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How To Clean A Scorched Pot – Yep, I did this…

24 September 2009 10,043 views Comments

I hate it when I do this, and I’d be lying if I said it’s the first time it’s happened..

Start boiling some water.. added (in this case it was a soup mix) ingredients.. and then go downstairs or get distracted.. 20 minutes later (conservatively).. SHIT!! I smell something!!

Here is the outcome after a brief scrubbing and leaving it outside overnight.

Who's the idiot who let the pot boil dry?? Oh wait.. me.

Who's the idiot who let the pot boil dry?? Oh wait.. me.

Ok, so I screwed up.. but since these are great Paderno pots.. I wanted to put in a good effort into cleaning them. Off to the Internet I go!

The first thing I looked up, the article told me to  leave it for a few hours soaking in baking soda.. I can tell you that this did absolutely nothing. Perhaps I did it wrong, but it simply said to leave some baking soda in there, add some water.. and leave it to soak.. yeah.. it did nothing.

So I tried method two which seemed to be popular, which was to add water, and some detergent.. and get it to boil and then simmer for like 10 minutes.. then turn off the water completely.. This sounded easy enough (barring I didn’t forget about it again!!). Anyhow, I tried this.

Simmering Water With Detergent

Simmering Water With Detergent

You know.. this actually was the most useful tip of all the ones I think.. the pot easily went from:

Before Detergent Boil

Before Detergent Boil

To This:

After Detergent Boil

After Detergent Boil

Which is definitely a step in the right direction.. I actually scraped out the caked on food with a spoon.. easy enough, I suppose I could have used something else, but it did the trick.

The next step I noticed everywhere was to leave it soaking in Vinegar overnight.. this worked out well since it was getting late and I wanted to go to bed anyhow!

Vinegar And Water

Vinegar And Water Overnight - No, The Heat Isn't On!

So when I woke up this morning, I emptied out the vinegar in the pot.. and gave it a quick scrub with some water and a scouring pad…

Nice And Clean Again!

Nice And Clean Again!

And as you can see, the pot is nice and clean again. There is, however, still a very slight brownish tinge to the bottom of the pot which you can’t really see in this picture, however I believe this will come out the first time I run it through a dishwasher.. I will keep you informed.

In the meantime, it’s time to go invest in a kitchen timer..

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  • That stain is very nasty. I really hate it when I have to clean something like that.
  • I wish I had found this post a few days ago after burning oil in a pan. This will come in handy for the next time (and yes, there will probably be a next time).
  • Ain't that always the way?? Well truth be told this isn't the first pot I've almost ruined... so yeah.. hopefully it comes in handy in the future :P
  • FrankieAlabama
    I like your writing style Len.. thanks for the tips, gonna check out more from you main http://www.lencurrie.com page..
  • Thanks very much FrankieA.. much appreciated.. I try to write as entertaining as I can. :-)
  • Jeffrey
    Baking soda and dry paper towel:

    - Pour some baking soda into a small bowl.
    - Tear a paper towel into about 5 or 6 smaller pieces.
    - Wet a piece of towel with 1 or 2 drops of water, then dip it in the baking soda.
    - Scrub the surface of the pot.
    - As you see the dirt on your pot transfer to the towel, switch to a clean section.

    Have fun...
  • I dunno man.. I tried baking soda... it did nothing.. but hey.. perhaps on a different pot.. who knows.
  • A salt paste and a scouring pad will work wonders after you scrape the grunge off the bottom. If that doesn't work, add equal amounts of rubbing alcohol and salt then scrub...that will absolutely get rid of it.
  • coolrobc
    Next time just add white vinegar to the warm pot to "deglaze" it. Works like a charm. That's what I do anytime something burns to the bottom of a pot/pan. The bonus is that only takes a couple of seconds.

    I've also heard simmering water and detergent is a good way to strip paint off of hardware.
  • Really? Deglaze with vinegar?? Never heard of that one.. man.. I don't want to touch the pot when it's absolutely scorching like that..

    I guess the other thing is.. this works and it's easy.. not going to mess with it :P

    Good tip though coolrobc.. thanks for commenting.
  • coolrobc
    Yeah, it's just for cleaning, not like you'd be making a sauce out of it. The high acid content of the vinegar works great for cleaning off all that scorched on stuff.

    You can wait until it cools down a little, you might warp the bottom of the pan if you do it when it's too hot. It will work so long s the pot/pan is still warm. I've even done it after the pan has cooled off. Just heat it back up, toss in the vinegar and scrape it down with a wooden spoon. I actually have an old squared off wooden spoon that I use for de-glazing since the wood won't scratch up the bottom of the pan.

