How to Clean and Polish Stainless Steel

You’ll be hard pressed to find a kitchen without stainless steel in it as its properties make it the absolute perfect material for use in food service and preparation areas. Strong, resilient and extremely easy to maintain, stainless steel is used to make kitchen tables, sinks, cookware, cutlery, appliances and more, so knowing how to maintain, clean and polish it is essential. This guide aims to help you keep your kitchens gleaming and in perfect working condition, protecting your investments and ensuring maximum hygiene.

What is Stainless Steel?

Stainless steels are iron alloys with a 10.5% chromium content (minimum) which gives it a high polish whilst resisting tarnishing. It also has an extremely high melting point of over 2,600ºC, which makes it perfect when constructing ovens, cooking equipment and tables for commercial kitchens. As well as chromium, other elements are present such as nickel, molybdenum, titanium, copper, nitrogen and carbon to enhance its strength, formability and resistance to high and low temperatures, which is known as cryogenic toughness.

The two main types of stainless steel used through the catering industry are:

304 stainless steel – otherwise known as 18-10 when purchasing cutlery, this food grade metal has a18% chromium and 10% nickel construction, making it an austenitic metal (not magnetic). This high nickel content gives the metal extra strength and durability to corrosion, perfect for restaurant kitchens.
430 stainless steel – also known as 18-0 in cutlery, this 0% nickel metal has less resistance to corrosion than its 304 counterpart, and is often used in lesser quality or budget tables, sinks and equipment. 18-0 cutlery is often used in schools and diners as it can be relatively inexpensive to replace. 430 stainless steel is a ferritic metal which does possess magnetic properties.

304 is the most commonly used stainless steel for kitchen and food prep items as it has a protective layer, millionth of an inch thick that creates a protective shield from oxidization (the process that causes rusting), making it more durable and longer lasting. However, this protective bubble can be damaged by sharp objects, abrasive cleaning equipment and most of all, regular use. Protecting this layer is paramount to ensuring a safe and hygienic environment for food preparation and service.

Tip: Stainless steel does not mean the metal won’t stain or rust, it means it has a higher level of resistance
that makes it stain less, not stain proof.

Cleaning Your Stainless Steel Equipment

Cleaning stainless steels is an easy task when done regularly, and will save you lots of time and money in the long run as you will increase the longevity of tables, sinks and storage and cooking equipment.

Clear away any and all food and water deposits from the surface with a microfibre cloth or soft sponge – don’t use abrasive tools as these have a negative impact on the protective layer.
Once cleared of debris, go over the surface with a food safe stainless steel cleaner. The best chemicals for stainless steel contain alkaline and don’t have chloride in them.
Once dry, use a food safe stainless steel or metal polish. Follow the grain of the metal to ensure the best results and to avoid further damage to the surface.

Tip: Cleaning your tables, sinks and equipment after each use will reduce the damage to the protective layer and increase the longevity of your units. Sitting water or debris will erode this layer and cause corrosion.

Cleaning Your Stainless Steel Cookware

There are a few steps to cleaning and maintaining stainless steel cookware, much like cutlery and equipment, but there are a few extra points to consider.

Adding salt to an empty, dry pan can cause pitting, which negatively impacts non-stick coatings and damages the metal, therefore it is recommended that you add salt to boiling water or directly onto the food.
Avoid cleaning stainless steel cookware in dish washing machines. Instead, use a non-abrasive cloth or sponge with hot soapy water to remove all grease and food. Abrasive tools open up the protective layer to allow for rusting.
Metal utensils have the same effect as abrasive cleaning tools, so it’s best to use plastic, silicone or wooden cooking utensils when cooking with stainless steel pots and pans.

Article: Cast iron cookware is different to stainless steel and needs to be cared for in a different way.
Our guide to cast iron cookware shows you how to clean and season properly.

Cleaning Your Stainless Steel Cutlery

There are different rules for cleaning and maintaining cutlery too, and our guide to maintaining your cutlery’s quality and shine will help you maintain a professional table service.