Can anyone tell me what the best way to clean a seive is? Mine has all this hardened gunk from rice and pasta that won’t go away with washing.
I should think that a good long soak in warm soapy water, followed by scrubbing with some sort of fine brush, like a toothbrush, would take care of it.
Just have to soak it in in hot, soapy water for a while, then scrub 'till clean. Don’t know if there is a shortcut for this one.
I’ll be interested to hear if there is.
Anyone who has cleaned a porridge pot knows the answer to this one!
In general modern detergents aren’t very good at getting rid of starch; they seem to be more targetted on dissolving grease.
The best way to get rid of starch is to soak for a long time in cold water. Hot water and detergent probably won’t hur, but they’re not necessary.
When you make porridge, you end up with a pot covered in high-starch gunk, that won’t come off easily. (Unless you use a microwave oven, that is, but I prefer the taste of a stove cooked porridge.) The proper way to treat this is to soak the pot in cold water, and when you come home at night it will all come off really easily.
In your case, I would try to soak the sieve for a day or so, and then attack it with a brush, as suggested by the other posters, or if you can, with a high-preasure hose!
I try and get to the pasta residue very quickly after straining before it has time to dry. A blast with hot water, scrub with a brush or sponge, no problem. The 1 minute you spend cleaning now will save you the trouble later, you know, a stitch in time.
Also, I will never, ever, use a big wire mesh strainer for pasta, they are a real bear to clean. A colander that is a bowl with holes or slots in it is way easier.
I got rid of my metal sieve a long time ago. I use a plastic one now, and it’s much easier to keep clean. (Genuine plastic, so don’t accept immitation).
OK, I tried this with my gas powered pressure washer and now my sieve is in the neighbors yard and the dogs chewing it up!
Yeah. It’s ruined. Full of holes.