cathie,

I do not have a good answer for you, but wanted you to know that I am having the same problem with my cookie sheets that I use for many things. I can not get the stuff off either.

I just tried goo gone and it really didn't do much. Seems like an SOS pad does help a little if you can use it on your surfaces. I bet it does have something to do with the oil although I mainly just use PAM spray on mine, but the gummy spots seem to be near the edges where the oil may have been burnt in.

Good luck. I'll let you know if I find anything that works.

gummy is most likely oil build up..I would try this: place them in the sink and boil some water.. Put some Dawn dish liquid in with the pans, pour the boiling water over them and let them soak..if it doesn't work then use the steel wool, and if that doesn't work PITCH THEM.. Steel wool will kill the teflon finish but it sounds like you may have killed it already.

Try a solvent, like rubbing alcohol or Goo Gone or even WD-40. Spray, seal in a polastic bag or cover the pan with plastic wrap to keep the stuff from evaporating, let it sit for a while and then wash it with hot water and a plastic scrubber.

It's the oils, slowly oxidizing into gunk.

PAM spray will cause gummy residue. Have you tried Dawn Power Dissolver?

Dawn is supposed to have the strongest de greaser of all the dish soaps. That is why they used Dawn on the Exxon oil spill birds--it was the best at removing oil. But some people find that Dawn irritates their skin. So I think you ought to try Dawn and hot water and make sure you use enough Dawn. If it bothers your hands, use rubber gloves.

I had lots of glass stuff on the top of my cabinets and just soaked them in diluted ammonia. YOu miht also try Greased Lighting.

I second Kris' comment above. Never use aerosolized spray oils on Teflon. It doesn't come off, and I've heard it's permanent. As far as the stovetop, I'm not so sure....

Don't use areolosized sprays on anything that you will use with high heat. I use it in non-stick pans for eggs....but, of course that's low heat.
Never ever on cookie sheets.
A Brillo pad will clean it off......but as was said, not good for Teflon.
Linda C

(A week later the O.P. comes back! AND, playing "catch-up" - so it's long...sorry.) LOL! Sorry all, I've had little time to post on cumputer! So much to do, so little time!

"carla35":
I've never even heard of "goo gone"! But, since you've already tried it to no avail - I won't bother with it either. I use my cookie sheets and pizza pans for various things also.

"mscratch":
Would LOVE to be able to soak in sink. Doesn't work - pots/pans too big - sink too small! OK, well I could do a "soak in shifts" - soak part, go back and turn pans in sink, etc... Only thing I have big enough is bathtub - LOL! (and I don't need THAT to get "gummy" also!)

Haven't dared to try the steel wool yet. (I hate those little slivers everywhere) Some of my pans are teflon coated, some not. At this point tho, I don't even care about ruining the teflon coating on some of the pans - since we have been breaking into the alum foil a lot lately...

I like your idea to PITCH THEM. Wish I could! Unfortunately, I am blessed with very little $, so I cannot replace so easily. (the alum foil will have to do for now until I find another solution)

(Maybe we have a plastic tub somewhere big enough to soak in...)

"lazygardens":
I've tried rubbing alcohol on small areas of bottoms of some - didn't work. Don't know what "goo-gone" is. Will not use WD-40 on items I plan to cook food on.

"kris zone6":
Never heard of "Dawn Power Disolver". Maybe I'll try that - can it be bot at local grocer?

"sheilajoyce":
Taking note of the "Dawn" once again. (They used dawn at the "Valdez Oil Spill"?!!!) I saw many documentaries on TV about that - but never heard anything about "Dawn"! Very interesting...

"sewlutions":
I've also tried ammonia on certain spots - didn't work either. Never heard of "Greased Lightening". Is it only to use on glass? OR, can it be used on alum/teflon/stainless steel also? Where do they sell it? Thx...

"edselpdx":
Thx for the "2nd" on "kris's". (Does that mean you also suggest the "Dawn Power Disolver"?)

