Clean Baked-On Food from Your Casserole Dishes

One of the biggest cleaning conveniences of our time is the dishwasher. After several years without a dishwasher and having to wash dishes by hand, I would give almost anything to be able to use one of those contraptions. I imagine that anyone who has suffered through the same experience as I have had would feel the same way.

Even those who are able to use a dishwasher are well aware that even the best one is not able to take off food that is really stuck to the dish. One dish that is notorious for this problem is the Casserole dish. Perhaps it is the nature of the food being cooked in the casserole dish, or just because no one has made a really good stick-free casserole dish, but almost every time it is used, food is caked throughout the inside. While it is not possible to make the job disappear without any effort, there are a few things you can do to help make the job easier.

The first thing that will help is to let the dish soak with water mixed with some dish soap. This will not always work, but it can be a simple way to make the food a little easier to remove with minimal effort on your part.

If you are willing to do a little bit more to loosen the food, try boiling enough water to cover the whole mess. Add about two tablespoons or baking soda into the boiling water. This amount can vary depending on how much water you need to use for your particular dish. Pour the boiling water mixed with baking soda directly on to the caked food. Let the dish soak for about an hour. The baking soda will help keep the dirty dish from stinking up your kitchen. You should find that the food will be loose enough to wash off easily, with almost no scrubbing.