The Apple Peel Hack That Makes Dull Aluminum Pans Shine

Aluminum cookware is known in both amateur and professional cooking circles for its lightweight durability and ability to heat your food evenly. However, even moderate use can cause those aluminum pots and pans to easily become dull, greasy, and riddled with pesky stains of past meals. But the good news is that if you're looking for an easy, effective method for restoring your aluminum cookware's shine, you don't need to look any further than your kitchen produce drawer — for a few apple peels.

That's right. It turns out that those leftover apple peels you were going to throw out are surprisingly versatile and can be utilized as one of the best ways to deep clean your aluminum pots and pans. The natural malic acid the peels contain — which amounts to roughly 0.28% depending on the age of the apple and whether it's wild or farmed — is an excellent cleaning agent, and when the peels are simmered in water in your pots, they can help remove grease, grime, and discoloration that have made themselves at home on those aluminum surfaces. 

Using your leftover apple peels to shine up those pots and pans is relatively easy with a few careful steps. It's important, however, that you've thoroughly washed your apples beforehand. While the apple peels themselves are organic and non-toxic, since produce is often treated with pesticides, you'll want to rid those peels of any residual chemicals, not to mention dirt, lingering on the surface before utilizing them as a cleaning agent. One of the most effective ways to do so is by washing your fruit with baking soda. Pre-soaking those apples in a simple baking soda bath, one tablespoon of baking soda with six cups of water, for 15 minutes before rinsing them will work wonders in helping you keep your pots and pans safe.

Next, you'll simply add those clean peels to a pot of water and simmer for 30 minutes before washing (by hand, to prevent further staining that could occur by using your dishwasher), cooling your pot, and relishing that restored and stain-free color. Got some silverware that could use a little more shine, too? Feel free to go ahead and add them to your pot as well — the apple peels will also work their magic to clean stains off knives and forks and make them look brand new again, too. 

Wondering how else your leftover apple peels can add ease to your daily kitchen cleanup? It turns out you can use the apple peels themselves to wipe down your sinks and countertops as well. The acid in the peels is not only effective at removing stains from aluminum, but it can also function as an excellent cleaning solution for your kitchen surfaces. You'll simply rub a large piece of apple peel along your countertops — or even the inside of your sink — and wipe them clean.

And if you're still on the hunt for more ways to utilize those fresh apple peels, you can use them to purify contaminated water to potability.  You can do so by simply soaking the peels in rubbing alcohol and drying them, after which you'll place the peels into any water for a few hours for easy — and effective — absorption of dangerous chemicals. And if they impart some of that subtly sweet flavor into your water after removing them? Well, that's just a bonus.