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Don't waste your time scrubbing a badly burned pot or even think about throwing it away! All you need to do is put it outside in direct sunlight for a few days. The burnt food will crust up together, and when you turn it upside down, it will all fall out. I burned a huge pot of food the other day and my mother called up with this tip. Sure enough, the pot is back to normal thanks to the sun!
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Source: My mother
By attosa from Los Angeles, CA
I took a telephone call and completely forgot my saucepan boiling my Udon noodles. I didn't think anything would shift the burnt-on food. How wrong I was. 
I soaked the pot for two days with cheap cola (17p for 2 litres in my supermarket) and a dash of bicarbonate of soda (baking soda).
I was then able to remove all burnt residue with a ball of foil and it came up as shiny as if it was new! See my picture.
It worked! I used the tip for using Dawn on my burnt pan and it worked! But I had to improve on the tip a little since my pan was really burnt.
First I squirted Dawn in the pan and filled it half way with water and boiled the mixture in the pan for 5 minutes, scraping the bottom with a metal spatula every once in a while. Then after the 5 minutes, I scraped some more, poured the water out and scraped again. This removed a lot of the burnt crust. I repeated this step one more time.
After a second round of boiling and scraping, I then filled the bottom of the pan with coarse sea salt and scoured the pan with a Magic Eraser sponge. This helped remove anything that was holding on for dear life.
The very last step I took was to do one last wipe down with the Magic Eraser.
The pan now looks great!
Using my favorite and best cooking pot, I put some green beans on to cook and went to the computer to check the weather while the strings beans were coming to a boil. Next thing I knew, the smoke alarm was blaring...
Sprinkle powdered cleanser or baking soda liberally over the burned portion of the pot, then add only enough water to moisten the powder or soda well.
To clean the worst burnt pots and pans in just a few minutes, put about 1/2 to 1 inch of water in the pan then shake a generous amount of Comet and boil.
Who hasn't burned a pot really badly on the stove! To clean it, get some rhubarb, several handfuls. Cut it up into about half a pot of water and boil gently for about 10 minutes.
Cleaning burnt on food off of glass cookware, such as Pyrex baking dishes, does require products that will clean but not scratch. This is a guide about cleaning burnt food on glass cookware.
Making candy or caramel can easily result in some burned sugar in the bottom of your pan. Cleaning burned caramel from a pan can be a bit of a challenge.
Ask a QuestionHere are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community or ask a new question.
How do I get burnt tomato soup out of a metal pan? I was making grilled cheese and tomato soup the other day and seemed to let it sit to long.
Automatic dishwasher detergent in water will dissolve just about all cooked on food. Just let sit for a while.
Barkeepers Friend....looks like white comet. It cleans everything. Sprinkle it on a wet pan and let sit a few minutes. Shines everything like new.
Fill the pot with hot water and place a new fabric softener dryer sheet in it. Let it set overnight. This has worked before for me on baked/burned on food.
My Revere Ware has sufficient build up of burnt food on the OUTSIDE (sides and bottom) of the pots and pans. There is advice on cleaning the INSIDE not the OUTSIDE - I'm considering using a Magic Eraser but I'm wondering about the copper bottom as well. Would be interested in detailed information. Thanks so much!
Try soaking the pots in a sink or dish pan in hot water and powder dish washer detergent, about 1 cup to a sink full. What works on the inside will probably work on the outside. Soak overnight, then scrub.
I'm not sure if this will help you, but my mother taught me how to clean and brighten copper bottoms of our Revere Ware pots and pans.
Wet the copper bottom and sprinkle vinegar (any kind) on it. Then sprinkle regular salt on top of the vinegar and scrub with a sponge. The chemical reaction of the vinegar and salt removes tarnish from the bottom.
Maybe this will help, I hope.
Good luck!
Smoochie :)
Barkeeper's Friend!
I've had to do a lot of this lately.
First, do a thorough cleaning with Bar Keepers Friend-- on the stainless steel and the copper. Don't spend a lot of time on the copper because that's Step 2.
Step 2: Get on down to the local hardware store and pick up a sheet of 600 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Cut off a piece around 2" square and keep everything wet. Then scour the copper with the sandpaper. That copper will shine like you won't believe...
(Maybe going to the hardware store should have been step number 1?)
Before anyone says: "Yikes! Sandpaper? Are you kidding me?"
I heard this tip on a cooking show on a San Francisco radio station. And it really works well, without scratching the copper. I was amazed myself!
