How To Clean A Burnt Pan

There’s nothing worse than when you slaved away over a delicious meal to have to deal with burnt pans afterward as well, especially if you’re the one doing everything.

It can be seriously tempting to either want to cry and just leave them in the sink hoping they’ll clean themselves or just put them on a repeated rinse in the dishwasher until you can’t be bothered anymore.

Burning pans is easily done but it shouldn’t ruin your cookware and it also shouldn’t ruin your mood.

So just read this quick article on how to clean a burnt pan, to make sure the aftermath of cooking is as easy as anything and you’ll always have gleaming pots and pans without having to scrub them for hours.

There are a few methods that will help you clean burnt pans, some require the most basic of household items, so have a read through and find the best option for you. 

Method 1: The Washing Detergent (15 minutes)

1. You should leave your pan to cool down before even attempting to handle it. 
2. Fill your pan with water and then put in one tablespoon of washing detergent or a dishwasher capsule.
3. Then put your pan back onto the hob and bring to the boil, leaving it to simmer for 10-15 minutes. 
4. Hopefully, the burnt bits will have peeled away and floated to the surface. If it hasn’t removed everything you can just repeat the steps. 
5. Once finished, you’ll want to rinse your pan with normal dish soap to remove any chemical residue from the pan.

If you don't fancy using harsh chemicals in your cookware then you can also try this alternative method.

Method 2: Adding Vinegar and Baking Soda to Water (20-25 minutes)

1. Add 1 cup of vinegar to 1 cup of water into the pan and pop it on the hob and bring to a boil. 

2. Once it’s boiled, turn off the heat and then add two tablespoons of baking soda into the pan and leave for 5 minutes whilst it fizzes.

3. Then you should remove the liquid and start scrubbing with a scourer. If it doesn’t come off easily, make a paste by mixing the baking soda with a little bit of water and let it sit on the burnt bits for ten minutes.

4. Rinse and scrub again until the pan is clean.

Method 3: Lemons (20-25 minutes)

If you’ve got a few lemons spare to hand then this is an easy method to quickly get the burnt bits away.

You can still use lemons if they are starting to turn bad (even better as you’ll actually get use out of them then).

1. Cut a couple of lemons up and place them into the pan and then fill the pan until the lemons are nearly covered.

2. Boil the lemons and the water for 5-10 minutes. The burnt bits should start to float to the surface after only a minute or two.

3. Pour out the lemons and water and rinse with cool water whilst you scrub away the remaining bits. 

Method 4: Aluminum and Baking Soda (3-5 minutes)

This is one of the most effective methods we use and will work on even the toughest of burn marks. 

1. Sprinkle baking soda over the burnt areas until it is fully covered and then gradually and water until it becomes a paste. 

2. Crumple up your aluminum foil and scrub at the burnt bits until it comes away. Rinse away with cool water and dish soap to remove the baking soda flavor. Repeat the process again if it hasn’t worked fully.

Method 5: Salt (10-15 minutes)

It’s crazy to think that a common household item could help clean and help leave your pots and pans gleaming. Alas, here is the method. 

1. Sprinkle a generous layer of salt over the burnt areas of your pan.

2. Then with a wet sponge or scourer, rub into the burnt bits to peel them away. 

3. Repeat the process if necessary and once clean, rinse with water and dish soap

Method 6: Coca-Cola (2-5 hours)

If you’ve got some spare cans lying around or maybe you just haven’t got any of the other items above, the Coca-Cola can be a decent way to remove grime and burnt pieces from your pieces.

It works well so that you’ll even be a tad concerned about what it’s doing to your teeth if it manages to remove this level of dirtiness.

This method does require more time than the others, however, you can just leave it to soak overnight and then deal with it in the morning. 

1. Fill your burnt pan with a few inches of Coca-Cola and leave it on the side for a few hours.

2. After a few hours, return to your burnt pan and scrape off any burnt residue with a scourer or scraper.

3. Once clean, rinse your pan with dish soap and water to remove the taste. 

Method 7: Dryer Sheets (1-2 hours)

This is another great method if you can’t be bothered to sort the burnt pans out straight away and it only requires a dryer sheet, dish soap, and hot water.

We’re not entirely sure how this one manages to work, but it sure as hell does help. 

1. Add a few tablespoons of dish soap along with some hot water (not boiling) to a pan.

2. Add the dryer sheet and submerge it under the water for an hour or two.

3. Remove the dryer sheet and then rinse out the pan using dish soap and scrub with a scourer to remove the remaining pieces.