Kitchen Hack - How to clean the burned pot/pan
Struggling to clean a burned/stained pan or pot?
Dishwasher not helping? Can’t use steel wool?
Here’s your ultimate guide of how to clean the burned pot/pan effortlessly!
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Kitchen Hack! How to clean the burned pan and pot?
Struggling to clean a burnt pan or pot? Or dealing with stubborn stains on your cookware? Look no further—this post has the perfect solution for you!
This simple kitchen hack makes cleaning stainless steel, ceramic, and enamel cookware a breeze. No need to worry about damaging your ceramic or enamel pots with steel wool—this method lets you use a regular sponge for an effective clean.
You can also use this trick if you accidentally overheat oil in a stainless steel pan or pot, leaving behind those stubborn yellow marks that won’t come off with regular dishwashing liquid. Try it out and bring your cookware back to life!
Difficulty: Simple
Time: 10-15 mintues
What Tools We Need
A burned/stained pot/pan 🤣
Baking soda: 1-3 tsp (adjustable)
Water: the water needs to cover all burned marks
Quick Steps Snapshot for How To Clean the Burned Pot/Pan
Prepare the Pot/Pan – Place the burnt pot/pan on the stove. Avoid moving a full pot to prevent spills.
Add Baking Soda – Sprinkle at least 1 teaspoon over the burnt areas.
Add Water – Pour enough water to fully cover the burnt marks.
Boil – Bring to a boil on high heat, then simmer on low/medium for 10–15 minutes. Use a lid to speed up boiling but remove it quickly to prevent overflow.
Cool Down – Turn off the heat and let the water cool before handling.
Scrub & Clean – Wash with dishwashing liquid or baking soda. Use steel wool for stainless steel, but only a sponge for coated or enamel cookware.
Repeat the process if needed for stubborn burns!
Detailed Step by Step Guidance of How to Clean the Burned Pot and Pan
1. Put the burned pot/pan on the stove. Avoid moving a pot/pan with full water, as it may spill off.
2. Add a teapoon or more of baking soda.
Use at least 1 teaspoon of baking soda. I like to spread the baking soda over the burned areas.
3. Add water to the burned pot/pan. The water level must cover all burned marks.
IMPORTANT: The baking soda water will not have the chance to do its job on the burned/stubborn marks or stains if the water level does not cover them.
4. Bring the water to a boil on a high flame and keep boiling it on a small or medium flame for 10 -15 minutes.
Use the lid to reduce the time it takes to bring the water to boil. Quickly remove the lid once the water is boiled to avoid water overflow. It is not the end of the world if the water overflows and you just need to clean your stove afterwards.
You can boil the water for a little longer (e.g., 20 minutes). However, 10-15 minutes is sufficient. If your pot/pan is seriously burned, you may repeat this whole process again.
5. Times up! Turn off the flame and wait until the water cools down.
Moving a hot pan or pot filled with boiling water can be dangerous. Additionally, pouring boiling water down the kitchen sink may damage the pipes, which are normally plastic.
6. Welcome your shiny pot or pan back! Use regular dishwashing liquid or baking soda to wash the burned pot or pan.
Stainless steel pot/pan: I recommend using steel wool
Ceramic/enamel pot/pan or other pot/pan with coating: use sponge only. Do not use steel wool because it will scratch the pan/pot.
Washing it without using additional dishwashing liquid or baking soda is also fine. However, I recommend adding some if your pot/pan is seriously burned or stained.
I hope this cleaning kitchen hack for burned pot/pan helps you and saves you from the hassle of dealing with burned cookware!
See the shining pot and pan!