How to Clean your Stainless Steel Pots & Pans 

I've been using ashes from the fire for cleaning grit. Ashes work really well and you don't have to leave the comfort of your fire for cleaning as long as you have enough water on hand.

Excellent video. All spot on. I would only add one thing... warm and dry all pots, pans, and utensils near the fire or rolled over coals. Why?... To dry them better?... No. It's to kill Giardia in water droplets. I know people who have gotten Giardia from cooking utensils washed clean in the stream but not boiled or warmed and dried AFTER washing. I'm sure hot sun and time will do the same thing. That's my advice. 🙂

Hello from Oklahoma! Back in the late 60's when I was in Boy Scouts, We were taught to take a bit of liquid dish soap and rub on the outside of our cooking pot or pan before it went on the camp fire. Any black soot will come off real easy this way. I still use this method. We were also taught to dig a shallow hole to dump our pan leavings and wash water into so as not to leave a mess stream side. Cover the hole walk away. Thanks for the video. Good tips.

Usually, like I do at home, I boil a little water in a dirty pot or pan and let it cool/soak before scrubbing. It really helps loosen even burnt on food.

Also: 1. In the absence of a stream, good ol “after fire” charcoal (provided is not contaminated with food or garbage of any kind) is a natural scrub cleaner 2. A good follow up at home is simply baking soda /water with non destructive scrubby (like the two sided sponge/3M type pad). Baking soda will almost effortlessly clean baked in black soot off the bottom of camp cookware, and leave a shine just as good as Barkeepers Friend 🤨 As mentioned in the video though, and I’m glad you shared this because a lot of people don’t realize, having some hot boiled water prepped for the bottom of a pan right after cooking is my go to. At home with my All Clads / Cuisinarts or in the woods with camp gear. If there’s some grease in the pan, absorb that with a little bit of a towel or something, slowly add about 1/8” of hot water to the pan (START AT THE OUTSIDE EDGE OF A GREASY PAN REAL SLOW), put the pan back over a good hot heat source for about 30 seconds or more. The worst of the worst will scrape off like nothing. Rinse with hot water. I always carry a Lodge cast iron pan scraper in my kit too 😎 Great video

I've just taken a Brillo pad with me in the past, fairly lightweight and made for cleaning cookware.

Had some chilli burned into my pot during a scout camping trip. I just flipped it upside down on the fire. Blew the scout leaders mind when i pulled it out, let it cool and just brushed the ashes out🤣

Hello Matt , when I was in the army I would use sand to clean my mess kit . Thanks for the video Matt, doing a good job with the videos and have a good weekend. Stay safe,

I am amused that I have been watching RU-vid videos about Pathfinder ttrpg and Mat Mercer and this video pop on my recommendation list. Well, at least I learned how to clean pots while I am adventuring in real life. Good video.

As someone pointed out, be sure to AVOID any soaps or chemicals getting into the stream, river, or lake. Also be sure to get the worst of the food material and grease, OUT of the pan/pot before putting it into the water source. The next camper/hiker doesn't want to see a pile of noodles or greasy scum in the water source, plus it's bad for fish and wildlife, attracts critters etc. :D

The old sand from the streambed trick has served me well for 50+ years. We discovered it by accident in Boy Scouts and we’re amazed at how well it cleans cookware.

Great tip!! It also helps to keep soap and other chemicals out of the stream water. If you coat the outside of your pot with soap and then wash the soot off in the creek you have just added soap to the creek.

Barkeepers Friend is a great stainless polish/cleanser. Pine needles are good for scrubbing, and snow is surprisingly abrasive but that burned on stuff, that's gonna take some muscle!

Really like the idea of using the silt instead of putting chemicals into the streams.

I learned the sand and water method in boy scouts many moons ago .

When I was a Boy Scout back in the 70's I was taught to take a bar of soap and soap (dry) the outside bottom of my pots and pans and up the side of the dish too about 1/2 way. When your done cooking and you have the black suet on the outside of your pans from the campfire it will literally wipe off clean in water with a cloth. It was like magic for us and if you forgot to do that you were stuck scrubbing. When your not around a water source outside of what you packed in with a canteen this was an essential cooking/cleaning technique for cleaning the outside of dishes.

Thanks for your time and info, stay safe and warm. God bless you and your family. 🙏😎

👍🏻😎SOS pads work great at home too. I also go over my pots and pans with stainless steel polish when I'm done cleaning them after an outing.

Great video, Matt! Thank you for the helpful instruction.

