Common Cleaning Queries Answered
What brands of cleaning products do you recommend?
We recommend genuine Sunlight liquid for general cleaning. For stubborn stains on the inside of our pots we use Chemico Paste (available in most supermarkets.)
Why does my Tava (griddle) discolour and my roti's stick?
To avoid sticking and discolouration, drop the stove heat. Your tava should NOT be used on high heat. To clean any stubborn burnt oil/ghee marks, spray with Zeb oven cleaner and place in a plastic bag. Remove after a while and clean tava. Routine cleaning of the Tava involves filling with water while still warm and using Sunlight liquid or a teaspoon of lemon juice.
The base of my pots are black. What can I do?
Use Zeb Oven Cleaner. See details as given for Tava above. Oven Cleaner can also be used for burnt food deposits.
Why are my Ovenprufe pots a "golden" colour?
Any Stainless Steel will discolour at high heat. To reduce discolouration, ensure the ffg:
- Oven Thermostat is not faulty
- Pot has sufficient quantity of food in it
- Pot is not too close to oven element.
NB. The discolouration is not Rust. It is purely a cosmetic/aesthetic discolouration caused by the accelerated oxidation of chromium in the steel. It will not affect the performance of the pot.
Routine Cleaning
Stainless Steel's best friends are quite simply soap, or mild detergent, or dilute ammonia in warm water applied with a soft cloth or synthetic sponge. Rinse well and dry with a soft cloth.
Occasionally the use of a mild household cleaner (eg. Handy Andy), a fine synthetic scourer (green "Scotch Brite") or a brush with nylon bristles may be used. Routine cleaning applied repeatedly over several days will often remove heavy soiling and staining which has occurred will become less noticeable (may even completely disappear).
Do's
- Routine simple and gentle cleaning
- Use cleaners showing "Suitable for Stainless Steel"
- Rub in direction of finish
- Repeated routine cleaning rather than aggressive single cleaning
Don'ts
- Do NOT place empty pot on hot stove.
- Do NOT place pot in oven.
- Cook on high cooking heats.
- Use coarse abrasive powders/harsh chemicalsUse metallic scourers (or brushes with metal bristles)
- Use the "Silver Cleaners"
Notes
- Avoid prolonged contact with heavily spiced or salty food, raw bloody meat, some salad dressings, citrus juice (especially lemon juice), etc.
- Slight residue of grease, fat or oil is often the cause of dull bluish film
- White marks on inside of cookware is due to inadequate cleaning, hard water or excessive use of salt in cooking. To remove, wash thoroughly using dishwashing liquid and a sponge.
- Discolouration of cookware to a rainbow-straw colour is due to use of excessive heat. Do not use high heat. To remove try dissolving 1 teaspoon tartaric acid in a little water and rubbing gently or try rubbing with a lemon cut in half.
- If food sticks to bottom of pot during cooking, then reduce heat. A little oil or water may be needed as this could have been lost when "peeking." Avoid opening the lid while cooking.
- Some alteration of appearance is inevitable.
