Even the greatest chefs around the world end up leaving their pan burnt and scorched. Leaving pot unattended for a long time or stirring very infrequently or cooking food on too high the flames, resulting in the burned or scorched pan. The black film on the bottom of the pan is the result of all these mistakes is nearly impossible to deal with.  Here are the ways that can be adapted easily to get what you want.

  1. Do Not Scrub Immediately

A prompt thought that crosses anybody’s mind when they see the scorched pan is to start scrubbing it clean immediately. But this is a bad idea. As all that gunk is still freshly stuck to the bottom of the pan, it will become messier rather than scrubbing the pan clean.

  • Wait till the pan reaches its normal temperature, rather than treating it when it still is already hot.
  • Scrubbing the pan immediately with the burnt marks will leave the scratch marks and make the pan look even more ugly, though it’s cleaned.
  • Scrubbing it immediately will spread the burnt gunk even more and will blacken your pan.
  1. Do Not Run it Under Cold Water

We think that if the pan is burnt and hot, running it under cold water will help when actually it doesn’t help at all. Sure, it does bring down the temperature of the pan but it makes the burnt marks even more rigid with its tendency. Running cold water make those burnt mark more rigid and improve s their sticking ability on the pan.

  • Rather than running it under the cold water, turn the pan upside down and put ice over its backside as it will bring down the temperature and marks won’t turn bad.
  • Use warm or hot water instead when treating the scorched pan.
  1. Detergent

Detergent with its many properties for cleaning rigid marks over the clothes, it also helps with cleaning scorched pans as it has soapy properties that turn rough marks greasy and easy to be removed. Detergent can be used with both normal and warm water.

  • Firstly, take your dirty pan and fill it with water to cover the scorched marks and at least 3 inches more in order to not lose complete water to evaporation.
  • Then add at least 5-6 spoonful of detergent in the water and bring it to boil for 2-3 minutes.
  • Let the solution sit in the pan then for 10 minutes and then clean it off with warm water.
  1. Vinegar and Baking Soda

Vinegar and baking soda are the good old tactics that have been used for a long time as a solution for burnt problems. For the cleaning process with these two products, you’ll need water too as all of them will be mixed.

  • First, the pan should be filled with water to the very top and then add the vinegar to it and bring it to a boil for about 6-7 minutes.
  • After that remove the pan from the stove and add the baking soda to the pan, which will lead to fizzing and bubbling which reflects its working process.
  • Leave it there for like 10 minutes, and then scrub the pan well and dry it completely clean.
  1. Oven Cleaner

Oven cleaners can be very effective in cleaning the scorched pans but must be used as the very last resort as they are very caustic and might lead to discoloration or fadedness of the pan. If the pan you’re trying to clean is non-stick than you must not use oven cleaners in them.

  • It has the potential to damage the cookware and should only use it when you’ve tried other methods and all of them have failed.
  • Open the windows of the room you’re cleaning it in. Spray the oven clear on the bottom of the pan, cover the pan and then keep it outside in the sunlight.
  • Let it stay overnight, and then scrub and wash it clean.
  1. Soapy Water

Soapy water seems to be a rather simple method when given the suggestions to use the above products, but if what you’re trying clean is not as rigid as the high burnt marks, then the soapy water cleaning method is all that is required to clean the pan.

  • For this, first, cover the scorched marks with water and add dish soap half the amount that of the water.
  • Bring it to boil for 10 minutes on sim flame and stir occasionally so that the scorched layer slightly starts coming off.
  • Pour out the soapy water from the pan, scrub the pan and then dry it clean.
  1. Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda

Hydrogen peroxide is rather a very intense product and it helps immediately with removing the burnt marks, but while using this chemical you need to take various precautionary methods, which includes using rubber gloves and wearing a face mask as its smell is pretty pungent.

  • Firstly, pour baking soda till the boundary of burnt marks and let it sit for 5 minutes.
  • And then, pour hydrogen peroxide solution over the baking soda.
  • Use the toothbrush to scrub the peroxide with the baking soda and let it sit for about 20 minutes.
  • Clean it with warm water and dry it.
  1. Kitchen Cleaners

Kitchen cleaners are something people expect to be used to just clean the kitchen from outside, but secretly it can be used to clean the burnt and scorched marks from the pan. These chemicals have a high acidic percentage which eventually helps in losing the gunk and its smell from the pan.

