No kitchen chore is more tedious than scrubbing grimy pots and pans. Until a few months ago, I relied on simple techniques like boiling water in the pan after searing and sautéing to reduce the amount of work I had to do with steel wool. Even with this trick, I remember times when I spent 15 minutes scrubbing my stainless steel pan to restore it to good condition. I did not believe in cleaning agents because none of the ones I tried helped. When I read an article in Cook's Illustrated Magazine recommending Bar Keeper's Friend, I didn't get my hopes up; but I decided to give it a shot because I never got a bad recommendation from Cook's.

I found Bar Keeper's Friend at my local supermarket for $2.50. Unlike Comet, Ajax, and other more popular brands, Bar Keeper's Friend didn't have any catchy marketing slogans on it, so I never noticed its modest can before. Several days later I had a seriously dirty pan to clean after searing 5 batches of beef for a stew. I sprinkled Bar Keeper's Friend on the completely blackened bottom of the pan, and set to work with my steel wool. It only took about a minute to scrub off all the grime from the latest sear. It also took off the stains that had accumulated over years of use. My pan looked as good as new. I tried Bar Keeper's Friend on my Pyrex dish after accidentally burning a sweet glaze in a 450F oven. Same great results. After it returned my old broiler pan to a sparkling condition, I was a total convert.

I recently learned about all the other secret talents of Bar Keeper's Friend. It removed rust from my needlenose pliers, year old stains from my stove top, and 3 years worth of grime from my oven window. I can see inside my oven again without opening the door! It even claims to remove rust from bumpers and automobile chrome, but I am yet to try that.

Now that I am armed with Bar Keeper's Friend, I no longer hate washing pots and pans. I actually get excited when I have a really tough cleaning job. I think of it as a challenge to find a job that's too tough for Bar Keeper's Friend. But every time I think I've found a winner, Bar Keeper's Friend comes through.