Stainless steel stockpot problems

[Cath4420]

This is a question from my Mum.

The first time she used her SS Stockpot, some food caught on the bottom and burnt. Now everytime she uses it food catches on the bottom and burns again, even though she has scrubbed it. The last attempt was a potato soup and the burnt taste ruined the whole batch even though she was watching and stirring it.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to get rid of "the burn spot" as she calls it or is she better to just go and buy a teflon coated one. If she needs a new one, do any of our aussie members know where we can pick one up at a reasonable price, we had a look at Myer and Target this morning and they were around the $150-$200 mark which is a little more than she wanted to spend.

tks
Cath

[jpmcgrew]

To clean pot try boiling some water and then add some baking soda and let simmer it should lift off the crud. Next the pot sounds like the bottom is to thin which is why stuff is stickind to the bottom. Maybe a heat diffuser placed under the pot will help.

[Osmokey]

If the stock pot has a heavy bottom she may be using to much heat. The heavy bottom is designed to radiate and hold heat. This is a case of less is more.

If the bottom of the pot is thin then it will probably always be a problem. You have to watch a thin pot to make sure it's not getting to hot.

[CharlieD]

If something burnt in the pot, n matter how well you clean, it will burn again and again in the same spot. That pot is only good for boiling water now. Sorry.

[cookiegrrl]

There isn't anything that will fix a pot bottom and that's what the problem is. One thing that you can do to get around it (besides buying a new pot of better construction) is to set the pot in a cast iron skillet and then put that on the burner. The cast iron will help distribute the heat more evenly but you will still have to keep an eye on the temp...keeping it in the medium range...never too high.

Hope this helps.

[dyscjocki]

SS is about the worst pot you can use for heavy soups or sauces. It will almost always burn before you have the food to where you want it. Aluminum stock pots are better for that sort of cooking. Restaurants use aluminum unless they setup a double boiler method with another SS pot.

[yogiwan]

Even the the vast majority of commercial kitchen do use aluminum pots as said above, that is as much about economics as it is about heat distribution. Quality stainless steel is very good for braising and then producing good soups and stews (although I prefer cast iron for the latter). Clad stainless steel with aluminum or copper inserts between inner and outer layers of stainless work very well for the applications mentioned. Several manufactures make pots with the clad wrapped up the sides a bit to be sure there few heat spots.

The important thing is to use medium heat or lower for cooking. High heat is only for boiling things and reducing liquids.

As several have said above, there is not much you can do if you pot has a thin bottom. The baking soda suggestion often works as well. However, the final solution may be to get a better pot for those soups.

[bowlingshirt]

Barkeepers Friend works great for cleaning up burned spots on SS cookware...not sure if you have it where you are, but you can probably find similar products.

Try this before replacing the pot.

[Robo410]

what kind of SS stockpot? triply all the way up? disc bottom? or thin SS? My local hardware store sells a thin pressed SS stockpot for $12. Frankly you would burn water trying to boil it. So it may well be the pot. However, if you have a quality disc bottom or triply pot, it could be the level of heat being used.