Burning a pot or pan is inevitable. Every seasoned home cook and pro has a story (or a few) of their worst burnt nightmare, followed by tales of endless soaking and scrubbing. But luckily for us, there are a few techniques you can use to save a burnt pot or pan without spending hours of soaking and scrubbing.
1. Soaking
You can’t scrub a burnt pot or pan without having soaked it first; otherwise, you’ll be scrubbing the burnt layer of food bits instead of the cookware’s surface. It’s best to try and pry off some of the burnt bits while the cookware is still warm, and then soak it for at least 15 minutes, an hour or even overnight (depending on the severity). Soaking is really the key to prying off burnt bits of food before the next step, scrubbing.
Please note: Never soak a cast iron pot or pan! If you’ve burnt your cast iron, skip the soaking process and dive straight into the next step: scrubbing.
Here are the top three soaking combinations to use:
- Water and dish soap: Cover all the burnt bits with a mixture of hot water and a few drops (not more than a teaspoon) of dish soap. Bring to the boil and leave to soak: the more burnt bits, the longer the soak. This combo is great for thin to medium layers of burnt foods.
- Water and vinegar: Deglaze your hot, burnt cookware with a solution of water and vinegar (about 1 cup of each, or enough to cover the burnt bits). Bring to a boil, simmer for 10 minutes and leave to soak. This combo is great for medium to thick layers of burnt foods.
- Water and a dishwasher tablet: Bring enough water to cover the burnt bits to the boil, and then simply drop in a dishwashing tablet (or about a tablespoon of dishwashing powder). Let it simmer for 10 minutes and leave to soak for at least 15 minutes. This combo works very well for all types of burnt layers, thin or thick.
2. Scrubbing
Once your pot or pan has had a good soak, drain it and use a wooden spoon or spatula to pry as much of the burnt layer as you can from the surface. There shouldn’t be too many burnt bits leftover at this point, but if there are, you’ll need to re-soak using combo #3 (water and a dishwasher tablet).
Start scrubbing! We’ve grouped scrubbing combos according to the type of pot or pan you have, to avoid any further damage:
- Cast iron: Use half a lemon and kosher salt to scrub your pot or pan. Once all the burnt bits have been removed, scrub with warm soapy water and a soft sponge, dry thoroughly and oil before storing. If the burnt bits are stubborn, scrub with rock salt and a paper towel before washing up.
- Aluminium & stainless steel: Scrub your pot or pan with a metal scrubby, a splash of water and a tablespoon or two of bicarbonate of soda. If that doesn’t work, scrub the cookware with some tin foil. Wash with warm soapy water and dry before storing.
- Non-stick pans: The soak should have gotten rid of most of the burnt bits, and you should be able to use a wooden spoon to get rid of the remaining bits. Wash with warm soapy water and a soft sponge before drying and storing.
Rescuing a burnt pot or pan is definitely doable. With the right soaking combination and scrubbing technique, you’ll restore your pots and pans to their former glory within two hours max, no excessive scrubbing in sight!
Also See: Ways to clean pots and pans without damaging them
Image credit: thespruce.com
