So you spent the afternoon whipping up a batch of thick, gooey fudge or rich chocolate truffles. They look tasty, right? But your stainless steel pot, well, it's not looking so good. Perhaps you were distracted by a breaking news report or got caught up in a phone conversation. However it happened, now you have a stainless steel pot covered in burned chocolate. Don't worry ... it's not as hard to remedy as it looks. With the use of a few simple household items, you can have that pot looking brand new.
Baking Soda and Salt Method
Scrape away as much burned chocolate as possible using a strong, large spoon. Be careful to not scratch your pot.
Fill your burned pot a quarter of the way full with hot water. You can use more water if this does not sufficiently cover the burned area.
Add 1/2 to 1 cup baking soda and 1/2 to 1 cup of salt and stir with a wooden spoon. The amount will depend on the size of the pot. Be sure to add enough baking soda and salt to make the water cloudy.
Place the pot on your stove on high heat and bring to a boil. As the water boils, continue to stir the mixture. Use your spoon to scrape and loosen the burned debris. This typically takes about 5 minutes.
Pour the water and loosened debris through a colander. This will keep the burned debris from clogging your sink.
Scrub the pot with a scouring pad and hot water to remove the remaining debris. Rinse well with hot water.
Vinegar and Dish Soap Method
Scrape away as much burned chocolate as possible using a strong, large spoon. Be careful to not scratch your pot.
Fill the pot with enough hot water to cover the burned area.
Add 1 cup vinegar and 2 to 3 drops liquid dish soap. Stir well.
Let the pot soak for 24 hours.
Place the pot on your stove over low heat and periodically scrape the burned area with a wooden spoon.
Pour the water mixture and loosened debris through a colander to prevent your sink from clogging. If there is still a great deal of stuck debris, repeat Steps 2 through 5. Otherwise, simply finish cleaning the pot with a scouring pad and hot water.