Stainless steel utensils are quite popular nowadays and for all the right reasons.
When it comes to cooking, stainless steel is the safest metal to use to safeguard your food from toxins.
Food gets cooked quickly in steel and it also retains all the vitamins and minerals of the food.
The only con of this metal is that it might lose its shine over time and look a bit dull.
Worry no more, as here are five simple and easy tricks that you can try at home to restore the shine of your stainless steel utensils and make them as good as new.
1. Baking soda
If your stainless steel utensils have developed tough brown and rusty stains that refuse to go, then this method will come in handy. Fill a small bucket or a large pot (enough to dip the utensil) with warm to hot water. Add 2 tablespoons of baking soda to it and dip the utensils in it. Make sure the utensils are completely submerged in the water. Leave it like this for at least 3-5 hours. Later, just clean the utensils with regular dishwashing soap and they will shine like new.
2. Vinegar
This trick is most useful in cleaning the calcium build-up that is caused by water. You might have seen a white-coloured layer in steel water bottles, electric kettles and even boiling pots. This layer is a calcium deposit and even though it is safe, it is better to clean it. For a water bottle, fill ¼ of it with white vinegar and ¾ with warm water. Close the lid of the bottle, shake it a bit and let it sit for 30-40 minutes. Now just wash it well with soap and wipe it dry. To get rid of the smell of vinegar, you can keep the bottle in the sun for some time.
3. Boiling water
Burnt stains are quite tough to deal with and especially when food gets stuck at the bottom of the utensil. Unlike non-stick pans, stainless steel pans are not prone to burns and you need to be really careful while cooking so as not to let the food stick at the bottom. In case it happens, just remove the food from the pan and fill it with water. Keep it on high flame and let the water boil for 2-3 minutes. Now switch off the flame and let it sit like this for another 30-40 minutes. This way, the burnt layer at the bottom will come off easily.
4. Watermarks
If stainless steel utensils are washed and kept to dry on their own, then there are high chances that they will develop watermarks within no time. To avoid such a scenario, wipe the utensils with a clean cotton cloth as soon as you wash them. Keeping moisture away will help the utensils retain their shine for longer.
5. Restore shine
If your stainless steel utensils have lost their shine, then use this 2-ingredients trick to make them as good as new. Take 2 tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl, add half a lemon to it, now add a little bit of water and mix well to make a paste. Take a little bit of the paste on a sponge and smear it all over the steel utensils. Let the utensil sit like this for 1-2 hours. Now wash properly in warm water and wipe off with a cotton cloth.
