Clean and remove burnt spots from your blackened pots, pans or casserole dishes.

Every amateur, regular or professional cook has a couple of pots that he/she wants to throw away because they are black and totally unpreventable… You too? Well, come on in, welcome to the group!

One of the fundamental cooking utensils is good cookware, especially quality pots and pans with which you can sauté, sauté, roast, steam, roast, poach and bring out the flavor of your food. However, if they are in poor condition, they will unfortunately not fulfill their function and the final cooking result will be affected.

The same happens with the cooking plate with food stuck to it, with time, use or carelessness, they burn, the surface changes its texture and its aesthetics is terrible. But, the truth is, the problem looks bigger than it really is. You don’t need to get rid of them, especially if they don’t have much time. Although the white stone is an excellent alternative to remove dirt, we recommend you to apply one of these easy home tricks to clean burnt pots and give them a new life with the right cleaning. Pay attention!

How to clean burnt pot with vinegar and baking soda

What can’t vinegar and baking soda remove stains? This duo is ideal for this type of dirt. To begin with, the acidity of the vinegar in combination with the corrosives of the baking soda softens the incrustations and makes them come off easily and without much effort. This is the process:

1. Cover the burned surface with a mixture of boiling water and white vinegar.
2. Sprinkle baking soda directly and scrub intensely with the help of a sponge if it has a non-stick coating so as not to spoil it, or with a scouring pad if it does not have one.
3. Leave on for 30 to 45 minutes and then rinse with plenty of clean water, rubbing insistently.

Another home trick with baking soda and vinegar to remove the burnt part of the pans is to prepare a thick paste with two tablespoons of baking soda, one tablespoon of vinegar and the juice of half a lemon and apply it rubbing the base and the walls with the scouring pad until the stuck part comes off and the residues come out.

How to clean burnt pots with baking soda

On its own, baking soda is an infallible ally to remove dirt on a lot of surfaces, including steel and iron. So, if you want to clean stainless steel pans that are burnt on the outside or inside, we recommend you to always have some of this product on hand in the cupboard.

1. Add a heaping tablespoon of baking soda to a pot of water and dissolve it.
2. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
3. After this time, remove from the heat and rub the burnt food inside with a wooden spatula.
4. Once all the black scorched residues are removed from the internal part, prepare a paste with baking soda and a little water and rub the external area with it.
5. Let stand for 30 minutes and rinse with warm water as usual.

Removing the blackened layer in pots with vinegar

As well as baking soda, vinegar can also act on its own and is one of the most recommended for sanitizing and removing grease from kitchen furniture. In this case it works similarly but with slight variations:

1. Fill the pot with white vinegar and heat the contents to boiling.
2. Let it cook for 10 minutes or until it is almost completely consumed.
3. Wait a few minutes for it to cool down so you don’t get burned and scrub the black layer of ashes hard.
4. Wash with clean water and detergent.

How to remove the burnt part of a pot with Coca-Cola?

This liquid contains citric acid and phosphoric acid in its composition, both of which have a powerful cleansing effect -which is why it is not good to consume it-. In fact, it is so strong, it is effective in cleaning burnt pans inside and out. See how:

1. Pour some Coca-Cola into the pot and bring it to a boil.
2. Once it has come to a boil, remove it from the heat.
3. Wait for it to warm up a little and scrub with a scouring pad or brush all the black spots on the inside.
4. For the outside, soak it in a basin of Coca-Cola for 30 to 45 minutes and then scrub it with a sponge.
5. Rinse, dry and you’re done!

Cleaning burned pots with salt and lemon

Who does not have salt at home? Exactly, we all have it! And believe it or not, in addition to cooking, you can remove fat with it, and when combined with this citrus fruit, the fat-removing quality is intensified. This is a very easy and economical method that can be used in aluminum, steel or iron pots.

1. Remove the superficial dirt by washing with dishwasher and scrubbing to remove the maximum amount of burnt remains, this way the salt will act better and the process will be easier.
2. Add two fingers of warm water to the inside of the pot, two heaping tablespoons of salt and the juice of two lemons.
3. Rub with a metallic sponge (if not non-stick coated) or a soft sponge. Insist on the most blackened areas.
4. For the outside, boil water with salt and a little lemon juice in a separate pan and pour it over the outside surface of the pot.
5. Rub with the sponge insistently and wash the utensil as you always do.

Removing stuck food and ashes with bleach

Although its odor is quite strong and it is a bit aggressive, it is undoubtedlya powerful product when it comes to softening stuck food and ashes on griddles and pans.

1. Cover the pan with water and add a splash of bleach.
2. Heat it until it boils and wait for it to act for 5 minutes.
3. Allow the water to cool down so you don’t burn yourself and rub the remains until the black layer disappears.
4. Scrub the pot as you normally do with regular soap.
5. If the adhered ashes are on the outside, then soak the pot with hot water and lye for 25 minutes, scrape the coals and wash to finish.

Cleaning burnt pots, pans or frying pans: Final Recommendations

You can use the metal scouring pad, but very carefully and on steel, iron, copper, clay or aluminum pots, pans and frying pans that do not have a non-stick coating. Otherwise, hot (boiling) water and a soft sponge will be key to soothe all the burns.

When cleaning a burnt Teflon or ceramic pan, a soft sponge is ideal, and if you need to scrape off burnt food, do it with a plastic or wooden trowel or utensil.

Finally, after putting into practice any of these cleaning tricks and home remedies in these kitchen pieces, you should know that the right thing to do is to dry them by hand with a soft cloth, do not wait for them to air dry and always pay attention to the manufacturer’s instructions about washing them in the dishwasher. We wish you success!