  • Take your kitchen cleaner and pour it directly over the burnt marks and fill it till the marks cannot be seen enough.
  • Let it sit for 2-3 hours and then add half a cup of water to the pan and put it on the stove on high flames for about 5 minutes.
  • Start scrubbing it with a brush while the solution is warm and then rinse it clean with warm water.
  1. Metal Polish

Many food industry professionals have said to be using these metal polishers in order to remove rigid stains from their pans effectively and efficiently. When using metal polish, you can expect that a short period of time will be used for this method. Metal polishes are easily available in hardware stores.

  • Do look for the right kind of metal polish for the right kind of pan you want to clean.
  • And lookout for the manual before using it on a pan you use for cooking food, as some ingredients might prove to be toxic.
  • Rub the metal polish on the marks directly for 2-3 minutes, and that is all needed for the same.
  • Then rinse it off nicely with warm water.
  1. Household Ammonia

Ammonia solutions found in every household can also be used for removal of burnt stains. For starters, you’re required to use gloves and mouth mask and do not work in a room with enclosed walls. Either work in a very well-ventilated room or outdoors to avoid exposure to those ammonia fumes.

  • Add a normal amount of ammonia solution to the pan and attempt to scrub the stains very slightly.
  • If you think that is not working, then pack the pan with applied ammonia in a trash bag, and leave it there overnight so as to let those ammonia fumes work on the stains.
  • Remove it from the trash bag in the morning and rinse it off with cold water.
  1. Burnt Plastic

Burnt plastic marks are rare and very rigid to not be removed easily. No solutions or hot water treatments work on burnt plastic marks. The only option we have for burnt plastic marks on a pan is propane torches.

  • Propane torch must be lighted directly on the plastic mark so as to melt the plastic from the bottom of the pan.
  • Once the plastic comes off from being melted, scrub the pan with soapy water and clean it with warm water.
  1. Dryer Sheets

Dyer sheets or some of you commonly know it as fabric softener sheets are one of the best methods to be used to remove the burnt marks from the scorched pan. Dryer sheets have softener properties in them which helps in puffing up the burnt marks from the bottom of the pan.

  • Fill the pan with water so that the burnt marks are covered effectively.
  • Put it on the gas stove and bring it to boil. Then turn the gas off and line the dryer sheets in the pan so that I completely cover the marks.
  • Leave it for an hour, after an hour scrubs the pan clean and rinse thoroughly with warm water.
  1. Soap Impregnated Steel Wool

Yes, they can easily cause scratching and that is why they are preserved for very messy marks. But when the same steel wool is impregnated in hot water and detergent or dish soap it works wonders on those rigid burnt marks on your pan and doesn’t even leave any foul marks. This is one of the strengths investing methods but yes, it does give great results.

  • Keep your plan filled with hot water that you can handle, and keep the steel wool submerged in it the whole time while scrubbing.
  • It ensures that the wool will not leave any marks on the bottom of the pan.
  • Also does not push the wool too deep into the bottom, scrubbing the pan lightly with letting the steel wool do its work, is enough.
  1. Salt

Coarse kosher salt with dish soap is one of those methods that not very much people are aware of. But yes, it is one of those effective methods that are not very costly and can be adapted easily in their day to day life. Salt has high ammonia properties that affect the burnt marks and causes them to leave off their place.

  • Firstly, no other salt but only coarse kosher salt is used for this process.
  • Fill the pan with water and half 5 spoonfuls of dish soap in it and then gradually bring it to a boil for 5 minutes.
  • Once done, remove it from the stove and add salt to cover the bottom of the pan and leave it for about an hour.
  • Once the hour is over, scrub it well and rinse with cold water.
  1. Coke

Many times, we have heard that these black sugary things act poisonous towards the body but not many have heard that these are used for cleaning rigid burnt marks off the pan. Yes, that’s how poisonous these drinks are too out body that they are capable of cleaning a scorched pan.

