How to get rid of leftover smells in pots/pans?

[tokyohapa]

I have a set of Bialetti non-stick pots and pans from Target. I've noticed that although I thoroughly wash the pans with hot soapy water after cooking and let them completely dry before putting them away (at which time they don't smell and there aren't any scratches on the non-stick surface grabbing onto food remnants), the smells of food come out

Comments

[ellipser]

You could try Palmolive Oxy Plus Odor Eliminator. I find that it gets out the pasta smells from plastic containers after they've been microwaved in, plus it gets out the red stains. [Yeesh, that sounds like an ad for the soap!]

On the cheap, try soaking in lemon juice (though with citrus prices, a new bottle of dish soap might be less expensive).

[inever]

I would try cutting a lemon in half and rubbing it all over the pan before you wash it.

[mamallama]

Hmmmm... that's weird. I've had trouble with smells in plastic containers but never a pan.

My mother-in-law always adds a little bleach to the dishwater. Maybe that would work? That's a good idea during flu season, anyway.

[kodakslut]

Restuarants use bleach.
Make sure you dilute it.

[madeofmeat]

The bleach would probably work well; a 25% solution would do very well, probably even more dilute would work fine. I have the same problem with my Circulon pans (I'd never be able to afford them if not for my Mom's sixth sense for triple-sale prices).

I hope this doesn't sound condescending, but my first thought is that maybe all the oils aren't being removed. Plastic scrubbies don't do so well at that. Try a sponge, a cloth, or even just your fingers/hands, with way more dish soap than seems necessary. Maybe boil a bit of water in the pan/pot just before washing. In any case, good luck!