    After you do this you don't even really need to scrub all that hard to get the remnants off. It will usually clean up with just a soapy sponge.

    Same basic principle as in this video, you can see how quick it works.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2cyCWgL9oI
  • Ruth
    I don't do this here in Belgium because I don't make ice in my very tiny freezer, but I learned a great trick to clean pots and pans when I worked at a hotel in the US. Dump a bowl of ice and squeeze between a teaspoon and a tablespoon of liquid dishwashing detergent onto the burnt surfaces and allow the mixture to remain there overnight or for at least a few hours. 9 times out of 10 the pot or pan will look great after briefly washing it with a wet cloth in the morning. My experience is that scraping or scrubbing is seldom necessary after this treatment.
  • Hey Lifehacker readers.. if you're interested.. I think my tip on controlling mosquitos is much better than this one.. check it out at:

    http://www.lencurrie.com/2009/07/hate-mosquitos...
  • CosmicPecans
    BarKeeper's Friend will help get that brown tinge off the bottom of your pan. It's cheap (something like $4 a can) and can be found in the hardware store or cleaning aisle of your supermarket. If you don't want to invest in that just yet, make a thick paste of baking soda and water, and scrub the pan with it.

    As for the baking soda water that didn't do anything, it works when you boil it in the scorched pan (don't use baking soda water on brushed stainless or anodized aluminum cookware- it'll dull the finish and leave a white cast). Sometimes boiling plain water will do the trick. It's the heat and moisture that loosens the burned-on crud.
  • maxnix
    Likewise BonAmi with a stainless steel pad.
  • kristwy
    Try pouring a can of Coke in to the pot and soaking overnight, then scrubbing. The phosphoric acid works on the burned stuff. It's the only thing I keep Coke for.
  • Ha.. "the only thing I keep Coke for".. :-) Well I don't drink coke.. but I do remember a demonstration where it dissolve a nail in no time at all.. hmmm.. yeah.. I'm sure that actually would work.. thanks Kristwy..
  • desirussell
    Years ago my father put an old, darkened, copper coin (of the old 1 or 2c variety) in a glass of coke overnight. The next morning, the coin shiny and like new. It made such an impression that Coke has been off my menu (and my kids' menu, I may add) ever since. This same father also uses the trick mentioned above to clean burnt pots except that he uses washing soda crystals simmering in water. It, also, works a treat and it's cheap as... washing soda crystals :-)
  • billg8s
    You're all crazy. Imagine what that penny would look like after 10 minutes in your stomach (let alone overnight!). You don't drink coke because it's acidic?! I hope you don't eat lemons, or limes, or oranges, or tomatoes, etc.
  • desirussell
    LOL. I take it you aren't the parent of an 8-year-old! As a young 'un, you don't question what the chemical is that has this effect. My father effectively put me off something that is full of sugar and other unnecessary chemicals (I may add that I buy no soft drinks at all for the family. OK, so call me a spoilsport).

    Why on earth would he want to put me off healthy fruit and veges containing natural acid? Not sure that comparing Coke to these other foods is valid.
  • Dylan
    The comparison was of the cause of cleaning (The phosphoric acid) to other acid containing foods (Such as lemons, tomatoes, et al), and the hydrochloric acid that we use to digest.

    Don't drink coke because it's artificially flavored? Brilliant, bring it on. Unfortunately, the oxidizing effect of the coke is due to the carbonic and phosphoric acid, not to flavorings, preservatives, or other ingredients.
  • Somebody who drinks lots of OJ
    Comparing Coke to other foods is very valid considering that Coke actually has less citric acid than something like orange juice and the amount of phosphoric acid is so minuscule that claims of dissolving nails in it is silly.
  • tomobr
    hardware stores sell sandpaper blocks intended for wet sanding. A sandpaper sponge. Comes in different grits. Very quick easy way to clean scorches.
  • interesting.. thanks for the comment tomobr.
  • Good Call Tim.. thanks for the comment.. sadly the people that know these tips.. are the ones that have done it eh? :-)
  • Tim
    For enamel pans, you can soak overnight with ammonia rather than vinegar. Enamel pans are those old-fashioned, typically dark blue with white flecks kinds of pans--roasters, canning pots, etc. I'm not sure if ammonia reacts with other metals. So, YMMV. I poured in enough ammonia to puddle in the bottom (it's the fumes that do the work) and put the pan inside a garbage bag. Then, I set it outside. In the morning, the dried on crud simply came off in sheets...like the whole pan's worth of crud was almost one large sheet. It was very cool after having earlier tried lots of scrubbing and scraping.
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