"lindac":
Hmmm...forgot about "Brillo"! Been SO long! (Isn't that the same as S.O.S. - or, at least closely related? I have forgotten!)

A NOTE TO ALL:

Thx much for all your input. I have NEVER used any kind of "PAM" or other aerosol spray. (and don't intend to).

I REALLY believe it is the types of oils we have been using recently causing this problem.
- ESPECIALLY since I have a couple of fry pans I've been using consistantly since early 70's, and they have ALWAYS come clean with a little cleanser and scrubby. BUT, not anymore since we changed oils!

Another thing - I thought teflon coating was supposed to make for easy cleanup as well as non-stick...(but then, that's what I get for "thinking" again! haha...)

I don't mind the "discoloration" from many years of use. But I DO mind that "gummy stuff" that won't come off!

BTW - Yesterday my son spent HOURS on my stovetop (the 'other" thread) - trying a variety of cleaning agents. What worked best was "ULTRA CONCENTRATED DAWN" lquid dish soap. It still took some "setting" and lots of elbow grease - and even in one area he had to scrape with a dull knife - but that worked best out of anything! He then lined with heavy duty alum foil till we can get the proper drip pans.

So much for newer cheap quality teflon or non-stick coating!

So much for the "good" or "better" cholesterol"...

Think I'll go back to the vegetable shortening or lard or butter/margarine - like my Mother and her WHOLE large family used (as well as I - in the "good ol' days - haha)

What's the difference? Live longer so I can spend all those extra hours fighting "gummy goop"? OR, die earlier without the scrubbing? Hmmm.... (j/k)

(Well, we normally don't buy much for holidays / birthdays, etc. But now I know what I want for Christmas! "NEW" OLD pans from the thrift store and shortening! LOL!)

I found Dawn Power Dissolver at the grocery store by the liquid dishwashing products, probably any store that has a large variety of cleaning items will have it.

Don't know if this would work but might be worth a try. An old (used once) fabric softener sheet will remove baked/burned on food - maybe it will help with the gummy residue. Soak the piece overnight in warm (well, starting out warm) water with the fabric softener sheet (maybe also some of that dawn - I usually also use dishwashing soap) - if sink is to small, put it in a plastic bag. The next morning try scrubbing and see what happens. I've had tremendous luck with this method and badly baked on food.

I got a minute - thot I'd post.

"kris zone6" - Thx much, I'll look for that next time I go to grocer!

"drmeow3" - Question. Does the fab soft sheet need to be a "bouncy" one, or can it be a generic? (I only buy generic or "store brands".) The reason I ask - I've seen other uses for "bouncy" fab soft sheets. BUT, I've always been able to get around that with other products. (So, I don't even remember what things I've read about using "bouncy" fab-soft sheets for.)

To all:
I have not been to store yet to buy anything as mentioned. I DO have some items soaking in the "Ultra Consentrated Dawn" in my sink - (well...1/2 soaking, that is, - as like I said, sink too small/pans too big!)

This is really dumb, b'cuz all these years no problem - a lttle S.O.S. or cleanser and scrubby (if needed) worked.
NOW - pfft!!!

Been tempted to take my pots/pans to the car wash to use "steam-cleaning" option. haha...

(Hmmm - need to look into that...maybe another thread...)

I still recommend the orange or citrus cleaners for stove goo. It will dissolve cooked on oils and grease that don't come off with a sponge swipe. There are several out there. Orange Glo, Zep, Formula 409 makes one, Citrisolve. Spray it on and let it sit for a bit.

Cathie,

generic is fine.

Also - some tips from "Talking dirty with the clean of queen" for grease problems:

place pans in garbage bag, lay paper towels on top, spray paper towels with ammonia (straight up, not diluted), seal bag, leave over night, carefully open bag next day (facing away from you) and wipe/scrub.

salt and lemon

salt, baking soda, and boiling water

baking soda and white vinegar

paste of ammonia, baking soda, and white vinegar

boil water and vinegar (or baking soda) in pot

Also - when I'm desperate (i.e., the baking soda/vinegar mix hasn't worked), bleach cleans my clogged drains.

