How to clean a burnt pan without ruining it
How to clean a burnt pan: soak in hot soapy water, simmer a little water to loosen it and scrub with a soft tool. Know which pans to never scrape.
Malik Zerrouki3 min read
1 hour, mostly waiting. Costs nothing.
Try this first (costs nothing): fill the pan with hot water and a good squirt of washing-up liquid. Leave it for an hour. Scrubbing straight away is the hard way. The soak does most of the work.
If it is still stuck
- Pour out the water. Add about 2 cm of fresh water and a spoon of washing-up liquid.
- Bring it to a gentle simmer for 5 minutes. Do not boil it dry.
- Let it cool a little. Scrape with a wooden spoon or a nylon scraper.
- Wash as normal and rinse.
Use one product at a time. Do not add bleach or other cleaners to soapy water. Plain soap and heat is enough.
Know your pan
- Stainless steel: takes more scrubbing. A non-scratch pad is fine.
- Non-stick: never use wire wool or metal tools. Scratches damage the coating. See the pan you should stop scrubbing.
- Cast iron: do not soak for hours. Scrub gently, dry and wipe with a thin coat of oil.
- Enamel: do not scrape hard. It can chip.
If that does not work
If burnt-on bits remain on stainless steel, repeat the simmer. A pan with a scorched base that has gone black is mostly cosmetic. Burnt food in non-stick that will not come off is a sign the pan is finished.
Skip it if
Skip abrasive powders on any coated or enamelled pan.
A worked example
Say a stainless saucepan has burnt rice stuck on the base. Round numbers: soak for an hour, then simmer 2 cm of soapy water for 5 minutes. Most of the rice lifts with a wooden spoon. A thin brown film is left. A non-scratch pad takes it off in a minute or two. If a dark ring stays, it is usually a stain on the metal, not food, and the pan still works fine.
Common mistakes
- Scrubbing a hot pan. Let it cool a little. Cold water on a hot pan can warp thin metal.
- Wire wool on a coated pan. It strips the coating.
- Leaving it for days. Burnt food hardens and is harder to move.
- Boiling it dry. That burns on a second layer.
For wiping the pan afterward, see microfibre cloth vs sponge, and for another stuck-on mess, how to clean a microwave.
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