Ahh! I've burnt my pan...help!

[Anonymous]

I was trying to make pop-corn tonight and managed to burn my favorite pan really badly. I've already soaked it in soapy water and scrub it hard but the black burns will not shift! Does anyone have any good ideas on cleaning the bottom of a burnt pan? I also put the pan on the carpet during my panic - but that is a different problem completely :o

[kitchenelf]

Well, in the past when I've done this I will fill the bottom only with water and fill with rock salt. When this boils you will notice little black bits of "stuff" that the rock salt has scrubbed loose. I've just kept doing this (it has taken days and weeks before!!:) ) but eventually it was useable again. One time I burned green beans so bad it took a couple years - BUT, I now can use the pan!!!

Once it has boiled enough and the water is about to disappear, I have also added more rock salt and scrubbed.

[gduncann]

Oh dear, a burnt pan, frightful nusence.

I always make kettle soup when I burn, scorch or even just have something particularly stickey and messy. Put water and strong detergent in the pot and biring to a boil. Now, because of the detergent, the pot may boil over, so don't fill it very full, and after it comes to the boil, turn it down to the point where it won't boil over.

My mother always just burned it out. She would put the pot on the stove dry and let the burned spots burn further until they were just a bit of ash at the bottom which she then wiped out. Don't try this one with an lectric stove or a non stick pan. (non stick my euphamisum. even non sticks stick under some conditions)

With eather of the above methods you will probably want to remove the battery from your smoke alarm until you are finished.

On the carpet!!! What are you doing with carpet in the kitchen. I have a friend with carpet in the kitchen. It is a desaster, even though she doesn't cook much.

[lindaTn]

I have always poured vinegar in the pot. then sprinkle old fashion cleanser (such as ajax) all over the inside of the pot...let it sit overnight and wash as usual the next day...this has always cleaned my burnt pots.....
I always burn eggs and pork and beans......don't know why...so now i turn my timer on.....

[kitchenelf]

hi lindaTn,

Welcome to discusscooking. Never thought of vinegar but it's on my list now!!!!! I always burn green beans and rice. Next time I'll give this a go. Thanks for the suggestions and will be looking forward to seeing more of you!

kitchenelf

[BradTheDog]

however if you can not remove a discoloration on your pan there are far worse things than cosmeticly imperfect pans, even if it is all-clad.

[maws]

Oh dear! This can be a mess - especially the carpet. I have also had success with boiling water with dishwashing liquid added, as well as vinegar. For really sad/bad cases, I followed a tip, using the soap powder for dishwashers. You sprinkle this on the base of the saucepan and add a few tablespoons of water, just enough to form a kind of paste. Leave overnight. It always worked until I tried it on a look-alike "Calphalon" saucepan which ended up with the black ionised covering on the base removed. No other saucepan was damaged. Now I follow one tip: always, always use your nose as guide while cooking!!
Good luck and let us know what really worked.
Maws:(

[leigh]

I don't remember where I found out about this, but BOY am I glad I did! All you have to do is put a couple of inches of water in your pan, then sprinkle in baking soda to completely cover the bottom of the pan - actually, "dump" is a better word than "sprinkle" because it really takes quite a bit of soda - then cover the pan and set it over the lowest possible heat. Then just walk off and leave it overnight (or longer), turn off the heat and allow the pan to cool. The burned-on gunk will come right out of there with no more than a spoon and a plastic scrubber. If there are a couple of spots left and you are feeling ambitious, use an SOS pad on them; otherwise--and by "otherwise", I mean if that stuff does not come RIGHT OFF, repeat the water-and-soda routine. I vary the amount of soda according to how deep the burned gunk is on the bottom of my pan . . . and btw, don't feel bad: I am intimately acquainted with a person who let a pot of beans boil dry and then put water in the pan before it had a chance to cool. Which wouldn't have been so bad except that the pan was an enameled cast iron Dutch oven, and when that water hit those beans, they popped right out of there, along with the enamel they were stuck to . . . :D

[pgladden]

Welcome to the "I burned a pot club!!" I think that you can't claim any kitchen expertise until you kill off at least one pot. I still get reminded by family about the time I left a whole big pot full of baby bottles and pacifiers on the stove and came back to a clump of melted plastic. That one was beyond salvaging.

Being an ole southern gal I LUV my cast iron skillets. They are truely indestructable. And IMHO it ain't corn bread unless its cooked in cast iron. :D

[BeeGold422]

Whenever I have burned a pot or pan, I just fill it with water, place on burner on high, and let in boil until all the burnt material is loosened. I then clean the pan according to manufacturers directions. Hope this helps!!