How To Clean A Burned Pot

Scorching a pot while fixing a meal is no fun. For starters, there’s the awful smell coupled with the mad dash to turn the smoke alarm off. Additionally, a burnt pot typically means a ruined meal. And after all that, you have to deal with cleaning all the debris that’s been seared into your cookware.

If this scenario sounds familiar, you know that it can be a time-consuming task figuring out how to clean a scorched pot. The following three tips for cleaning burnt pots may be able to save you some time and headache.

Note: Regardless of how you decide to clean a burnt pot, the first step is always to run cold water over the pot or pan so that the food stops cooking and scorching the cookware.

Soak Scorched Pots with Salt or Soap

• An empty sink
• Water (hot or cold?)
• Dishwashing liquid or salt
• A wooden spoon or spatula

1. Squeeze a few drops of dishwashing liquid into the affected pot and run water until the burnt area is completely submerged. Alternatively, you can skip the dishwashing liquid and add a tablespoon or two of salt.
2. Let this soak for at least an hour.
3. Use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape of the residue.
4. If you still have burnt food stuck to your pot, empty it out and refill it with the same soapy or salty water that you used before.
5. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and maintain this temperature for about 10 minutes.
6. Turn off the heat and let the pot soak in the mixture overnight.
7. In the morning, bring the soap or salt solution to a boil again.
8. Remove any remaining grime with a wooden spoon or spatula.
9. Wash your pot as you normally would.

Get Rid of Grime with Lemons

• Two to three lemons
• Water
• A wooden spoon or spatula

1. Fill your scorched pot with water.
2. Cut the lemons in quarters and drop them in the water.
3. Bring the water to a boil.
4. Let the lemons boil for three to five minutes.
5. Turn off the heat. Once the mixture has cooled, dump out the lemons and the water.
6. Use your wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the burnt food residue from the bottom of the pot.
7. Wash your pot as you normally would.

Bring Back Burnt Pots with Baking Soda and Vinegar

• 1 cup of distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
• 1 to 2 cups of water
• A wooden spoon or spatula

1. Pour the water and vinegar into your pot.
2. Bring the mixture to a boil.
3. Turn off the heat.
4. Remove the pot from the burner and carefully transport it to the sink. The pot needs to be in the sink because when you add the baking soda, the resulting chemical reaction will cause your solution to fizz.
5. Add the baking soda.
6. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes until the fizz settles down.
7. Dump out the mixture and scrape the burn residue using your wooden spoon or spatula.
8. Wash your pot as you normally would.

As with all things cleaning, it’s important to remember that you may have to repeat these methods as needed to fully remove any burnt food residue from your pots and pans.

How to Get Burnt Rice Out of a Pot

Rice seems to have a special capacity for burning itself onto pans. Most people quickly realize that simply soaking in hot water is not sufficient to loosen up burned residue.

Vinegar mixed 50/50 with water is one of the best solutions for loosening up rice. After you’ve poured it into your pot, bring it to a boil and keep it boiling until most of the burned rice appears loosened. After you’ve finished boiling, add baking soda to make the solution more potent before you begin scrubbing down the pot. You can attempt the same method described above by boiling chopped up lemons if you don’t have any vinegar handy.

Now you know how to clean a burnt pot. Need more kitchen cleaning ideas? Learn how to remove grease from kitchen surfaces and check out these pantry organization tips. And if you need some backup when it comes to keeping your kitchen and the rest of the house clean on a regular basis, contact your local Merry Maids for a helping hand.