OOPS! I messed up.

[chopper]

Well...Last night I was going to make some meat sauce for my pasta, so I started warming the pan with a little olive oil in it. To make a long story short, I realized that the meat was still a bit frozen, put in in the microwave to thaw, got to doing other things, and forgot the pan on the stove. Burned that olive oil right to the pan. How do it get it off? Or...is that the way the pan will be from now on. Kind of silver with a light brown birth mark??? Can you help?

 

[Uncle Bob]

Stainless steel? or what?

 

[chopper]

Stainless steel? or what?

Sorry...Yes, stainless steel.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Start by soaking it for a spell...It may help.~ After that...Elbow Grease...Brillo Pad...Elbow Grease....SOS Pad....Elbow Grease....Bar Keeper's Friend ...Elbow grease...With time and patience it will clean up!

 

[chopper]

Thanks Uncle Bob for taking care of me! I will just keep at it. It is one of those days. I am also dealing with a frozen drain in the shower. It has warmed up to -10 degrees, but the drain is on the north side of the house, where it is pretty darn cold. Thanks again for the reply on the oil stain.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Sorry about the drain...I have no experience there. The pan will clean up with a lot of hard work, but understand it's not high on your list of priorities right now ~~ Take care and stay warm!!!

 

[sparrowgrass]

Mix a little dishwasher detergent with water, and boil it in the pan. Works for me every time.

But pay attention--don't let it boil dry!

 

[Zhizara]

Soak the pan in water overnight with a dryer sheet in it. Believe it or not, it really works wonders.

 

[chopper]

Sparrowgrass and Zhizara,
Now I am trying to decide which one to try first...Oh I guess I have to try the dishwasher soap first, bc I don't have a dryer sheet. Thanks to you both.

Oh and update on the frozen drain - Now not only is that frozen, but the pipes to the sinks and toliet are frozen too! I have been crawling around with the heat gun, but so far no luck. We don't usually have this problem. Must be some siding or something, where air is getting in??? Anyway, that belongs in the off topic forum. Thanks again for the tips. I am going to go try onw now since it still looks the same after soaking and scrubbing!

 

[chopper]

Mix a little dishwasher detergent with water, and boil it in the pan. Works for me every time.

But pay attention--don't let it boil dry!

Worked like a charm. It was burned on pretty good, so it took about three hours of boiling, but...good as new! Thanks! Good to know!

And...BTW, the pipes were thawed by midnight last night, and I just was able to get the drain to thaw this morning (about 1/2 hour ago). Good thing today was a snow day too!

 

[joesfolk]

The easiest way I know to clean stainless steel is to put it in an airtight plastic bag with a cup of ammonia. Be sure that it is well sealed and leave it to sit overnight. In the morning you will be able to wipe it clean with a finger. However, if your pan has some kind of coating especially a cheap non-stick coating this process may lift the coating. I have done this with a very expensive pan. I found the pan at a thrift store and it really needed cleaning. I was afraid the ammonia would lift off the coating but it didn't. However it did lift the coating off a cheap pan. The risk is yours.

 

[chopper]

The easiest way I know to clean stainless steel is to put it in an airtight plastic bag with a cup of ammonia. Be sure that it is well sealed and leave it to sit overnight. In the morning you will be able to wipe it clean with a finger. However, if your pan has some kind of coating especially a cheap non-stick coating this process may lift the coating. I have done this with a very expensive pan. I found the pan at a thrift store and it really needed cleaning. I was afraid the ammonia would lift off the coating but it didn't. However it did lift the coating off a cheap pan. The risk is yours.

It is a good quality heavy stainless steel pot. The dishwasher soap cleaned it right up. Good to know this tip too. Thanks.

 

[mollyanne]

Soak the pan in water overnight
with a dryer sheet in it. Believe
it or not, it really works wonders.

huh?? Whoo in the world ever thought
to put a dryer sheet in a dirty pan! lol

 

[Zhizara]

I can't imagine how someone first found this trick, MollyAnne, but I was amazed when it worked.