A Quick Way to Clean Tarnished Silver

Put silverware in a single layer in a glass baking dish lined with aluminum foil; each piece needs to touch the foil. Cover with baking soda, add a little salt, then pour hot (not boiling) water over it. The dry ingredients facilitate the transfer of electrons from the silver to the aluminum with the water as a conductor, turning tarnish into aluminum sulfide and revealing the silver without scratching or pitting it. Remove each piece with tongs when it looks shiny (from 10 seconds to a few minutes, depending on the level of tarnish), then rinse and pat dry.