I seem to remember my grandmother using COT to clean discolored aluminum pots... that dull gray stuff.

Once let a decent non-stick skillet cook totally DRY. Had something in it on lowest setting. Didn't burn to the point of smoke or flames, but a THICK crust on bottom. I knew even using wood or plastic spatula would probably completely kill the pan. Somebody/somewhere suggested a method that work GREAT. I filled skillet a full as possible with water... like to the BRIM, and brought just about to boil. I turned off flame and added liberal amount of baking soda... which foamed up and over, but not a real mess to clean up. Once cool enough to handle, had to dip out some of the water in order to get pan to sink without sloshing all over the place. That black crust floated off, pretty much in one round disk, with the slightest of prodding with rubber spatula.

Wonder if COT would work on non-stick to remove that residue that eventually happens, especially on NS that is a bit textured?

I know there are all sorts of cleaning tips but what I'm really wondering is what happened to the COT? Is there a difference in different brands? The new one is not McCormick's but I can't remember the brand name without going and looking for it. May be Tone's?

When looking up COT it says that it is potassium hydrogen tartrate so it seems to me that it would all be the same but by the difference in it's cleaning ability from one brand to the next, it has to be some difference...right?

So no one knows anything about COT? I looked at my bottle and it's a generic brand packaged for GFS (Gorden Food Services) which is a store like a tiny Sam's Club that doesn't require any membership. I think it's packaged as Trade East and it does not say anything about ingredients, it only says Cream of Tartar and a nutrition label.

Just for grins since I have a huge box of baking soda for cleaning, I have been soaking it in about a 1/4 cup of baking soda and boiling water. So far it's been in there for about an hour and the grease isn't moving even with an SOS pad! Will continue to soak and update.

i dont have the specific answer you require ...

potassium hydrogen tartrate is potassium hydrogen tartrate .... one would think... there should not be any fillers or some such ... to change strength ...

check out this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium_bitartrate

whoi knew ... a byproduct of wine.. wine diamonds ... and see household use mixing with other acids ... vinegar ...

good luck and happy cleaning ...

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

Yeah, one would think! I'm going to try this again and use more COT this time. The baking soda is doing absolutely nothing. The only thing touching the grease is scraping it off with a knife end.

Soak with Oxyclean and HOT water. Can't help you with why your new COT isn't working, but the Oxyclean and Dawn Powersoak formulas both work,

AG, would barkeepers friend work? I can't help you with the COT either. I've never used it.

Cream of tartar is sometimes an ingredient in cookies so I thought maybe some bakers would know.

The BKF isn't doing it either. Right now I have it in a bag with some ammonia in the basement to sit over night. If that doesn't work then I have no idea what got on this burner pan! Sheesh, time to throw it out and buy a new one.

I snagged a crusted enameled cast iron skillet that was destined for the garbage. Put it in a plastic garbage bag and sprayed with oven-cleaner and set out in the sun. It brought it up good-as new!

You're talking about the polymerized grease, right? The kind that you can't feel but adheres better than paint? Baking soda and Oxyclean do well for stuck on and char, but not so much for the polymerized. BKF made into a paste and left on it for awhile will work, eventually, but requires a lot of scrubbing. Here's a blog with a rundown of ways to use cream of tartar.

So, why didn't yours work? What's the difference?

Difference #1: It's new. Maybe something about being old made the old stuff work better. Ask your friends if they have an old open box of cream of tartar that you can try.

Are there any other differences? Different stove/drip pans? Different vessel you're soaking them in? Different water composition? Since this is a chemical reaction, any of these could make a difference.

It's also possible that what you have isn't pure cream of tartar, That seems unlikely for McCormick, but in the past (way past) cream of tartar often had other powders mixed in. Perhaps if what you have is imported, that's the issue as well? You could try using more, or getting yourself a new box of McCormick's.

