We're about to throw out two of the sheets, deeming them irredeemable. As I scrubbed and scrubbed and scrubbed, trying to save them, I realized that a sandblaster would do the trick perfectly. A little bit of WWHHHIIIRRRRZZZZZZZSHSHSHSSHSHSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ and you'd have perfectly cleaned cookie sheets.
Since we aren't likely to get a sandblaster, here's another idea. I haven't tried it yet, but I'm going to give it a go.
Warning: The dude has a massive sink which allows the cookie sheet to rest at the bottom. Pure fantasy! No one has a sink that big!
This is probably a great idea for steel pans, but I would advise paying attention to the warning not to use it on aluminum. While he does mention the problem with Easy-Off reacting with aluminum, he is kind of dismissive of it. The thing is, I think he has just been lucky. I have personal experience with putting sodium hydroxide solutions onto aluminum, and it can get pretty exciting. The reaction is extremely temperature-sensitive. At room temperature it is fairly slow, but it does generate heat. As it gets hotter, it accelerates, getting even hotter, and then can suddenly go into a thermal runaway right about the time the water boils, spattering a mixture of live steam, caustic solution, hydrogen, and bits of decomposing aluminum in all directions.
ReplyDeleteWhile this PROBABLY won't happen as long as the aluminum sheet starts out at room temperature and you rinse it with cold water, you need to watch it.
And as far as doing it in the sink; I looked up the ingredients of Easy-Off. None of them are things that you really want to take a chance on inhaling. I would recommend doing this outdoors and rinsing it with the garden hose.
Of course, my solution is to just not wash the sheets. Think of it as seasoning. Also, my wife likes to put a sheet of parchment paper on them, which works really well for keeping anything from getting on the sheets in the first place. I think parchment paper is cheaper than easy-off, and a lot less toxic.
Thanks for the tips! I'll just dump the old ones.
ReplyDeleteSee, this only shows that I really need a sandblaster!
Get a pizza stone. Makes a much better cooking surface for a crust.
ReplyDeleteYou put them in when preheating the oven, so it is hot when you put the pizza in.
The wife got a new cookie sheet a few months ago. So far, I have been able to keep the corners clean....
My brother has a sand blaster and cabinet. I got him to blast the spare wheels I got for the MG off ebay. Got them painted last month, using only a half roll of tape.
ReplyDeleteCan't stop replying...
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering what kind of media to use on an aluminum cookie sheet. Most are going to be way too abrasive.
I would probably get one, butthe cabinet is just way too large for my garage or work room.
On my way to throw the two "ruined" cookie sheets in the trash, I came across a trashcan I had put out to collect rain water. It was full, so I just dumped both of the sheets into it to see what a full-immersion, overnight soak would do. It was all I needed. I was then able to scrub them both clean and save them.
ReplyDeleteRubber-made type storage tubs will let you soak stuff, too. We've used them as bath tubs when we had a house that had a huge shower near the kids' room, but only one tub.
ReplyDeleteAt one point had three "bath tubs," to the kids' delight.