Help with Cleaning Burns on a Pot

Updated on May 27, 2008
P.L. asks from Natchez, MS
19 answers

I have a stainless stock pot that has had some food burned in the bottom. I have scrubbed with fine steel wool, but can't seem to get it all out. Does anyone have a good remedy to get the burned bits out of the bottom of the pan? If you run your finger across the inside of the bottom of the pan, you can barely feel the burned bits. I would appreciate any advice as to how to get this out.

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J.F.

answers from Minneapolis on

Hi P....

I just had this happen to me as well. I tryed everything and the one thing I found that did the job was Easy Off oven cleaner. It took care of it in about 5 minutes!!

Hope this helps!

~J.

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L.Z.

answers from Bismarck on

Don't know if this will work for you but anytime we have scorched something onto a pan we put a little water in it with a little dish soap or vinegar. Heat the water to a boil for a few minutes. Dump the water out and wash the pan in the sink. It should come clean fairly easily.

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E.V.

answers from Des Moines on

Hi P.:
I've heard two things. One, use catsup in the bottom of the pan ... let it sit for awhile then wipe/scrape it out. Supposedly, the acidity from the catsup will break down the burned bits and make it easier to clean. I've also heard using Coca-Cola does the same thing. Pour it in the pan and let it sit for awhile to break down then wipe/scrape out the pan. I've only tried this once with catsup on a pan and it worked fairly well. Best of luck!

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C.S.

answers from Omaha on

I once had a pot with something burned stuck to it. I put water and baking soda in it. I forgot about it and it burned dry. The burned on stuff stuck to the dried out baking soda and came clean.

Good luck!

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M.T.

answers from Des Moines on

try vinegar and baking soda mixed together, let set a few minutes and then scrub with fine steel wool. Hope this helps you out.

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C.K.

answers from Minneapolis on

Borax is another cleaner that works great on pots.

You could try soaking it in ice cold water, and then trying to scrape it off again. Contrary to popular belief, cold water is better for soaking than hot. Give it a try.

B.W.

answers from Minneapolis on

We have stainless pans too, and we do one of two things to get them clean.

Boil a cople inches of water in the pan for a few minutes, then dump out and put some barkeepers friend in the bottom and scrub with a scratchy sponge.

Or just use the barkeepers friend wit hthe sponge.

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R.K.

answers from Appleton on

Try spraying a little oven cleaner on it, let it stand a few minutes and see if that takes out the burn spots.

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A.B.

answers from Waterloo on

One thing you can do is to put some water in the pot and turn on the stove and boil the water and use a turner on the bottom of the pan.

You can also try white vinegar which I know will take the blue hue out of your stainless pans like a charm. If you have any other kitchen questions I can try to help you out. Get lots of good tips from the Pampered Chef.

Check out my website sometime...www.pamperedchef.biz/ashleysdreamkitchen

A.

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A.F.

answers from St. Cloud on

I use a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It works! I just wash and rinse really well after. Good luck!

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G.B.

answers from Minneapolis on

Try using Aluminum foil and a bit of water baking soda paste. Works like a dream.

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J.A.

answers from Omaha on

Try soaking it in dishwasher soap, either powder or gel stuff. I have had great success with that.
Hope this helps!
J.

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K.O.

answers from Madison on

Have you ever heard of Dawn Power Dissolve? I'm not sure if it is for stainless steel, but I would check it out. It's in the same area of the store as dish detergents. It requires no scrubbing. I just cleaned an oven that hadn't been cleaned in 3 years and was amazed at the results! I love the stuff! I found it at WalMart.

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S.R.

answers from Rapid City on

Hi P.,Try putting a thick layer of cream of tartar on the bottom of your pan add alittle water to make a paste let set for an hour than scrub with a wet sponge! Good Luck

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C.A.

answers from Appleton on

Hi P.,
I also have ss cookware. My husband has burned popcorn a few times in our big one. I get it slightly wet on the bottom, then sprinkle with baking soda and let sit overnight. In the morning, it very easily wipes out clean, then just wash as usual.

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N.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

I have two things you can try:

1.) If you're not sensitive to oven cleaner just spray some of that on the burned areas, let it sit for a few hours then wash as normal. If you are particularly sensitive there are some oven cleaning products in a sponge form so there's no aerosol. And there is also a low-fumes formula by Easy Off. Don't use oven cleaner if you're pregnant.

2.) Bar Keeper's Friend is a scouring powder found in the cleaning area of most large grocery stores like Cub or Rainbow. It's really cheap, about 1-2 dollars and it comes in a gold round shaker/container and is very similar to scouring powders like Ajax or Comet.

You could use these too, but they have bleach in them as a disinfectant because they're made for cleaning bathrooms not pans. Bar Keeper's Friend is made for pans, and doesn't have the bleach etc. It is also good for polishing copper pans and silver too. Just add a little water and polish and watch the spots go away. It's also good for removing rust and tarnish from metal.

One other place to find Bar Keeper's Friend is K-Mart and also on-line. Just type in natural cleansers or the actual name of the product. Alot of online shops that carry natural soaps like Fels Naptha and Borax also carry Bar Keeper's Friend.

Also, one other tip... I'm a big fan of stainless steel pans, and copper pans too, because they're really easy to keep clean if you cook with them at a proper temperature. Always be sure to cook at slightly lower temperatures than the recipe calls for. Stainless steel conducts heat so efficiently (unlike aluminum and most non-stick pans) that you get better turnout and virtually no burned food if you go "low and slow". I very seldom get burned bottoms and just about everytime cooked on food washes out with little scrubbing. I just love stainless steel! :)
Good luck and hope this helps!

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S.C.

answers from Omaha on

have you tried mr. clean magic eraser. anything i have tried it on has worked for me. never used it on burnt pan, but it is worth a shot.

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B.B.

answers from Madison on

I'll second oven cleaner. I used to work in several different kitchens and it's the best thing. We would mainly use it to clean off black gunk that sometimes sticks on. Personally, oven cleaner really gets to me. I'd wait for a nice day outside and spray in an area you don't mind chemicals. Just leave there for a few hours and spray with a hose.

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S.H.

answers from Milwaukee on

Hello...I have stainless Steel pans too. I use a Stainless steel cleaner product. The cleaner I use, I've had for years, so I know that brand is not available anymore. I am a Pampered Chef consultant, and I know we carry a stainless steel cleaner. If you'd like more information, let me know.

Thank you,

S. Contardi-Hansen

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