Burnt Pans

[TexanCrisps]

Hi,

I burnt rice to the bottom of my sauce pan and then an omelete to the bottom of a 12" skillet this week. I cannot remove the burn from either. The skillet is by far the worst.

The pans are either aluminium or stainless steel. They both have a thick heavy base, and I think they are stainless steel with an aluminium base but is there a way that I can find out for sure?

Based on the type of pan, how do I get out the burnt on food?

Thanks,

 

[jkath]

So long as they don't have a non-stick finish, you can get pretty much everything out using bar keeper's friend. It's great!
In this same cookware forum, there are many questions, just like yours.
Since we're kind of slow here on the weekends, you may not get as many results as you normally would, so I'd start there. Best of luck to you!

 

[Barb L.]

I would put the pans on the stove add water and simmer for awhile, then you should be able to scrape the bottoms. I like sos pads too !

 

[Barbara]

Soak for a few hours with a bounce - you know the dryer sheets. It works.

 

[YT2095]

you can as a last resort (with all metal pans, nothing with plastic or non stick), continue the action.

that means heating it on the fire to carbonise the whole lot, that carbon comes off quite easily then as an ash.

but you MUST know your cookware well before trying this! and it IS a last resort, I regularly take my woks etc.. to red heat, it doesn`t harm them

 

[Katie H]

Another thing you might want to try is if you determine your pans are stainless steel on the inside, spray the burned-on area with oven cleaning spray, such as Easy-Off. Place some plastic wrap directly on the sprayed area to keep the product from evaporating and to help it work more effectively on the pan. Leave it like this for several hours or overnight.

I clean the racks on my outdoor grill this way except, instead of sealing with plastic wrap, I seal them in trash bags overnight. By morning they are easy to clean and usually look like new.

 

[YT2095]

be Very carefull with Some oven cleaners though, they contain Sodium Hydroxide, that stuff is HUGE NO-NO with Aluminium!
it`ll corrode it like there`s no tommorow and give of Hydrogen gas! (H2 is Not good!) and turning your pan into sodium aluminate sludge.

it`s perfectly safe on SS though.

 

[shannon in KS]

I am with those who simmer or boil it for a while. My fiance seems to think everything should cook on maximim heat- "it cooks faster". After you get the smoke alarms to quit going off.... fill pan with water and place on medium heat, then kindly remind them to please leave the cooking to you, cook them something nice for an incentive to never cook again, and hopefully the pan will be done by then. Daily occurence in my house. Or threaten you need all new pots and pans.

 

[Half Baked]

I would put the pans on the stove add water and simmer for awhile, then you should be able to scrape the bottoms. I like sos pads too !

I'd probably add some vinegar to that but I don't know why.

Barbara, I've never heard of using the Bounce sheets. But when I burn something, I'll give them a shot. Would that work for cast iron, do you think?

 

[YT2095]

Cast Iron as in Griddle pans, use a brillo wire wool pad, but roll your sleeves up 1`st

 

[Aria]

Texan Crisps, Try Dawn Power Dissolver (No scrubbing) it comes in a spray blue container. Spray and let sit. Then wash. It worked for me. Remember this is NOT detergent. It is "Dawn Power Dissolver"

 

[Barbara]

I clean my cast iron with kosher salt & tinfoil rolled up in a ball & scrub. Works very well.

 

[Candocook]

Use the vinegar. Simmer it a bit and scrape with a spatula. DO not use oven cleaner on aluminum--and I don't think stainless would benefit either. Get some coarse steel wool and have at it after the vineger.
Burned on cast iron? Is it seasoned. Just use steel wool.

 

[StirBlue]

Hi,

I burnt rice to the bottom of my sauce pan and then an omelete to the bottom of a 12" skillet this week. I cannot remove the burn from either. The skillet is by far the worst.

The pans are either aluminium or stainless steel. They both have a thick heavy base, and I think they are stainless steel with an aluminium base but is there a way that I can find out for sure?

Based on the type of pan, how do I get out the burnt on food?

Thanks,

Welcome to Discuss Cooking (DC). Burnt rice or eggs on the bottom of a pan is the ultimate stinko to clean. Although I have done both and more than once, I am not an expert in getting it cleaned off real quickly.
The first wash in moderate temp. soapy water, I use a dish washing brush and scrub off the loose food stuff. Next I put the pots or pans in a plastic tub in the sink, fill with luke warm water and put the pans in to soak all day or over night. (I use the tub because I do not want the water to mess up the finish on my sink) Next time I wash them some more of the stuff comes off but not all. I put away the tub and rinse everything. I place the pots and pans in the sink to drain and dry. Some of the smaller pieces of food are sealed to the bottom and the drying helps to loosen them. Wash again and most of the stuff comes off.
I only use an abrasive cleaning product like comet when I need to remove a grease film and then I use a soft sponge with a green Teflon side. I have never had any success in boiling water in the pan. It has just made the food harder to remove as it seemed to be cooking to the pan.
The ultimate worse thing that you can do to a pot or pan is to leave it unwashed with a tomato product in it (like tomato sauce stuff). It will eat the finish, leave stains and eventually have a hole.
I am not perfect as you may have noticed. Once I get everything learned, I'll treasure these old pots and pans.
I have two pizza pans. Both are the same brand. One will rust and the other does not. Figure that!
Have fun cooking. Don't try multi tasking when you are cooking; like trying to do laundry, vacuuming, ....etc. (unless you are waiting on a slow cooker.... )