Ten years of burnt oil had built up across one stainless steel Cuisinart pan, leaving dark brown patches over much of the metal. The buildup had reached the point where its owner didn’t want to use the pan anymore.
Reddit user u/_take_me_away decided to clean it with The Pink Stuff paste. She spent just under an hour on the entire pan, but the tool she used was more surprising than the time: no scrubber, just the cleaning paste and paper towels.
The Brown Buildup Was Burnt Oil
The dark coating wasn’t seasoning the owner wanted to preserve.
When another Reddit user asked whether buildup on pans was a problem, she explained that hers came from oil burned onto the stainless steel through years of use.
She considered cleaning it a matter of preference, but said the condition of her pan had started to deter her from using it.
She Used The Pink Stuff Paste
The Pink Stuff comes in several cleaning products, so commenters wanted to know which one produced the result.
She used the paste sold in the large tub.
She also compared its cleaning action with Bar Keepers Friend, saying she found The Pink Stuff more abrasive and that it made the job easier than she expected.
That doesn’t mean the buildup disappeared as soon as the paste touched it.
Some Patches Still Needed Work
Cleaning the full pan took just under an hour.
She worked at her dining table while watching YouTube and wasn’t rushing through the job. Some of the oldest patches resisted more than the rest and took extra work before they came off.
The difference afterward was hard to miss. She described the cleaned stainless steel as reflective enough to act like a mirror for the tiles behind it.
No Scrubber Was Involved
One commenter saw the finished pan and asked what type of scrubber she had used.
There wasn’t one.
The owner said she used The Pink Stuff and paper towels. That doesn’t mean this was a no-scrub method. She still spent close to an hour working on the pan. The distinction is that she didn’t use a scouring pad or another scrubber to do it.
Check the Surface Before Trying It
The same method isn’t meant for every pan or surface.
When another commenter considered buying the paste for a deep clean, the pan owner recommended checking the product label first to see which materials it can be used on.
That matters with an abrasive cleaner. Her result came from a stainless steel pan with years of burnt oil on its surface; it doesn’t establish that the same treatment is suitable for every cookware finish.
Ten years of buildup made the pan look far removed from the reflective stainless steel underneath. The transformation came from paste, paper towels, and close to an hour of work—not a specialized scrubber.
Would you spend an hour restoring an old stainless steel pan, or replace it once the burnt oil gets this heavy?
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