Maybe try mineral oil (baby oil) - we used to use baby oil to remove the tar that got on our feet when we went to the beach

OK. I have this problem and I have a solution. When I bought a new stove with a glass top it came with a sample of a product called "Cerama Bryte." It is wonderful for removing the burned on grease on the cook top, so I thought it might work on the burned on grease on my cookware. Guess what! It does work. It may take a couple of applications and rubbing with a non-scratch scouring pad, but it does take off that gummy crud without taking off the teflon. It can be ordered online. Google "Cerama Bryte" and you will find lots of links to this product. I LOVE it.

Good luck,
Mary

I used to get this problem with a gummy oil film covering things that were near the stove (it stopped when my brother, who always uses too much oil, moved out). I found that the best way to get it off was to smear dishwashing liquid on the item and let it stand for a few minutes. Then I would wash it in the hottest water my hands could stand and scrub hard with the brush. Worked every time.

I have had this problem when my husband cooks eggs. (He puts the burner heat up higher than I do and I think the oil changes, almost looks like carmel). I put the pan on the cook top, add some cascade auto dish detergent and bring it to a rapid boil. Let it boil about 5 minutes then turn the heat off. In the morning most everything on the pan is lifted off. I don't think you can do this with teflon though.

Good luck!

The trick about using boiling soapy water to remove burned or gunky stuff *does* work with teflon, even old/scratched teflon. DH has a habit of fixing stuff with BBQ sauce over it, and then forgetting to turn the burner off -we are talking charcoaled, caramelized glop here. Fill pan with water to 1/2" from top edge, add a few drops dishwashing liquid (I use Palmolive green) and bring to a boil. The soapy water will really rise up, so keep an eye on it. Once it comes to a full boil, turn heat off (add boiling water to bring water level to the top of the pan if it's burnt or goopy to the top), put the lid on and let it sit a half-hour to an hour. Use a credit card or similar thin plastic edge to scrape off the thick stuff, and then wash as usual in the hottest possible water. The fabric softener (sheet or a few drops liquid) works fairly well in non-teflon pans. In all cases, the pan cleans fastest if treatment is started before the pan has cooled off.

I used the method of boiling dish detergent and water in my teflon pans to try to make them clean and new again. It did work somewhat BUT after that, every time I used the pan, I would get that same smell, of hot dishsoap wafting up.

I figured this may be dangerous as these fumes are probably chemicals that should not be breathed in. I had to toss the pans.

The boiling soap method works well with plain metal pans and does not have that lasing effect. I think that the heat, combined with the soap, and combined with the teflon created a new substance. Scary.

bud wi,

After reading about the gasses that can come off teflon if you over heat it, I decided to get rid of all of mine and switch to stainless. Apparently the Teflon fumes can be toxic to pet birds and people sometimes have flu type symptoms from exposure.

Hi,

I just tried Barkeeper's Friend on my metal (not non-stick) cookie sheets and it worked! I put some of the powder on and just enough water to make a paste and used my finger. As an added bonus the powder makes the gummy spot black, so you can tell when it's all off. It only took about 10 min. max for one cookie sheet. I bought this at a regular grocery store. BTW, Barkeeper's Friend also worked on other things that I was having trouble cleaning. It can be used on a lot of different surfaces.

I use barkeepers friend on all bathroom things,kitchen things too but will ruin teflon. If you have iron or minerals in your water it does wonders too.

The gunk on your stoves and pots and pans is caused by overheated vegetable oils. It does'nt seem to affect cast iron tho.
vickie

I put Cascade dishwasher soap and hot water on my gummy cookie sheet and the gook came right off.