Home › Home & Kitchen › Kitchen & Dining › Bakeware › Gratin Dishes How to Clean a Gratin Dish Published: July 9, 2026 · Updated: July 9, 2026
Let a baked-on gratin or casserole dish soak in hot, soapy water for at least fifteen minutes, then lift off the softened food with a non-scratch scrubber or a wooden scraper. For stubborn burnt-on spots, spread a paste of baking soda and water, leave it an hour, then scrub — and never pour cold water into a hot dish, which can crack it.
Recommended Soak in hot soapy water, then scrub with a non-scratch pad; use a baking-soda paste on burnt-on spots and let the dish cool first — Baked-on cheese and sauce come off a ceramic, stoneware or glass gratin dish with soaking rather than force, so the goal is to soften the residue instead of scraping at it and risking the glaze. First let the dish cool on its own — pouring cold water into a hot dish, or a hot dish into cold water, can thermal-shock it and crack it. Fill it with hot water and a squirt of dish soap and leave it to soak for fifteen to thirty minutes, or overnight for a really baked-on layer; a dryer sheet or a dishwasher tablet in the water helps loosen it further. Then most of it will lift with a non-scratch nylon scrubber, a wooden or silicone scraper or the soft side of a sponge — avoid steel wool and metal scrapers on glazed or glass surfaces, which scratch them. For stubborn scorched patches, make a thick paste of baking soda and a little water, spread it over the spot, leave it for an hour (or overnight), then scrub, and add a splash of white vinegar to fizz it loose; a mild abrasive cleaner works too. If the dish is flameproof, gently simmering water and a little soap in it on the stove will release the worst of it. Rinse well and dry, and to make next time easier, grease the dish or use a little more sauce at the edges so food is less likely to weld on.