I'm leaning toward the fact that McCormick's is better quality but darn I used two heaping spoons of it today(of the generic stuff) and nothing! I was just so disappointed because the first try worked so well. Thought that I had found the secret to cleaning baked on grease.

OH and YES it's the stuff that looks like paint and sticks better than paint. I have no idea what it started its life out as because I hardly ever fry anything! Some boiling potatoes spilled over the other day and that's all I can think of.

Maybe the generic stuff isn't cream of tartar at all?

I found a test on a site called Global Post. A "duh!" moment, because that's a normal use for cream of tartar. That is, it's an acid that's either used to stabilize eggwhites or activate the bubbling of baking soda. It's well worded (and it works), so I've quoted below:
Test the potency of the cream of tartar, if you're uncertain, by stirring a half-teaspoon into a half-cup of warm water. Add a generous pinch of baking soda. If it foams vigorously, the soda and tartar will still work together effectively in your baking.

If you're using the water test and don't get a reaction from your soda, repeat the test with lemon juice in the water. If the soda still doesn't foam, it's your soda that's the problem. Soda is much more susceptible to moisture in the atmosphere and loses its potency over time. Date your boxes of soda and replace them after a year if necessary.

All it says is cream of tartar. It gives no ingredients. What else would it be?

Well...if it's mislabelled, just about anything! Flour. Baking soda. Alum. Gypsum. Some more benign than others. Some a labelling mistake, possibly from people who don't read English. Others might be fraud. A century ago, purveyors advertised the purity of their cream of tartar because a lot of it wasn't pure. OTOH, since using more didn't work, it sounds like it isn't mostly COT either. Unless you were supposed to use baking soda as well? Or your water has changed?

I don't know, same city's water. No I did not use baking soda on the successful run. Just plain old COT and not very much either. I used the same large pot because it's the only one large enough to hold the large burner pans. I suppose the only way to possibly solve the mystery is to buy a new container of McCormick's. It's WAY more expensive for the McCormick. I guess I know why now.

Have you ever ordered from Penzey's? I buy their COT in bags -- less than $4 for a 4 oz bag. If you use a lot of it, they also carry 8 oz and 1lb bags. Of course, if you don't live near a store, you'll probably be tempted to order $30 or more of goodies so you get free shipping. It isn't hard to do, especially with the holidays approaching, and then you get more goodies. Their cinnamon (Vietnamese is my favorite) is a must have and I use the Bicentennial Rub for my Thanksgiving turkey. If you decide to try Penzey's and need some other suggestions, let us know.

That's a good idea lascatx!

Did you try the baking soda test?

Yes, the baking soda didn't do anything either. I had the best luck with ammonia. I put it in a large ziploc bag with about a cup or so in it and left it over night and I managed to scrub the rest of the grease off.

I guess that I'll just stick with the ammonia to clean them, it does an OK job but I was just hoping to use something a lot less offensive. That ammonia is stinky!

This post was edited by arkansas_girl on Tue, Sep 9, 14 at 7:25

ag, I believe that you misunderstood plllog's question. She was suggesting that you mix some cot and baking soda together and see if you get strong foaming. If you don't then you don't have cot. COT is quite strongly acidic and baking soda is the opposite. The foaming shows that they are reacting and cancelling each other out. Good for testing AND it also points out that they are completely different types of cleaner doing opposite things. One should never expect baking soda to act like an acid.

BTW, I would suggest that you might want to get agressive to clean grates, and broiler treys etc and go the opposite way from COT and instead use oven cleaner (carefully of course). Perhaps put in a plastic bag out in the sun for a few hours. BUT watch out, you could eat thru some cheap steel. Usually works well on stove top grates for example.

Yeah but the thing is, I have successfully used COT to clean those burner pans and it did an AMAZING job! Very bummed that it's not working. I'll do a test on that COT and baking soda and see what happens. It's probably fine though.

Edit to update: I tested the COT with a dash of baking soda and it fizzed like alka seltzer.

This post was edited by arkansas_girl on Tue, Sep 9, 14 at 12:22