Every cook or homemaker, needs to have some tricks on how to clean a burnt pot up their sleeves. This is because one thing that is inevitable in the course of cooking is that one day, you are bound to burn something in the pot.
So in this article, we would share some tested and tried ways of getting those burnt on food particles off your pot with minimal stress.
Yes you can use store bought dish washing scouring powders or some multipurpose or specific cleaners. However, the methods we share here would mostly require items that you have lying around in your pantry.
Ingredients and Methods
Hot Water and Dish washing Liquid
- Boil some water and add to the burnt pot with some dish washing soap.
- Place on low heat and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
- Use a spatula to scrape off the burnt food( it would have loosened by now).
- Use a scrubbing pad to finish washing the pot and rinse well.
Note that this method would work best for slightly burnt on pot.
White Vinegar and Baking Soda
White vinegar and baking soda are two natural agents that feature not only in this piece about tackling burnt pans and pots, but also comes in handy for many household cleaning tasks.
So here’s how to use the vinegar and baking soda:-
- Put a little quantity of water and vinegar (in equal parts; e.g one tablespoon of water to one tablespoon of vinegar) in the pot. Ensure that it covers the bottom of the pot.
- Place the pot on the stovetop and bring the solution to a boil; let it boil for about 60 seconds.
- Remove from the heat and pour out the vinegar solution.
- Sprinkle a tablespoon of baking soda on the bottom of the pot and use a scouring pad to rub the baking powder in. The scrubbing motion would help to remove the burn marks from the pot.
- Rinse well with clean water.
Salt
This is one of the cheapest methods of how to clean a burnt pot and you can rest assured that there is no toxic deposit in your pot.
- Pour some salt into a pot with a little water(enough to cover the burnt part).
- Place on the stovetop and bring to a slow boil.
- Turn off the heat, remove the pot and let it sit until its cool.
- Next, scrape off burnt food with a spatula.
- Then pour some salt into the pot, add your preferred dish soap with a little hot water and get to scrubbing (you wouldn’t require too much elbow grease) .
You can also use salt and cut lemon. Cut the lemon in half and then use the open part to massage the salt through the burn marks.
Lemons
This vitamin C laden fruit is not only useful for making lemonade or instant pot recipes. it comes in useful for cleaning burnt pots. Here are the simple steps:-
- Cut up some lemons (about two or three) and place them in the burnt pot.
- Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pot and place the pot on the stovetop.
- Bring the water and lemon to boil and leave it boiling for 5 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and leave the pot covered and let it sit until completely cool.
- Pour out the lemon and water and use a spatula to scrape off the burnt food.
- Finally, use the lemon and a sponge to scrub out the pot.
Dryer Sheet
These products are more commonly known and used for laundry purposes but the amazing thing we discovered is that in comes in handy for cleaning a burnt pot.
It’s very easy to use; here’s how:-
- Place a dryer sheet with dish soap and water in the burnt pot.
- Leave it to soak for one hour.
- Thereafter, scrub and rinse out with fresh water
Soda
- Pour any soda drink into the burnt pot
- Bring this to a boil until the pot is almost dry again.
- Then use a spatula to lift off the burnt on food.
- Scrub off burn marks with any cleaning agent of your choice.
- At this point you can make a baking soda or cream of Tatar paste.
- Apply it to a section of the pot and scrub. Continue section by section until the whole pot is as good as new.
Note : Many people assert that cola drinks are the best for this method.
Conclusion
We would leave you with a video that demonstrates on of the methods we discussed. But heed these two warnings:-
Do not use an abrasive sponge to scrub your pot especially stainless steel and nonstick coated cookware; it would scratch the surface of the pot and increase it’s propensity to burning up food.
It is best to use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape your pot. Do not to use a metal spoon for the same reasons stated above.
