If you are a fan of baking, you probably already know that muffin pans can be notoriously hard to clean.
These pans can are easily tarnished with baked-on grease, especially if you use cooking spray on your muffin pans. Thankfully, there are several ways to clean muffin pans and make them look as good as new.
Different methods work for different kinds of pans.
Scroll down to take a look at some simple methods to clean your muffin pans without putting in too much elbow grease.
Choose the one that works the best for your pan!
Soak Overnight with a Dryer Sheet
Soaking with a dryer sheet is an excellent way to loosen the baked-on grime and grease.
This method works like a charm for tin pans. Take a look at how you can clean your muffin pans using only water and dryer sheets.
Step 1 – Soak the Tin Muffin Pan
The first thing you need to do is fill the sink with warm water. Make sure the water is only warm and not too hot as hot water can damage the pan.
Fill about 3/4th of the sink and gently soak the muffin tin in water with muffin holes facing up.
If your muffin tin is particularly greasy, you can also add a few drops of dish soap in the water before soaking the muffin tin. The dish soap will also help loosen baked on grime and grease.
Step 2 – Lay the Dryer Sheet
Submerge the muffin tin as much in the water as possible. Now, simply lay a dryer sheet in the water on top of the holes of the muffin pan.
Generally, a single dryer sheet is enough to clean muffin pans effectively. However, if your pans are particularly dirty with stubborn grease, it is advisable to use at least two dryer sheets.
Step 3 – Leave the Muffin Pan to Soak
For best results, leave your muffin pan to soak in the water overnight. This will give the cleaning additives in the dryer sheet an adequate amount of time to dissolve and loosen the grease.
However, in case you are in a hurry to get your muffin pan sparkly clean, let it soak for at least 1 to 2 hours.
Step 4 – Wipe off the Remaining Grease
If you let your muffin pans soak with dryer sheets long enough, most of the grease will come off on its own.
In case there’s a remaining mess, you can clean it off with a sponge. If the sponge doesn’t work, you can use a spatula to scrape the remaining grease.
Soaking with the dryer sheet works well to loosen the grease. Therefore, scraping or wiping any remaining grease would not require a lot of elbow grease.
Step 5 – Wash the Muffin Pan Thoroughly
Once you have wiped off the remaining grime, make sure you wash your muffin pan thoroughly with soap and warm water.
This will ensure the removal of any cleaning additives from the dryer sheet.
Baking It Off
This is another amazing way to get rid of grease and grime from your tin muffin pans! Try this method when the muffin pan holes are particularly greasy.
It must be noted that while this method is great for removing the baked-on mess from the muffin tin holes, it isn’t that effective when it comes to cleaning the flat, top, or bottom surface of the muffin tin pan.
Now, let’ s take a look at how to bake your muffin tin pans in just five easy steps.
Step 1 – Preheat the Oven and Make a Baking Soda Solution
Preheat the oven to 350° F (177° C). In the meantime, dissolve baking soda in water to create a baking soda solution.
Add around two tablespoons of baking soda to a medium-sized bowl of water. It is best to use warm water for this purpose. Use a spoon to stir thoroughly until baking soda completely dissolves in the water.
Keep in mind that if you are out of baking soda, you can also use plain water for baking grease off your muffin pan.
However, while water will work to loosen some grease, you can get better results by using the baking soda solution. It will work better to remove stubborn gunk.
Step 2 – Fill the Muffin Holes with Baking Soda Solution
Once the baking soda solution is ready, slowly pour it into the muffin holes. Avoid filling the muffin holes till the top, but make sure you fill at least 2/3 rd of each muffin hole with the baking soda solution.
Keep in mind that the steam from the solution will take care of light grease on the surface of the muffin pan.
However, you may have to try another method to get rid of it completely in case the surface has too much baked-on gunk on it.
Step 3 – Place the Muffin Pan in the Oven
Place the muffin pan in the oven and let it bake for 8 to 20 minutes. If you haven’t cleaned your muffin pan in a while and it has a lot of baked-on greases, it will take around 20 minutes to bake it clean.
However, if you are cleaning the pan after a single use, as little as 8 minutes should be enough to loosen the grease and gunk.
So, make sure you set the timer on the oven based on the condition of your muffin pan.
Step 4 – Let the Pan Cool
Remove the muffin pan from the oven and drain the leftover baking soda solution in the sink. Don’t forget to wear oven mitts to protect your hands.
Place the muffin pan on a heat-safe surface and let it cool a bit. However, don’t wait for it to be completely cooled.
Step 5 – Scrub Off Any Remaining Grease
While the baking powder solution helps to loosen the baked-on gunk, your muffin pan will probably require some scrubbing.
So, as soon as the muffin pan has cooled enough to handle, take it to the sink to scrub off any remaining grease. Squirt some dish soap on a sponge or bristle brush, and use it to scrub the pan thoroughly.
If you are using a brush, make sure it has nylon bristles. This will keep the brush from leaving scratch marks on your muffin pan as you scrub.
Once the remaining gunk is removed, wash your pan thoroughly with water to get rid of the soap residue.
Use Hot Water & Baking Soda to Clean Silicone Muffin Pans
Silicone muffin pans are generally easier to clean as compared to their tin counterparts. However, stubborn baked-on grease can still be a problem.
Now that you know how to clean tin muffin pans, let’s take a look at what you can do to clean silicone muffin pans.
Step 1 – Wash the Muffin Pan with Very Hot Water
Let the water run for a little while in the kitchen sink to make sure it is hot. You can also fill the sink with hot water if you want.
Slowly submerge the muffin pan in the water. It is advisable to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands and avoid burns.
Step 2 – Make a Baking Soda Cleaning Paste
Hot water will work to loosen the grease. In the meantime, mix baking soda with water to make a thick cleaning paste.
Mix two tablespoons of baking soda with a splash of water in a small bowl. The resulting paste should be enough to cover a single silicone muffin pan with 6 to 8 muffin holes.
Step 3 – Scrub the Silicone Muffin Pan
Soak the muffin pan in hot water or let the water run on it for a few minutes. Squirt some dish soap on a sponge and use it to scrub the entire muffin pan.
Clean the pan as much as you can before rinsing it with water. Shake the muffin pan a few times to get rid of excess water.
Your pan should not be drenched. However, make sure it is still wet when you apply the cleaning paste.
Step 4 – Apply the Cleaning Paste on the Grime
Use your fingers or a spoon to spread the cleaning paste on the remaining grease in the pan. Spread a thick layer of the baking soda paste, making sure that all the dirty spots are completely covered.
Set the muffin pan aside to dry. Depending on how thick you layered the paste, it can take anywhere from a few minutes up to an hour to dry completely.
Step 5 – Wash Your Pan Clean
Once the baking soda is completely dry, rinse the muffin under hot water once again and scrub away the hardened paste using a sponge.
The baked-on grease and gunk will come off along with the baking soda. Use dish soap to wash the pan thoroughly. Your silicone muffin pan will be as good as new!
These are three simple methods to keep your muffin pans in top-notch condition without using any harsh chemicals.
Now that you know how to clean your muffin pans, you can make all the muffins you want without worrying about staining your muffin pan!
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