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When it comes to doing the dishes, steel wool is the big bad bully on the block. Steel wool is a scrub pad on steroids, a bristle brush with a vendetta. I have been using fine-grade steel wool as my kitchen sink strong man ever since I realized I could de-gunk everything from my cast-iron pans to my Dutch ovens with them. These days, I keep a 12-pack of the ubiquitous Homax brand permanently stocked alongside my dish soap.
You can find steel wool at the hardware store or online, where you’ll be faced with many choices. Steel wool is essentially a sponge made of steel filaments that are wound together, and it comes in various grades from super fine (#0000) to heavy duty (#4). The higher the number, the more abrasive the pad. For my indoor dish-doing, I like to use #00, which is scratchy enough to remove truly baked-on, caked-on particles that are fused to a cooking surface but won’t damage my cookware. I’m talking about the juices of a fruit pie that overflowed onto a rimmed baking sheet during baking and carbonized there, or the ring of oily gunk that adheres to the edge of a saute pan after cooking a pork chop on high heat. I soak the pan in soapy water, then go in with the steel wool to dislodge and loosen whatever is stuck. Works like a dream.
I also use #00 to polish the outside of my stainless steel kettle, the undersides of my Dutch ovens and baking sheets, and my stove’s griddle. Be careful what you use steel on—it can leave scratch marks on glossy finishes (i.e. a highly polished stainless fridge door), but for cast-iron, stainless-steel, or enameled cookware, I’ve never had a problem (but test an inconspicuous spot first if you’re concerned). For truly tough stuff—oven racks, grill grates, stovetops, the inside of your oven—get yourself some #2 steel wool, which will coarsely cut through thick layers of scuzzy schmutz like an industrial street sweeper.
I find for most jobs, each pad is a single-use item. They are not expensive. Once the clean-up is complete, generally so is the wool. But if you want to use it more than once, shake out all the water and keep it in your under-sink cabinet to prevent rust. However, if rust happens, just rinse it out, since it won’t impact the scratchiness of the strands themselves. One final note: Those steel filaments are very coarse and can be murder on your hands. Wear a pair of dishwashing gloves to protect your digits!
