This may be a weird question, but how do I properly clean stainless steel pots? I clean them but there seems to be a white film left on the insides of the pots which looks awful. Any tips would be helpful.

I will get a white film on my stainless pans if I boil eggs or pasta and it is hard to get off. If you cook some tomato soup or red pasta sauce it will look brand new. From what I understand the acid is what cleans it off.

Superdave1993 said:

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I will get a white film on my stainless pans if I boil eggs or pasta and it is hard to get off. If you cook some tomato soup or red pasta sauce it will look brand new. From what I understand the acid is what cleans it off.

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Also great advice. If your stainless pots look spotty a quick marinara will clear that right up.

Also, if your film is from a starch, add some ice and water to the pan and let it sit for a bit. Cold water is better at removing starches than warm/hot.

EclipseAg said:

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I use a little dab of Barkeeper's Friend on my stainless pans whenever I get spots or that rainbow effect.

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This. Also, if you get grease lacquered on them, Carbon Off will get rid of it.

Thanks for all of the suggestions.

Not sure if it's bad for them or not....but I use a little bit of the powder bar keepers best friend and dawn every time I wash them.

They're about 10 years old, used daily, and look like new, though.

100% agree on Bar Keeper's.

citric acid is another option

htxag09 said:

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Not sure if it's bad for them or not....but I use a little bit of the powder bar keepers best friend and dawn every time I wash them.

They're about 10 years old, used daily, and look like new, though.

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https://barkeepersfriend.com/dos-donts-cleaning-stainless-steel/#:~:text=DO%20use%20a%20non%2Dabrasive,oxide%20barrier%20when%20used%20properly.

Barkeeper's Friend and/or a chain mail scrubber.

HTownAg98 said:

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EclipseAg said:

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I use a little dab of Barkeeper's Friend on my stainless pans whenever I get spots or that rainbow effect.

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This. Also, if you get grease lacquered on them, Carbon Off will get rid of it.

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Grease lacquer is my nemesis on pans

Is vinegar no longer a thing?

If food scorches I'll usually boil a shallow amount of water and scrape while boiling. That only takes a minute at most.

When I see haziness I too use bar keepers friend with a minimal amount of hot water. Gets the inside mirror new. I never bother with the exterior discolorations. I don't know if bkf can fix those.

BKF is also great if you get a faint wine/acid stain on quartz. On rare occasions I've found quartz stains that won't come up with simply water or a generic counter cleaner and elbow grease. For those a tiny amount of BKF, spoon of warm water, and a rag works like a champ.