Why You Need a Bottle of Bar Keepers Friend in Your Kitchen

There’s a reason that the motto of Bar Keepers Friend is “Once Tried, Always Used.” Originally marketed to tavern owners in the late 1800s (hence the “bar keepers” moniker), this powerhouse cleanser is one of my favorite secret weapons in the kitchen. And the best part? We have one of my favorite ingredients–rhubarb!–to thank for it.

As a recipe developer, I put my pots and pans through their paces. When my stainless steel skillets or enameled Dutch ovens have taken a beating with burnt-on messes, scorched undersides, or stubborn stains, I reach for my trusty bottle of BKF to restore them. Bar Keepers Friend can bring back the luster and shine of tarnished pans thanks to its key ingredient: oxalic acid. 

And that’s where the rhubarb comes in. According to the lore of Bar Keepers Friend, in 1882, chemist George William Hoffman cooked a batch of rhubarb in a tarnished metal pan. To his surprise, after cooking, the pan turned sparkling clean! He soon realized that oxalic acid, found naturally in vegetables like rhubarb and spinach, was responsible for this magic trick. According to BKF, oxalic acid “attacks stubborn rust, tarnish, and lime stains at the molecular level, breaking the bonds that hold them together.” Hoffman went on to create a powdered cleanser that incorporated oxalic acid, and Bar Keepers Friend was born. Over 130 years later, BKF is still an essential kitchen cleaner for pots and pans, cooktops, grills, oven racks, serveware, and more. If it’s non-porous and made of stainless steel, aluminum, or glass, you can clean it with Bar Keepers Friend.

Soft Cleanser vs. Powder

Bar Keepers Friend comes in two forms: a soft cream cleanser and a more abrasive powdered cleanser. I use the soft cleanser for moderate messes, and the powder for more serious jobs like stripping a rusty carbon steel pan before reseasoning it, scrubbing out burnt-on spills in the oven, or deep cleaning my stainless steel sink. The soft cleanser is pre-mixed and ready to go right out of the bottle, whereas the powder needs to be mixed with water to form a paste. How much or little water you use determines the strength of the paste, and thus its cleaning power. 

The Best Cleanser for Moderate Stains on Cookware

Bar Keepers Friend Soft Cleanser

$17 $14 at Amazon $8 at Sur La Table $4 at Home Depot

Bar Keepers Friend Powdered Cleanser

$13 $10 at Amazon $5 at Williams Sonoma $3 at Walmart

Though BKF isn’t strictly harmful to skin, I prefer to pop on a pair of dishwashing gloves when using it (in either form), especially since I have sensitive skin (note: BKF recommends this too). After wetting the surface of whatever I’m cleaning, I add some cleanser—a little bit goes a long way, so use a small amount to start. For stubborn stains, BKF recommends letting the cleanser sit and penetrate for up to one minute, but not longer than that, as prolonged exposure can cause discoloration and scratches. Then, I go to town with a sponge, microfiber cleaning cloth, or Swedish dishcloth and get scrubbing. It does take some elbow grease to scrub off cooked-on messes, and it may require a few rounds of application to work through layers of staining or tarnish, but patience and persistence should pay off with BKF at your side.

It Can Clean Lots of Things, but Not Everything

Bar Keepers Friend is versatile, but not a magic bullet for every cleaning need in your kitchen. You can’t use it on porous surfaces like cast iron, granite, marble, wood, fabric, leather, or anything painted. But for hard, non-porous surfaces like stainless steel, porcelain, ceramic, or glass, go for it! In addition to pots and pans, you can use Bar Keepers Friend to shine up your cutlery or serveware, your copper mugs for Moscow Mules, or even the inside of your microwave! So before you give up on a scorched pan or tarnished piece of serveware, give it a scrub with Bar Keepers Friend—you’ll be amazed at what you can bring back to a sparkle.

FAQs

Can I use Bar Keepers Friend on nonstick cookware?

No. Though Bar Keepers Friend can be used on a variety of hard, non-porous surfaces (like stainless steel, glass, and enamel), it will strip the coating on nonstick pots and pans. The same goes for cast iron without an enamel coating.

Can you clean an oven with Bar Keepers Friend?

Yes! The Barkeepers Friend website has detailed instructions for using the powdered cleanser to clean the walls, racks, and door of your oven with BKF. Just make sure to rinse everything well before turning on the heat to avoid any chemical smells.

Why We’re the Experts 

• Afton Cyrus is a food blogger, recipe developer, culinary instructor, and freelance food writer and editor. She spent eight years as a test cook and editor at America’s Test Kitchen before becoming a contributor to Serious Eats in 2023. Her recipes and food writing appear in award-winning and New York Times bestselling cookbooks and online for America’s Test Kitchen, Ten Speed Press, King Arthur Baking Company, Serious Eats, and other outlets.
• Throughout her food career, she has washed a lot of dishes and is passionate about keeping cookware in tip-top condition. You can see her meticulous approach to product testing in action in her reviews of fondue pots, liquid measuring cups, hand mixers, and pressure canners.