Author	[Modern View]
Britcheflee 01-07-2013 17:20:00 67.187.170.181 Report to Moderator	I have collected about 20 saute pans which were on the way to the dumpster - I was going to take them to recycling as they are aluminium - however when I got them home I realized they are only dirty and need a clean - the stuff on them is burnt on grease and oil from years of use - the backs are really bad with that shiny brown glaze - the insides are bad but the bottoms are not so dirty - I tried a wire brush first - nothing, wire brush on drill, nothing, round grinder, just clogged it with goop, I have a pint of Berrymans cleaning stuff inside it and going to let it soak overnight - I am thinking that if I can get them back to shiny new I could actually sell them for more than recycle - also made me wonder if there might be a market for restaurants where I go and clean the pans back to new for them - do you think sandblasting would work? Any other cleaner you think might get that stuff off? Lee [Reply]   [No Email]
it me again 01-09-2013 04:34:23 207.231.12.47 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:20:00   hey take the restaurant.. talk to owner see what he would charge you clean them.. they have a big tank of cleaner and used it for every thing.. not any fast food restaurant.. [Reply]  [No Email]
showcrop 01-09-2013 04:52:50 75.67.231.80 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to it me again, 01-09-2013 04:34:23   Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see I was just going to mention these soak tanks, We used to see them in many restaurant kitchens for many years. A big national company called Safety Kleen used to service them, but at least in the northeast quit about ten years ago. The cooks would put anything with burned on grease into them and let them soak overnight in the oven cleaner solution. After Safety Clean quit servicing them many restaurants started recharging the tanks themselves with oven cleaner from my customers. The tanks would certainly have provided a good place for build-up of explosive gases is there were any, and there would be very few restaurants still standing. [Reply]  [No Email]
Britcheflee 01-09-2013 10:30:36 67.187.170.181 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to showcrop, 01-09-2013 04:52:50   Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see Spent a bit of time messing with them yesterday - a lot of hard work to get them anywhere clean - off to the recycling they go - nothing like that soak tank I am aware of in my area - being California its probably illegal to do that now! Probably get enough money to get 1/2 tank of gas which is fine. Lee [Reply]  [No Email]
ZANE 01-08-2013 16:17:38 64.12.116.20 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:20:00   Lye, aluminum and water make hydrogen gas. BOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Zane [Reply]  [No Email]
showcrop 01-08-2013 07:19:56 75.67.231.80 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:20:00   Unless it changed over the weekend, and I could call into the plant and check, NaOH is still what is being used at food service operations to clean burned on grease. And yes they are cleaning aluminum pans. I have customers who sell concentrated oven cleaner in 55 gal. drums to restaurants. I sell the 55 gal. drums to the distributors. Most restaurants don't keep up with them and the bottoms get very crusted, but some places do and during the cleaning they avoid getting it on the inside. but even if the cleaner etches the aluminum a little, a quick scrub removes the oxidation and shines the surface again. [Reply]  [No Email]
TheOldHokie 01-08-2013 07:45:13 71.176.187.217 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to showcrop, 01-08-2013 07:19:56   Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see It WILL etch the surface and the stronger the lye content the deeper and faster the "etch". Don't leave it on more than a few minutes or the surface will start to pit and you will need a LOT of polishing to get it smooth again. That said I clean large commercial aluminum oven pans on a regular basis using the commercial oven/grill/fryer cleaner sold in pump botttles at Sam's Club. It's an inexpensive lye based cleaner that is very effective on stainless and works fine on aluminum if you work fast and don't mind the dull finish it leaves behind. I try to limit it to the exterior surfaces on aluminum cookware to protect the cooking surface. Do not use it on anodized Calphalon surfaces - it will destroy them almost instantly. TOH [Reply]  [No Email]
showcrop 01-08-2013 13:54:32 75.67.231.80 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to TheOldHokie, 01-08-2013 07:45:13   Quoting Removed, click Modern View to see Yes, as I said the oven cleaner will etch the surface and just as is being done in millions of commercial kitchens every day a quick scrub with a stainless steel or nylon scrubbie will remove the oxidized aluminum and put the polish back on in no time. If one wishes to be cautious immersing first for ten minutes and checking then a half hour etc. can enable one to do it the way the rest of the world does and not have to worry. [Reply]  [No Email]
