HOW TO CLEAN COOKIE SHEETS

The joy of perfecting the sheet pan dinner - baking chicken and roasting vegetables all on one baking pan to avoid a dirty dish pile-up. But the self-satisfaction comes to a screeching halt when you go to scoop the goodies from your pan onto your serving dish only to find burnt-on crumbs, charred chunks of who-knows-what, and stains left behind.

You'll rarely come across a baking sheet in someone's kitchen that isn't covered in a variety of greasy brown spots. A standard cleaning with dish soap and warm water usually isn't the best way to clean cookie sheets. Even the familiar baking soda and vinegar, baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, and cream of tartar mixtures can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour (and a lot of elbow grease) to start removing gunk.

Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner cleans baking sheets by breaking down grease without caustic or abrasive chemicals. The formula is clean rinsing so it won't leave behind residue that can linger long after you've finished cleaning.

Directions for Cleaning Cookie Sheets:

Allow your cookie sheet to cool completely before cleaning. These directions are intended to help remove recent spots and stains to avoid permanent discoloration.

1. Wipe away excess. Using a paper towel, wipe away excess grease or solid residue from the cookie sheet.
2. Make a paste. For heavily stained areas, clean pans with a paste of baking soda and Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner. This helps the cleaner stay in place, and acts as an additional abrasive against stains. Allow to sit for 3-5 minutes.
3. Fill the sink with your Simple Green solution. Fill the kitchen sink with enough hot water to submerge the baking sheet, and add about 1 oz. of Simple Green to each cup of water in the sink (or 1 cup Simple Green to 8 cups hot water).
4. Soak. Soak the sheet for 3-5 minutes, allowing the solution to work through the remaining oils and grease. If your baking sheet doesn't fit into the sink completely, rotate it so that all areas soak for the recommended time. After 5 minutes, drain your sink. Bonus: the Simple Green solution will also clean your drain as you empty the sink.
5. Scrub. Scrub away any additional carbon or grease residue. If your cookie sheet is aluminum, use a scrubbing pad. Scrub a stainless steel cookie sheet with a scouring pad or steel wool. If your baking sheet is non-stick, use a nylon scrubber or sponge to scrub in circular motions.
6. Wash. Wash and dry as usual.

TIP: Use a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper each time you bake to prevent future stains.