  • Take a 500 ml bottle of coke and empty it in the scorched pan and leave it there for overnight with its lid covered.
  • In the morning, add a spoonful of baking soda in the same pan and scrub it with steel wool and watch all that gunk come off nice and easy.
  • Later, rinse it off with warm water.
  1. Bar Keeper’s Friend

It is a chemical cleanser available online that is purposefully made for cleaning the burnt or scorched pans. With this, all you need is hot water and that’s it. The two-ingredient method easily takes off all that gunk from the bottom of your pan, leaving you with a shiny and factually, original looking pan.

  • All you need to do is first apply the cleanser directly on the surface and rub mildly in circular motions for about 5-6 minutes.
  • When the solution starts to change its color, and that will happen in about 10-15 minutes, it’s time to remove that cleanser.
  • Pour warm to hot water on the cleanser applied surface and rub gently till all the gunk comes off and give you a clean pan.
  1. Tomato Ketchup

Tomato ketchup has high acidic properties, due to the presence of tomatoes in it. So, they become helpful in removing the burnt marks. But to mention, this is a long-time taking process. Also, a large amount of ketchup is required for this process.

  • Take at least 2 bottles of tomato ketchup and empty it in the pan until the pan is filled with the ketchup.
  • Keep the pan on low flame on the gas stove for 2-3 minutes, remove it, sprinkle around 3-4 tablespoon of salt on it and cover the lid and leave it for 36 hours.
  • After the said time, scrub off the dirt and rinse it clean thoroughly.
  1. Club Soda

Club soda is effective for these burnt marks due to its obvious fizzy properties. Club soda in addition to the baking soda works wonders for these scorched pan marks. All you need is a soda bottle and 4 tablespoons of baking soda.

  • Empty the whole soda bottle into the pan that is already heated and leave it overnight.
  • In the morning, in the pan with soda in it add baking soda and scrub it well with a brush.
  • Rinse it with cold water afterward and dry it clean.
  1. Alka Seltzer

Alka Seltzer tablets are rich in citric acids making it a product worth using to scrub clean the scorched pans. Just this one ingredient is all that is needed to clean the pan. No other product is required to be mixed with these tablets.

  • All you need is the pan filled with water and bring it to a boil.
  • Then add at least 7-8 tablets of seltzer in it and stir it until the tablets are completely submerged.
  • Let it sit for an hour and then scrub it clean.
  1. Shaving Cream and Salt

Shaving cream and salt is a combination practically no one is aware of using to scrub the burnt marks clean. All you need is a frothy and not gel-based shaving cream with kosher coarse salt.

  • Empty the frothy shaving cream in the pan till it completely covers the burnt marks.
  • Leave it for 2 hours and then add 7 tablespoons of salt on it and scrub it for 5-6 minutes till the gunk starts coming off.

TIPS

  • An anodized aluminum pan must always be hand washed and using only hot water and dish soap.
  • A scorched Teflon pan should be tried cleaning in the dishwasher as it is safe for its coating to remain intact and not get affected.

How do you clean a badly burnt saucepan?

What to do:
  1. Fill the burnt pan with water until the bottom is covered and add the vinegar.
  2. Bring the pan to the boil and then remove from the heat.
  3. Add the baking soda, and let it fizz.
  4. If there are stubborn marks that won’t come off, try making a paste of baking soda and a couple of drops of water.

How do you clean the bottom of a burnt pan?

Removing Burnt Grease From Bottom of Pans With Vinegar, Dawn, and Baking Soda
  1. Sprinkle the bottom of the pan with generous amounts of baking soda and sea salt, especially on the stains.
  2. Spray the baking soda with straight vinegar.
  3. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
  4. Use the scouring pad to scrub away the grease.

How do you clean a burnt pan with bicarbonate of soda?

The Baking Soda & Water Method

Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Make enough to cover the scorched portion of the pan. For a full pot bottom, try 1 cup baking soda and 1/3 cup water. Liberally apply the paste to the burnt pan.

Is a burnt pan ruined?

Stainless steel pan burns are a pain, but they aren’t a permanent problem. Whether you have left water boiling too long in the pot or it has become scorched by sitting empty on a burner as you prepare other items to create a favored recipe, a burnt pan doesn’t have to be tossed and replaced.