TheOldHokie 01-08-2013 06:27:47 71.176.187.217 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:20:00   Britcheflee said: (quoted from post at 21:20:00 01/07/13) I have collected about 20 saute pans which were on the way to the dumpster - I was going to take them to recycling as they are aluminium - however when I got them home I realized they are only dirty and need a clean - the stuff on them is burnt on grease and oil from years of use - the backs are really bad with that shiny brown glaze - the insides are bad but the bottoms are not so dirty - I tried a wire brush first - nothing, wire brush on drill, nothing, round grinder, just clogged it with goop, I have a pint of Berrymans cleaning stuff inside it and going to let it soak overnight - I am thinking that if I can get them back to shiny new I could actually sell them for more than recycle - also made me wonder if there might be a market for restaurants where I go and clean the pans back to new for them - do you think sandblasting would work? Any other cleaner you think might get that stuff off? Lee Sounds like a good job for the bead blaster to me. Or some agressive polishing compound and a HD buffer. Lye based oven cleaner and aluminum cookware do not play well together. It may remove the grease but you will not like the surface it leaves behind. TOH This post was edited by TheOldHokie at 06:32:01 01/08/13 2 times. [Reply]  [No Email]
Bob Harvey 01-07-2013 19:25:18 209.121.225.136 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:20:00   Your intent is good. However, JUNK them (or recycle) The effort to reclaim is NOT worth it. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 01-07-2013 17:36:17 209.86.226.30 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:20:00   I would still recycle them since I do not use aluminum cook ware at all due to the health risk ya it maybe a myth but I'll stay with my cast iron stuff [Reply]  [No Email]
Britcheflee 01-07-2013 17:46:25 67.187.170.181 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to old, 01-07-2013 17:36:17   This is probably what 99% of your food is cooked in at a restaurant: http://www.instawares.com/gatorgrip-aluminum-fry-pan.971138.0.7.htm Actually, because of the amount of oil and grease which builds up and seasons the pan I really doubt much aluminium ever gets into the food - boiling products in large aluminium pots may be a different story though. Lee I will try the oven cleaner and see if that works. Wouldnt an aluminium pan melt at 1000 degrees!!! [Reply]  [No Email]
Ron-MO 01-07-2013 18:43:19 174.131.236.58 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:46:25   No, aluminum (good grade) will not melt at 1000 degrees. The furnace we were using was used primarily to heat treat cast aluminum and laminated steel parts for manufacturing electrical components. We often went as high as 1200 degrees without melting the aluminum, and shrink fit the part onto an assembly using that method. But I am sure you could likely burn off those with a gas bbq as well at much less than 1000 degrees. "Pot metal" or some alloys will melt at those temps. [Reply]  [No Email]
old 01-07-2013 18:08:44 209.86.226.30 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:46:25   Would you believe I might eat out once maybe twice a year?? Things like tomato's it is not good to cook in aluminum and any other high acid food. All my cook ware and yes I call it may because I do 99% of the cooking is cast iron or stainless steel or glass [Reply]  [No Email]
HCooke 01-07-2013 17:56:42 70.195.10.140 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:46:25   No oven cleaner on aluminum. Look up NaOH vs Aluminum. [Reply]  [No Email]
Ron-MO 01-07-2013 17:31:55 174.131.236.58 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:20:00   In a previous life at work we had a furnace we used for heat treating, and on occasion we would "burn off" items like that. I recall doing a lot of paint stripping that way, as well as cleaning items such as you mention. I think that small electric furnace (fire brick lined) ran roughly 1000 degrees and would make short work of cleaning things up. Simply wash off the ash that was left, then we usually bead blasted it, and refinished (on painted items). Probably not very environmentally friendly, and I often wondered about how exposive the fumes coming off it, but worked good. How hot does a gas bbq run? (I use charcoal, so I have no idea) [Reply]  [No Email]
Den N Ms 01-07-2013 17:30:50 184.41.137.166 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Britcheflee, 01-07-2013 17:20:00   Britcheflee Use some cheap oven cleaner on them to remove the carbon burnt on gunk. Or even some paint remover will work great. [Reply]  [No Email]
HCooke 01-07-2013 17:46:10 70.195.10.140 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Den N Ms, 01-07-2013 17:30:50   Oven cleaner (Lye, NaOH) and aluminum are a bad combination. [Reply]  [No Email]
Den N Ms 01-07-2013 18:36:57 184.41.137.166 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to HCooke, 01-07-2013 17:46:10   Most oven cleaner is only 10% NaOH [Reply]  [No Email]
Cliff(VA) 01-08-2013 05:06:08 70.89.233.37 Report to Moderator	Re: OT cleaning off burnt on oil and grease in reply to Den N Ms, 01-07-2013 18:36:57   It will still eat away at the aluminum and create LOTS of explosive hydrogen gas. Cliff(VA) [Reply]  [No Email]