Raclette pans: removing cheese without scraping
The cheese has cooled in the little pans and will not budge. Two methods depending on the material, and above all one you must not use on non-stick.
Cheese set hard on a lukewarm pan is solidified fat. You do not need elbow grease, you need soaking time and the right product.
First reflex, before you even clear the table: run the pans under very hot water straight after the meal, even if you wash them later. It saves you half the work.
What you need
- 1 tablespoon black soap per litre of water
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon sodium percarbonate, for stainless steel only
- A little white vinegar, to finish
The method
Non-stick and aluminium. Fill the sink with water at 45 to 50 °C, add one tablespoon of black soap per litre and leave to soak for a quarter of an hour.
Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with a little water to make a thick paste. Spread it over the stuck-on areas, leave for five minutes, scrub with a soft sponge and rinse.
Stainless steel and enamelled steel. Pour one litre of water at 50 °C and one tablespoon of percarbonate into the pot. Put the lid on and leave for thirty minutes: the residue comes away almost by itself.
Drain, sprinkle with baking soda, scrub gently and rinse.
The lingering smell
After washing, spray on a little white vinegar, rinse and wipe dry. This neutralises the cheese smell and prevents limescale marks.
Never pour vinegar into the soapy water or the percarbonate bath: it cancels out their action. Use it as a separate rinse.
If it is burnt
Cover the bottom with hot water and add a teaspoon of baking soda, bring to a gentle simmer for three to four minutes, turn off the heat, leave to stand, empty, then wash as usual.
What not to do
- No percarbonate or washing soda on aluminium or non-stick: they damage the coating.
- No abrasives on a non-stick pan. The baking soda paste is enough.
- Wearing gloves is recommended with percarbonate, in a well-aired room. Store the powders out of reach of children.
The doses for our products are on their packaging, and that is what counts. If swallowed or splashed, call the Poison Centre on +32 70 245 245 and keep the packaging to hand.
