An electric frying pan graces the kitchen of most households in the U.S. Among the most frequently purchased small appliances today, they’ve been around for decades and still are.

Creating extra cooking space in the kitchen, electric frying pans free up burners on the stove. They are excellent for frying chicken, grilling hamburgers, or making a big batch of your favorite skillet casserole.

Along with the popularity of electric frying plans comes the need to clean them. Cleaning them properly will keep them in good working order—helping cook your food for years to come.

Items Needed for Cleaning an Electric Frying Pan

In order to clean an electric frying pan properly, what is needed? You don’t need much at all. Check out the following simple list:

• Wooden spoon/nylon spatula
• Dish cloth/sponge
• Dish soap
• Nylon scraper
• Toothpicks
• Dish towel

Before Cleaning

You’ve fried your favorite chicken or enjoyed a steak with some onions and mushrooms. Sat down and enjoyed the delicious meal. Now you’ve got a mess waiting in your electric frying pan. Before you even begin the cleaning process, turn the appliance back on—turning the temperature to medium-low heat—and allow the stuck-on food to heat up a bit. Stir or scrape the messy pan with a wooden spoon or nylon spatula. This will make the actual housecleaning process so much easier.

The 6 Steps of Cleaning

1. Safety: The first important step in cleaning your electric frying pan is to unplug the appliance, after which you must remove the electrical cord and connector from the appliance. Once it is free of its cord and connector, you may submerge it into a sink filled with hot, soapy water. Make sure to keep the electric connector entry pointing up away from the water. It’s important to not get any water inside the connector entry at all. This can destroy the appliance.
2. Interior: Using a sponge or dish cloth, gently wash the interior of the electric frying pan. A nylon scraper will remove any remaining stuck-on food or grease without harming the nonstick finish of your frying pan.
3. Rinse: Then rinse the inside of the electric frying pan with hot water and place it on a clean dish towel or in a dish drying rack. Hold on! The job isn’t done just yet.
4. Exterior: Soak your sponge or dish cloth in the remaining soapy water and wring it out. Wipe down the exterior of the electric frying pan.  The pan typically gets splattered with grease and other substances on the outside. Repeat this process until the exterior is clean. Rinse the sponge or dish cloth in plain hot water and wipe the exterior down again to remove all traces of the dish soap.
5. Connector: Use the soapy sponge or dish cloth to wipe down the exterior of the electric connector opening, being careful not to get any water inside. If you think any grease or debris has made its way inside the connector, use a toothpick to remove as much of it as you can. Wipe down the exterior of the connector cord as well, as it tends to get greasy with frequent usage.
6. Lid: You may wash the lid to your electric frying pan by submerging it into the sink filled with hot, soapy water—or you may run it through your dishwasher instead. If it has become exceptionally greasy or laden with dried-on food, use a soft bristled scrub brush or the scrubbing side of a two-sided kitchen sponge and gently scrub it away. Dry both the lid and your frying pan with a clean dish towel. You may insert the electric connector back into the appliance before storing it. Some people prefer to store the connector inside the frying pan instead. Either way, keeping it all in one place is a great housecleaning rule.

Visions of Grandma’s old electric frying pan often come to mind when envisioning this small appliance. Rest assured, these frying pans have come a long way since then. Grandma likely didn’t have a nonstick finish in hers, and the cord may have been made from fabric. Can you imagine how that must have looked and felt after years’ worth of use? How about when housecleaning time came about?

Today’s versions of electric frying pans are a huge help in the kitchen. Now that you know how to properly clean one, they’re very simple to maintain as well.