Help me save my burnt sauce pan!

**imagine** · 08-17-2009, 01:36 PM

I burnt a flavored rice (cheddar cheese soup and rice)

It left a totally burnt bottom of the interior of the sauce pan

I'm not sure how to save it.

Here is what I have tried:
Good old fashioned elbow grease
Soak over night with water and dish soap (twice)
boil baking soda and water in the pan
Dawn power scrubber ( the spray on stuff)
boil and simmer dish soap and water in the sauce pan
scrub with salt and lemon juice ( let lemon juice sit and try again)

How do I save my sauce pan?

**Greebo** · 08-17-2009, 01:50 PM

What kind of pan is it? Cast iron? Aluminum? What kind of surface?

**nuisance26** · 08-17-2009, 01:56 PM

~I think I read here on FV about using red jello on scorched pans. I'll see if I can find that thread....~

ETA: [ame="http://www.frugalvillage.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1170573&postcount=58"]Frugal Village Forums - View Single Post - Little Known Secrets[/ame]

**Grainlady** · 08-17-2009, 02:11 PM

If it's stainless steel, then try the powdered cleansers/polish - Bar Keepers Friend or Cameo (for stainless steel). Or how about a Mr. Clean Magic Sponge or a paste made of baking soda? Good luck...

**imagine** · 08-17-2009, 02:19 PM

Originally Posted by Greebo

What kind of pan is it? Cast iron? Aluminum? What kind of surface?

stainless steel

**Greebo** · 08-17-2009, 02:56 PM

http://www.acehardware.com/product/i...ductId=2242808

+ LOTS of elbow grease

**Greebo** · 08-17-2009, 02:56 PM

Seriously - I knew a guy back in boot camp who had to scrub an entire metal garbage can with one of those. It took him days, but it came out so clean you really could eat off of it.

**shoiji** · 08-17-2009, 06:02 PM

I did this a couple times to my saucepan. It is stainless steel. I used comet cleanser, scrubbie, and LOTS of elbow grease. Spent a really long time scrubbing. All the black burnt on stuff did come off. The pan still has some gray rings on the bottom of the pan. But it can still be used.
Hope this helps.

**TinyDancer** · 08-18-2009, 03:02 PM

I've done the same thing before. I made a paste of baking soda and water and made sure it covered the burned areas. Then I let it sit for about 2 days. When I went to wash it, it cleaned right up without much elbow grease.

**homemaker66** · 08-18-2009, 06:07 PM

Hot water with fabric softner liquide or a sheet and let it set over night. The burn spot should come right off. Good luck.

**frugalfranny** · 08-18-2009, 06:22 PM

Wow...you have tried lots of things.....some other good posts here. Will be curious as to what will work......let us know. I have always just soaked it in hot water and dish soap and gotten stuff off........you must have REALLY CREAMATED that thing!!!

Good luck.......and anything with cheese is the worst to get off/out!

**Incognito** · 08-18-2009, 06:37 PM

2 things that have never failed me:
1. Curly Kate pot cleaners: coarse to medium-fine
2. From Home Hardware: sanding sponge. This is a sponge with black sand glued on each side: 1 side is fine, the other side is medium-coarse. I've used this on my stainless steel pans, cast-iron pans, even the glass Pyrex pots, for blackened burnt-on foods and the burnt food comes off with a minimum of elbow grease, and leaves the pans shiny new. Just wet the sponge and rub the spot; rinse the sponge after use, dry. I bought mine 5 years ago for a couple of dollars, and it's still perfectly good to use.

**imagine** · 08-23-2009, 03:38 AM

UPDATE:

My pan in now burnt free and in service again.

What finally did the trick?

Well I didn't have or couldn't find lots of stuff you mentioned so

I ended up dissolving baking soda in water and boiling again.

The first time we tried this it kept bubbling over. In hinded sight Hubby thinks it was do this because there was to much burnt on stuff for the baking soda to react with.

This time hubby added salt when it started to boil (something about changing the temp of the water or the temp it boils at something like that) It was really cool because the bubbles came from the burn on spots the most.

This didn't seem to do much at the time except a few small burnt spot lifted off and floated in the water but then the next day after it cooled I used a stainless steel scrubby (like Greebo suggested) and it cleaned right up. My fingers were gray and sore for a while though.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions

Thanks for helping me save my pan.

**ladytoysdream** · 08-23-2009, 06:28 AM

Thanks for coming back and sharing with us how you cleaned it.

My hubby uses salt to clean a pan he has burnt stuff in.
His favorite method of cooking is high heat.........sigh

He gets to cook once in awhile. The food is great....BUT...
the cleanup part can be a bear, sometimes.

I use those SOS soap pads a LOT. Lately been buying the ones I can find at the dollar stores, so a different brand name.
When I get the box, I cut them in half. The last box is now in a plastic jar with lid. Easy for me to get to, and not picking up moisture from the air.

I have a electric vegtable steamer I use a lot. It gets a buildup on the heating element that sticks up in the base where the water goes. In order to clean that, I use white vinegar and water, and turn it on. It boils it off. Does not take very long.
Then I rinse it so it's ready to go again.
Our source of water is a well, so not soft water here.

**never2late** · 08-23-2009, 08:35 PM

I'm glad you were able to get it cleaned. The one thing I have always used that I learned from my mother is to put cream of tartar over the burn spot and then add may 1/2 inch of water to the pan and then boil for several minutes.

Baking soda is definitely cheaper than cream of tartar though!