11 replies to this topic

[Love It Here]

Ok, webboard, do your magic. Here's my problem. I was making a pickeling sauce of honey, sugar, and cider vinegar on the stove at a low simmer. I got talking to a neighbor and FORGOT about the mixture. When I came back, the entire mixture was a solidified sludge-like substance. And, it was burned into the non-stick pan. Problem is: How can I get that stuff off without using metal. I have tried the non abrasive SOS pads, and used a wooden spatula, all to no avail. After you stop laughing at me, does anybody have any tricks that could help.

[BillinaBus]

Burning things on non stick pans can leave toxic chemicals .... we throw away any non stick pan that's burned enough to make getting stuff off it that difficult.... We became aware of this when we added parrots to our household and found that just overheating a non stick pan can create enough toxic outgassing to damage or kill a bird. I suppose that's why they used canaries in coal mines to detect toxic gases.

[simpsca]

Try Easy Off oven cleaner - you may need several applications but it will work. Don't know if it will take off any of the non stick or the pan will be any good at all. And I've heard the same about over heating non-stick pans being toxic. I rarely use them.

[More Liana]

Soak with powdered dishwasher detergent, like Cascade, then scrub again. Might help.

If it's an inexpensive nonstick like most sold locally, pitch it and start over. If it's a good one, weep--then pitch it and start over.

[lakeheron]

Definitely don't try to save the pan. Non stick pans are iffy healthwise when intact. Once burned they are very toxic. When in doubt, toss it out.

[artsnob]

The safest thing is getting a new pan and throw that one away as it will never be non stick, and chemical reaction could make it toxic,,also i would suggest a timer clock to carry arround with you so this won;t happen again

[gogirl]

It's funny that I would find your post today as I have been searching the web the last 2 days for info on cleaning a burnt pot. My neighbor was making a snack and forgot about it completely. It was a copper bottom stainless steel pan. The only thing that semi worked was the Cascade. I agree with the other posters . Throw the non stick pan away.

[Catinmex]

Yup, throw away that pan. It's now toxic. For a hard to clean mess, fill the pan with tap water and throw in a fabric softener sheet and leave it overnight. Most messes just wipe away in the morning.

[lakeside101]

Use a few tablespoons of cream of tartar with hot water or hydrogen peroxide and clean any aluminum pans which have discoloration or any rusty drains, pans, or stains.

Do you have copper kettles? Mix some cream of tarter with lemon juice and rub the copper with it. Rinse and be amazed!
How about a porcelain sink, tub, commode? Rub the porcelain surfaces with cream of tartar and watch the stains disappear.
Fabric stains? No prob. Mix a few teaspoons of cream of tartar with some glycerin and use like spray-and-wash. The results? Well, I’m here to tell you that this stuff cured the ring around Joshua’s shirt collars.
Just need a great nonabrasive cleaner? Mix 2 teaspoons of vinegar and 2 teaspoon of cream of tartar in a small dish (use 3 or 4 teaspoons of vinegar and 3 or 4 teaspoons of cream of tartar if you have more items to clean). Apply with your cleaning rag or scrub brush and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Scrub. Wash with hot soapy water.

[More Liana]

It's funny that I would find your post today as I have been searching the web the last 2 days for info on cleaning a burnt pot. My neighbor was making a snack and forgot about it completely. It was a copper bottom stainless steel pan. The only thing that semi worked was the Cascade. I agree with the other posters . Throw the non stick pan away.

After you soak again with Cascade, here's what will work, if you dare use it: pumice stone. You can buy pumice--not what you might see in a beauty supply place, the kind I'm recommending looks like beige rocks--very cheap at any of your local tianguis, and maybe even at the Chapala market. I know it sounds crazy, but wet your pan and rub the burnt places gently (at first) and then as hard as you need to with the pumice. The burnt stuff will come off. I don't guarantee that it won't scratch the pan, which is why I say gently at first.

This kind of pumice is what Mexican women use for scrubbing pots, cleaning the water deposits off the inside of toilet bowls, and exfoliating their feet. Obviously not the same stone for all three purposes. LOL...

Dare to try it! It won't work on non-stick because of the scratching issue, but it will on anything else, including on stainless steel and cast iron. I use it exclusively.

[Jeanne B]

I put water in the pan on the stove and use Scub Buds from Anyway. The hot water combined the the non abrasive Scrub Buds save all and they last a long time I ordered the scurb buds from Amway and had them delivered to a friends in CA and the last time I went home, brought them back with me. I've been using them for over 30 years now.