Nothing is worse than accidentally burning dinner! Even if you manage to save the food, you are left with a crusty burnt-up pan to clean after you finish eating. Yikes! What is the best way to remove burnt food from a pan? Well, lucky for you, you’ve got some options when it comes to cleaning that burnt-up food off your pans! You can find the items you need around the house, and they will make your clean-up a lot smoother! Let’s dive in!
First Things First
Now I’m sure we can all think of how to get burnt food off of a pan, but the direction you may be thinking of taking could potentially cause some damage to your pan. When you remove that unfortunate burnt-on food from your pans, you want to make sure that you are getting a good thorough clean while still protecting the integrity of your cookware.
While going to town on it with a harsh brush or even steel wool can feel tempting, it’s the easy way out. In the end, you might get a clean pan, but you also might have a damaged pan.
Other options don’t require an extended amount of effort and will clean off that burnt nastiness without destroying your cookware! Here are some of our favorite tips to clean the burnt-on food on your kitchenware.
Option 1: The Dryer Sheet
Almost everyone will have one of these lying around the house. Dryer sheets. Super weird, but it works to clean your dirty pans! All you have to do is run some hot water in your pan (after it has cooled off from the stove) and place the dryer sheet in with it. Wait, usually an hour or so, and then scrub that grime away! Soft on your pans, yet it will do the trick for you.
Option 2: Vinegar and Baking Soda
Many people use vinegar as a cleaner for many different surfaces around the house. Since it’s non-toxic and safe for use around pets and children, it makes total sense. So why not make a little vinegar concoction that will clean the burnt-on food from your pan? I can’t think of any good reasons not to!
Here’s how to do it. Mix up one part water and one part white vinegar. Pour the mix into your pan and heat it on the stove. Once it’s boiling, pour it out. Then add about a tablespoon of baking soda into your pan (do not rinse the pan before doing this). Scrub the baking soda around in the pan, focusing on the burnt areas. Rinse, and you’re good to go!
Option 3: Soda Pop
Sometimes you have to make the pan dirtier before it gets clean. Using soda to clean the burnt-on food from your pan may sound like you’re just creating more of a mess, but trust us, you’re not!
Try this method before allowing your pan to cool off. It’s super simple. All you need to do is add some carbonated soda to your pan. Let it sit and do the work for you. After the burnt-on food is in that bubbly environment for a few minutes, your pan should be much easier to clean.
Final Thoughts
Burnt-up pans don’t have to be a nightmare anymore. Several different handy tricks can help you get your pans clean without using harsh methods that will cause you to have to replace your cookware.
Try these unique ways to clean your pans and make your after-meal clean-up a little bit easier.
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Last updated: September 24, 2023