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I Burned a Pot…Then I Cleaned It Up!

If you are a cook or a “culinary artist,” more than likely at some point you have burned something. Recently while steaming vegetables all of the water evaporated and the stainless steel pot burned! Fortunately I caught it before the dish was ruined, but the scorched stainless steel pot was another matter. Hmm what to do, what to do? The surface was quite “blackened” and as this is a pot I love to cook in throwing it out was NOT an option!

In the past I have tried abrasive powders and liquids, scouring pads, steel wool, and boiled soapy water – all requiring varying levels of effort to clean up the burned surface.

Well finally I have discovered a simple process that really works!

This effort involved baking soda and boiling water. Most people have baking soda in their homes for one reason or another as this inexpensive item can often be a life saver with all of its many uses. With a few easy steps and very little effort the pot’s shine was restored in no time.

Here’s what I did:

  1. Let the burned pot cool
  2. Sprinkle enough baking soda onto the burned surface of the pot
  3. In another pot boil enough water to cover the entire burned surface
  4. Pour boiling water into burned pot and allow to cool
  5. Once cooled pour water out of pot and add a small amount of warm soapy water
  6. Use a dish cloth to clean the pot
  7. If some of the surface remains scorched use an abrasive pad to clean the remaining burned surface. It should take very little effort to remove what remains
  8. Once clean rinse and dry the pot and it’s ready for your next meal!


This method works great on stainless steel pots and pans. Refer to manufacturer’s instructions to clean any other types of pots and pans.

PCAvatar2  The Projects Chick – Vicki McGill

Posted in Cooking, DIY, In the Kitchen, Innovation, Quick Update

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