I have the solution to your problem,this will work on the copper bottom & the inside that was burned from water,milk excetera.My husband is a body work man fixing & painting cars,when he paints cars afterwards he has to wet sand & buff the paint to get out imperfections.He uses a 1000 grit or 1,500 grit sandpaper,it's really fine grain.I use it on the inside & the out side of my Revereware pans,you have to let a slow flow of water run on it the whole time your scrubbing.It does not scratch the pans because it's such a fine grain of sandpaper.I promise you it will not scratch & they come out looking brand new,you have to remember to run a trickle of water over it as your scrubbing.Your wet sanding the burnt stuff & film off the pan,if it works on car paint without scratching it will work on your pans.I have been useing this method for 20 years now with perfect looking pans.You can get the sandpaper at the hardware or automotive store,ask for 1000 grit to 1,500 wet dry sandpaper,it don't take much scrubbing neither.I promise you will never go back to any other way again after useing this method.
I just posted about the sandpaper too,when people think of sandpaper they think of the rough stuff.There is a sandpaper out there that is 1000 grit and 1,500 grit,you have to get the right type.It's called wet/dry 1000 grit sandpaper,it's the type used to wet sand and buff out imperfection in the paint after a car is painted.I use this method and I promise you it does not scratch your pans.You have to REMEMBER to run a trickle flow of water over the pan as your wet sanding it.It's more like a rubbing method but it WILL NOT SCRATCH YOUR PANS.If it does than you have used the wrong grit,it has to be 1000 grit or 1,500 wet/dry sandpaper,it is a very very fine sandpaper grit.Once you use this method you will never bother with others again,it works on the inside and the outside of the pan.
I just picked up a set of Revere Ware copper bottom pots at a yard sale...for $1.00! I cleaned them all up bright and shiny with the same stuff I use on my brass bathroom sink, Cameo copper, brass and porcelain cleaner which costs about $1.25 at my local grocery store.
I have burned chunky spaghetti sauce on the bottom of my pot. I tried the liquid dish soap with water and boiling method, but it's still stuck like glue to the bottom of the pot. What now?
I didn't realise peas cooked so quickly. I left the kitchen for a bit and scorched the pot. I scrubbed for hours and hours and I'm still scrubbing. I've gotten a lot of the burnt off and broken two nails in the process, but it's not my pot it's my roommate's. I don't wanna hear about it or worse have her make me replace it. This thing could cost a lot of money. Anyways I realised my metal spoon was really good at getting hard oatmeal off of plastic so why not this pot. Sure enough it got a lot more of it off, but I had to stop cause it was leaving these huge visible scratch marks. Anyways I need to know what to do to get it clean the rest of the way and if I can make the scratches disappear. Thanks.
By Savannah K.
My pans are greasy and spotted on the bottom. Can I put them in my self cleaning oven? Thank you.
By dan noci from Las Vegas, NV
Dan, I only know that I can clean cast iron pots and pans because they don't have any non-metal handles, those would probably all melt, besides make a awful mess with any plastic in there. That happened to me once with a can opener was in my oven, and the black stinky plastic coating everything, and I had to do a major cleaning with the oven, and that wasn't with the oven self cleaner. And yes, I have no idea why my can opener was in the oven. lol.
The cast iron pans will clean well, but, afterward all of the seasoning is all gone, so you would have to start from the beginning.
If it is something that is not cast iron, I think there are lot's of tips in here for cleaning the ones that you have. Click on find on the menu and type something like "cleaning greasy and spotted pan bottoms" and see what comes up.
Spray the bottoms with Oven Cleaner and let them sit overnight in the sink. The grease should be dissolved by the morning and remaining remnants can be removed by scrubbing with liquid Metal Cleanser; first with 2/0 steel wool, followed by 4/0 steel wool. Develop a habit of cleaning the pots after use.
Lower both your oven racks to the two bottom positions in the oven.
Line the lowest rack with aluminum foil (to catch any drippings from the pan).
Place the cookware upside down the the top rack in the oven.
Bake for 1 hour, turn off oven, and leave the cookware in the oven until it is cooled. Keep an eye on it, if you see a fire in oven turn it off, keep it closed till fire goes out, good luck.
I burned my copper whistling tea kettle. I can get the outside reasonably clean, but worry about the inside. How do I make sure it's free of nasty stuff inside?
Pat R
By Pat R from WI
How do I get burned on milk off a T-fal pan?
By grannyearth from PA
Try "Dawn Power Dissolver". It's with the Dawn detergents at WalMart. Also WalMart is the cheapest.
I've got scorched milk on my pan. Can you use Clorox? Or what is the best way to take it off?
By CAL
How can I clean copper bottom pans that have years of stuff on them?
By RB
I cannot clean my fry pans that are burnt from using the gas too high. I tried all types of cleaners, but nothing works.
By Helen
How can I clean it? It is very burnt from the custard boiling over in the pan.
By wd
If you have any burnt pans: instead of scrubbing them, simply fill pans that are burnt on the stove with boiling hot water and simply put a little soap powder in the pan. Boil gently for about 10 minutes then rinse out thoroughly before use.
Source: This is my own tip as I have had lots of burnt pans in the past and, believe me, this works!
By Joanne1012 from United Kingdom
