The Easy Aluminum Foil Hack That'll Get Your Burnt Glass Bakeware Shining

The benefits of glass bakeware make it a favorite of home cooks everywhere. It is a great option for acidic food that reacts with metal baking dishes. Glass bakeware also allows you to see your dish from all sides as it cooks, which may help minimize the risk of overcooking or undercooking your food. Many glass dishes are even microwave-safe, which makes reheating leftover baked meals super convenient. Even with all of the advantages, glass bakeware can make the post-cooking cleaning process more complicated as food easily sticks to the surface. Aluminum foil can be used to remove burnt stuck-on food to get your glass bakeware looking as good as new again. 

Glass heats up quickly and it's easy to burn food even when following the recommended heating instructions on a recipe. It also doesn't come with a nonstick coating. However, if you have aluminum foil lying around your kitchen, you should be able to tackle any stuck-on burnt food with ease. If you have ever attempted to scrub food off of glass bakeware with a sponge, you know that it usually is not all that effective. Soaking the dish overnight can help loosen the burnt food, but that method takes up kitchen sink space and isn't exactly a quick fix. You might find that this aluminum foil hack is a much better solution.

To fight pesky glass bakeware stains with foil, grab a sheet and crumble it into a tight ball. Next, wet the dish with warm water and add a few drops of dish soap. Use the foil ball to scrub away the burned glass bakeware until it is clean again. This aluminum foil ball works similarly to a steel wool cleaning pad. Using aluminum foil you likely already have in your kitchen may be more convenient than purchasing steel wood. Additionally, you can reuse pieces of foil previously used to cover or store food to create this steel wool alternative. This makes it a more environmentally friendly option.

If you are having trouble removing burnt or stuck-on food with the aluminum ball, you can try soaking the glass bakeware in soapy water overnight. This will help loosen up the food. You may also soak it in water for a few hours if you are on a time crunch or do not want to leave dirty dishes in the sink overnight. When using the aluminum ball, be sure to add enough dish soap to create a bubbly lather. This will help the stuck-on food break down more easily, especially if what you cooked was oily.

You might be wondering whether you can use this cleaning method on other bakeware. As previously mentioned, glass pieces typically do not contain a nonstick coating that could easily be scratched away with the abrasive foil. As long as your glass does not contain a coating that could be damaged, you should not have to worry about the foil. 

As for removing those pesky stains from your other bakeware pieces, you should not use the abrasive foil on anything else that has a nonstick coating. This may include metal or ceramic pieces, for example. If you are unsure, check the bottom of your bakeware to see whether it is labeled nonstick. Although you may not be able to scrub these pieces with foil, soaking them in soapy water overnight should still help loosen food so you can remove it more easily with a less abrasive scrubbing tool.