How to Treat Burned Pots and Pans

The risotto is nearly done, then the phone rings and the next thing you know, you've got a mess to clean. Scorched foods can leave stubborn spots in pots and pans that no amount of elbow grease can remove. But just a few essentials in your pantry will help restore your pans to practically new.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Dishwashing Liquid
• Dishwashing Liquid
• Distilled Vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Baking Soda
• Wooden Spoon

1. Wash away as much of the food as possible, using cold water for eggs, chocolate and starch-based foods.

2. Fill the pot with water. Add 1 to 2 tsp. dishwashing liquid and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then cover the pot, turn off the heat and leave the pot to soak for 30 minutes.

3. With a wooden spoon, scrape away as much of the burned food as possible. Rinse well.

4. If burned areas still remain, cover them completely with a generous amount of baking soda. Drizzle in just enough water to create a thick paste, smearing the paste up the sides of the pot if needed. Set aside for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

5. Without rinsing the pot, add 3 parts water to 1 part distilled vinegar to cover the burned food by at least 2 inches (5 cm). Boil for 10 minutes and then leave overnight.

6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 as needed.

Tips & Warnings

• Avoid using steel wool or abrasive cleansers on polished metal. They can create scratches that will allow food to stick and burn even more easily.
• Leaving baking soda on aluminum pans for longer than 1 hour can cause pitting, or dark spots where the alkaline compounds react with the aluminum surface.

[zahzel]

on 6/28/2009 Good info. TY Baking soda and vinegar. Zahzel

[lizrae]

on 5/1/2008 From lizrae. I recently burned stew in my pressure cooker. I cleaned it successfully but could not get rid of the smell of burned food, which seemed to be in the metal. I tried everything,soaks, sprays, traditional tips and leaving it with the lid off for days. Nothing worked and I had to throw it out and buy a new one. Any ideas in case it happens again?

[queenofburn]

on 1/31/2008 I am the queen of burn, I seem to always have something stuck to my pots & pans, I did see a new product & ordered a box, IT WORKS, I found this product called Magic Sheets it is made just for me the queen of burn, I couldnt believe how fast I get my pots & pans clean without scrubbing it is great. The best thing is it is nontoxic unlike my cooking or I should say burning.

[jackwalduck]

on 9/7/2007 I'm lucky I didn't start a kitchen fire. I had the rice on high and then got a phonecall. Anyway the pan was crusted with black. I got it all of the charred rice remains off with 2 treatments of oven cleaning spray and a SOS pad. Yeah for chemicals!

[Carriejo]

on 5/24/2007 How the heck do I get off a plastic garbage bag that was burnt on my pan? Yes I sat the pan on the bag Yikes....