Green scotch bright scrubber pad. + Dish soap.👌

Thank you so much for posting this video !! I have burnt chilli in one of my stainless steel pots at home . Thank you I will use Pathfinder pots when I camp so this will help me alot there too . Take care and stay safe my friend !!

Great tips Matt! Thanks for sharing!

That hoodie looks nice. Great color choice

Thank you Matt! As always, great info and tips! 👍🏻

Thanks Matt!! Awesome brother!

Pathfinder stainless steel are gorgeous top quality products. I just Purchased my fist cup this week, absolutely love it.

Barkeeper’s Friend is also fantastic for polishing up stainless at home.

Enjoyed the video tips Matt. Less resources we have to carry in our packs. I'd like to add another tip for the at home cleanup. Make a paste with backing soda and apply it to some of the charred deposits on the pan, leave it work for 15 minutes will help soften that up.

I coat the bottom of all pans BEFORE I cook with Dish Soap!!!! The Soap Carbons Over and the Black soot from the fire does not stick and Just Washes off Easily!!! You should try it sometime!!! It's how we did it when camping in the Boy Scouts!!! I promise You Will Thank Me!!! Rock On!!!

Thank you for the great tips on cleaning cook ware.

Excellent information! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the tips!

Great tips, thanks Matt. Appreciate it! 👍

Thanks, Matt, a lot of good tips here.

i use my used coffee grounds.. works well on cast iron as well.

Scotch-Brite Dobie Cleaning Pads Ideal for Dishwashing, Scours Without Scratching, Once by accident, I burned butter till it was black in the stainless steel pan. After I cleaned it out and cooked eggs in it, it was so slick it didn't need any butter as the eggs would slide all around the pan

Great tips. As a long time backpacker, if I see someone with a shiny pot I think it's their first BBQ.

Man that is an excellent tip. Thank you.

Here in India we use wood ash from camp fire . Its make more shinear the mud

In the boy scouts back in the early 70s, they always taught us to use sand in a creek. I guess I thought in this modern day there might be a different discovery.

Thanks Matt

Great tip , sticks and twigs and moss with a bit of water works if you have no stream !

Great tips Matt as I've always done. Best camp recipe for me is plain old baked beans with fried Spam slices and maybe some cheese.👌

Great tip!

Looking good! Thanx.

Your system looks good. Be Well.

Great video and cleaning tips..

Thanks for the tips! 👍👍😁🇺🇸

Good video. Thank you.

Thanks for the advise I totally brought one because of your video, owesome channel

Take was helpful, for sure

Great tips for maintaining the cleanliness of your cook kit. I recently bought a titanium skillet and I've been wondering about the best way to keep it clean while I'm out in the woods (I've always used nonstick pans in the past). I'll probably try the ideas you shared.

Matt , good video , thanks for sharing , God bless !

👍 .. good tips .. thanks. I've gotten lazy with age and try to not get food-stick on my pot bottoms. Moderating (or trying to 😏) the heat source and regular stirring (removing the pot from the heat if necessary) helps. Anyway, I like to watch whatever I have in the pot, cooking up 😊. A good share .. take care ..

Love it.

Very nice...!!

Good video. Personally I like it "seasoned" inside and out. I like to keep the black (that doesnt wipe off) on the bottom as well.👍

Good tips ive just burned mine out it boiled it clean the sos pad is what ive used as well at home never thought of the magic eraser though take care be safe and God bless c u in the next one

Great video

Throw wood ash into greasy food/pot add a little water creates a crude soap. Warm this by the fire, then scrub with sand. Old mountain man/ backwoodsman/ camp cook trick.

well done brother

thanks

For me the camp cleanup is part of the fun. Great video as always. :) Matt do we have any more info on an arrival date for the black hat bush knife?

Really helpful advice. Can a person use the same tips for titanium.

I use my 64oz bush pot at home all the time. Works well with Kettle grill.

Good video. God bless. From Glenn CATT in Massachusetts.

My bushpot has been used so much i doubt it will ever be shiney again. Lived in the backcountry of Montana for a year and it cooked almost every meal.

I know others have showed this but can you do one about how to clean inside and out of a ss water bottle after making char cloth thanks

How about putting these ideas and cooking one location for reference. It would make a great little Booklet.

