially harm stainless steel. Use as directed.
At the end of the season, fill your pans with leftover maple sap. Allow it to sit for about a month or two. During this time, the sap will naturally turn into a light vinegar. Afterward, you will be able to drain and easily wipe away any debris that had previously been stuck to the interior of the pan. We demonstrated this technique in our below Facebook webinar on May 15, 2020.
Premix a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water and fill your pans with it. HOT water works best.
WARNING: NEVER pour 100% vinegar directly into your pan. Vinegar is a light acid that could damage welds over time, especially if it is not properly mixed and diluted with water. If you do not premix, the unmixed vinegar can find its way into in hard to reach places like flues and drain manifolds where it will be impossible for you to properly mix with the water.
Now you can walk away and let the diluted vinegar do its thing. Allow the pan to soak up to a day, depending on how dirty the pan is.
Drain the pan and spray out with a hose. Nearly all the major gunk should lift off effortlessly when it is hosed. If necessary, rub problem areas lightly with a non-abrasive cloth or soft sponge.
At this point your pans will be clean, but you may notice some “scaling” in some areas. This cosmetic concern can be easily remedied with a little help from some baking soda. Use a damp non-abrasive cloth or sponge to rub baking onto the scaling. Then spray lightly with your diluted vinegar solution. This will activate the baking soda’s bubbly magic powers. After the foaming has stopped, rinse and wipe with a clean rag. Stand back and admire the sparkly clean perfection.
We have been hearing good things about Barkeeper’s Friend. According to the product’s website, it is safe to use on cookware. Rub gently so not to scratch. Use a soft cloth.
There are several methods you can use — either alone or in combination — which will help get the bottom of your pan clean. The first two methods listed below were also discussed in our Facebook webinar on May 15, 2020.
The above “Before and After” photos are courtesy of fellow sugar maker, Dale Poquette.
12 Comments
Dwight Long
Found it thx
John Cloutier
Is it going to be necessary to clean the pan after each batch? We are going to try and start boiling with 80 gallons of sap on hand.Our season target is 400 gallons of sap. Any information will be helpful. Thanks
Angela
Hi John,
Having a clean pan is never a bad thing! But I guess you will need to use your best judgement as to when it is time to stop and clean. If there is a lot of nitre on the floor of your pan, this can act as an insulator which is not good for your pan. Also, that thick layer of nitre could impose an off flavor in your syrup. Best to keep that nitre under control.
Have a fun season. Angela
Jesse
Hi Angela,
Does soot build up on the bottom of the pan also act as an insulator? Or is cleaning the outside of the pan more of a cosmetic reason?
Thanks!
angela
Yes. Too much soot could act as an insulator.
Sam McKay
Thanks for the response. The instructions are good, but a video on YouTube would allow more people to easily access it.
Bruce Ceranske
I find after a couple of days boiling in my Corsair divided pan that my boil efficiency becomes noticeably less as sand and scale coat the pan.
Eric
Is the vinegar reference here cleaning strength or canning strength?
Angela
The distilled vinegar we are referring to here is your common household vinegar that you would find at the grocery store.
Tom
The barkeepers you mention above comes in 3 forms (powder, paste, and liquid spray. Have you heard any specifics on what people are using and how they are using it?
Angela
By far our most recommended methods for cleaning would be the 50/50 water and vinegar method OR the sour sap method.
That being said, here is an article from Barkeepers Friend that talks more about how to use their product: https://barkeepersfriend.com/how-to-clean-stainless-steel-pans/
Curt Knokie
Angela, what about the creosote that builds up on the underside of a fluted pan? I have your corsair and last season it was a real chore trying to get all the creosote off. I know that if left on it would affect the efficiency of the evaporating process. Curt