So it’s the backwards edition of Works-for-Me Wednesday, which I am excited for! All through my college years and the first few years in an apartment, I had less-than-adequate baking sheets. They were brown and dingy, somehow becoming yuckier and filthier with each use. I gladly trashed those terrible pans, and slowly, I have been able to add higher quality items through the last few years.
Last Christmas, I got a gift card to Williams-Sonoma, a store that I dearly love, yet can’t afford a single thing in. I splurged and got several nice items, including a new half sheet pan. I was so excited!! I quickly put it to use. Unfortunately, my new sheet pan has the same grossness as the old. I tried to scrub it, but just managed to scrub off the finish instead in one big spot. So, give me your tips and suggestions! No, I’m not even willing to post a photo, because I’m that annoyed! Yes, I’ve tried baking soda, Borax, SOS (bad), a sponge, hot water soak, Dawn, Dawn Power Dissolver (amazing for stovetops though!)… but I’m open to any new secret you have!
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Adventures in Amberland 
I don’t know about restoring the finish, but for the future, soaking burnt on food in hot water and fabric softener overnight (either liquid or a dryer sheet) usually lifts off the burnt mess and makes it a breeze to wash off in the morning.
I have the same problem – so I hope you get some suggestions we can both use! I sometimes cover my baking sheets with foil if I know things are going to get messy, but I feel a bit guilty for being wasteful when I toss the foil into the garbage….
I know coke (full fat) works on burnt on pans. If you can put the sheet directly on your hob then you could try pouring enough coke on to cover the bottom of the sheet and simmering it for a few minutes, then try to clean off the gunk, it might take a few tries but this always works when I burn things.
Have you tried Bar Keeper’s Friend? It works great on things with a non-stick coating too – I use it about once every couple of weeks and it brings back the non-stick coating to it’s original ability to release food.
The other thing I’d tell you that I’ve learned is that non-stick sprays are evil when it comes to cookie sheets. I’ve ruined more than my fair share by using Pam – so now I stick to wax paper or Silpat liners instead.
That “grunge” is from non-stick spray or greasing the pan. That stuff bakes on it!
You can *try* putting powdered dishwasher detergent on it and wetting just to make a paste. Let sit for a while then use a plastic scrubbie and elbow grease. Or try covering with baking soda, then squirting with just enough Windex to make a paste. Let sit, then scrub (works great on stoves, so maybe…)
(Don’t try on non-stick pans)
Your best bet is to get a silpat or use parchment paper in the future so you don’t have to grease the pan.
I would rather have a clean but stained pan than put harsh chemicals on it, so mine are all colors but still clean. As long as I dry the pan immediately I don’t get rust spots. But using parchment paper really keeps the pan clean — and you can re-use the same piece of parchment (for example if you are baking cookies, just use the spatula to get the cookies up and re-use the paper for the next batch). No need for spraying the pan, since the paper does the trick — which may prolong the pretty face of the pan, too! Good luck. 🙂
I know this works, but be careful you don’t scratch the coating.
A razor blade. You scrape it the same way you would the paint on the window after painting it–if you didn’t use tape. Trust me, it works. It is actually what my stove recommended to do to get those nasty black spots that won’t come off with comet, so after it worked on the stove-top, I moved on to my pans…then the paint splatters on my countertop, then…
(just kidding–that was all I scraped–I think)
Ohh, I never thought of that! I have razor blades around here somewhere from scraping the paint off windows… I put them in a “safe” place… one that is obviously too safe since I can’t find them! 🙂 I’ll try them on my stovetop too. I must have missed that tip when I didn’t read the book. 😉