Well, who knew?! Thankyou!💚

Nice video

The easiest way to clean a stainless pot or pan is to just fill it with hot coals and put it back on the coals. That's how a self cleaning oven works and no matter how nasty they get inside, once they reach 900 degrees F everything in there turns to ash that can just be blown or wiped out. Your pan may have a cool looking blue patina afterwards but so what? You can use a tubular fire-starting bellows to speed things up if you're in a hurry. BTW, I think a blackened pan heats up quicker, not because it is more conductive, but rather, because it is more absorptive of infrared radiation as opposed to the reflective nature of a mirror finish. Wrap up in a black trash bag on a sunny day, then wrap with a mylar space blanket and you'll see what I mean. That's my understanding of it anyway. Really enjoy your cooking vids. Trying to come up with a submission of my own, but it's proving tougher than I expected. s

Thanks Matt, Great information. I will share with ..... Shawn Kelly, We have all seen his frypan. 🤣😂🤣😂

Great minds think alike 😁

Fantastic tips in the field for cleaning stainless cookware. At home for the worst stainless pots I've used sos or oven cleaner. Works on glass only. Don't use oven cleaner on aluminum. It eats it!

I'm blaming you... Ran out of dawn at home and my wife got mad, said why's there mud all in the sink! 🤣 JK, great tips!

Try The Pink Stuff from the tub at home. Brings up stainless steel super fast.

I put scrub spung with cook set. 👍😎 Lodge scraper 🤦‍adding to cleaning set.

How do you clean the stainless cookware in the field if you do not have a water source available for water and silt?

Nice video. Have you ever seasoned your stainless steel, similar to cast iron, to reduce the sticking in the first place. It works great, and makes clean up easier.

One tip I picked up in the boy Scouts years ago is to take a bar of unscented soap and rub the outside of your pot or pan the soap layer burns but is easier to get off

Matt, can you season the Pathfinder Skillet like you normally season cast iron ??

Wouldn’t a 2”x2” sponge with an abrasive side or a SOS pad and a small container of Dawn detergent do the same? But, if one was replicating life 100+ years ago or on a multi-week trip, this would be a great method. Tank you for sharing.

You should try out Bar Keepers Friend (the powdered type) if you are doing this at home or in the field.

Great vid boss! Diggin those pants too, what are those?

Where can I get a scraper like that? I have never seen one in the kitchen gadget eisle at my local grocery stores.

Learned this back in the 60s in scouting. It was a lot more difficult to clean those aluminum scouting cook sets. Bare aluminum sucks as camp cooking tools. Stainless rules.

Hey Matt,,, Great Video,,!!!! Although you left out ONE Cleaning Method,,,,!!!!! The “AF” Shawn Kelly (Corporal’s Corner) method of cleaning SS camp cookware. Throw it in the Fire 🔥, and Burn it off,,,!!!! lol That’s Shawn’s favorite, “Go-To” , Cleaning technique,,!!! I’ve used leaf material also, when water wasn’t readily available. Joshua

Add a little baking soda and water to a dish cloth or scotch pad or sponge. rinse well & dry also helps with food odors.

Using wet sediment in a creek is a great method...but I always have a 3 or 4oz container of Dawn with me, it's multi use like crazy, from hands and face and body washing to dishes even as a glass cleaner for eyeglasses. I'm also NEVER without a small thing of Vaseline, good for dry skin, but mainly for cuts to stop bleeding while you dress the wound.

I recall Dave doing a similar video in his yurt series

While yellow mustard may stain carbon steel, it works great to clean and shine stainless steel.

Matt, You've used both stainless and titanium. which would you recommend and why. I'm not too concerned about weight. I'm looking for variety, nesting, and performance.

Use bar soap rubbed on the exterior of the bush pot before cooking makes the soot come off much easier.

You can also season a stainless steel pan or pot with peanut oil or vegetable oil, and salt. Much like a cast iron one. If you are nesting in them use your bandana as a cushion between them to prolong the season and protect from scratching the coating. Clean stubborn messes with the oil and salt mixture of needed. Other than that, wipe like a cast iron. Try to always cook with a coat of oil or butter will prolong the seasoning. Season again as need though.

Carry a small stainless steel scouring pad with you and never leave food to dry up. Oxo brite mixed with boiling water works to remove the final residue after scrubbing with stainless steel.

Would coffee grounds work as well?

Here in Michigan washing dishes (or even yourself) in a River , lake , or stream, is not allowed.

Washing a dirty pot of soot is an eternal problem for tourists. Young that you teach the inexperienced.👍

I usually clean up my gear at home in the Laundry Sink, using SOS pads !! Works excellent. Then again....i'm a bit fussy. Lol 😆