How to clean a burnt stainless steel pot
Kitchen utensils, made of stainless steel, rightfully occupy a leading position in the market of products for cooking: firstly, you can cook a variety of dishes in it without fear that the walls will fade and the bottom will become cloudy, and secondly, this material does not subject to destruction even under the influence of high temperatures. But the main thing for which the hostesses fell in love with these dishes is for their resistance to oxidation in principle and, as a result, to corrosive processes due to the presence of chromium and its compounds in their composition.
Advice: since stainless steel is additionally subdivided into several classes, depending on its intended purpose, you should purchase any cookware made of this material only after you fully familiarize yourself with its data (for example, class I - corrosion-resistant).
At the same time, pots, pans and other kitchen utensils made of stainless steel are less susceptible to burning: in order for food to stick to the bottom or walls of such dishes, it is necessary to leave it over high heat for a sufficiently long time. It is quite simple to clean a burnt pan, the main thing is to know a few fundamental rules for handling such dishes and not to use poor-quality chemicals.
Cleaning the inside of the pot
There are several ways to clean the inner burnt surface of the pan, and they differ from each other in the means used: for example, light sticky dirt can be removed, for example, using ordinary baking soda, while strong ones can be removed using special acids, vinegar and other chemicals. When choosing one or another method, you should rely on:
- The time elapsed since the formation of food solidification at the bottom;
- The thickness of the bonded layer;
- Characteristics of the cookware itself (for example, most models of stainless cookware are afraid of salts and chlorine-containing solutions).
Cleaning with baking soda
Baking soda should always be in the kitchen: with its help, you can not only clean the pan of carbon deposits, but also remove greasy stains from any surfaces and even get rid of small cracks, replacing it with a putty "gruel".
The cleaning process is quite simple: first you need to wash the dishes as much as the burnt food allows, then wipe the inner walls and bottom (including carbon deposits) dry. After that, it is necessary to sprinkle the dirt abundantly with soda, and, what is important, evenly distribute it on all sides. Finally, in this state, the pan is left for 1.5-2 hours, after which it is cleaned with an ordinary sponge.
Tip: The amount of soda used should be determined experimentally, as it depends on the amount of burnt food. However, in most cases, about 100-125 milliliters are enough.
If the pan has been left for a long time, and the volume of burnt food is large enough, you can prepare a soda paste: for this, 90-100 ml of water should be added to the above amount of soda. The resulting mixture will literally bind carbon deposits, and it will be much easier to remove it after 2-3 hours.
Cleaning with warm water
If soda was not at hand, then you can use this method, which, however, will take a little more time. It is necessary to fill the saucepan with warm (35-37 degrees) water to a level slightly exceeding the carbon deposits, and leave in this state for 5-6 hours, tightly closing the lid and wrapping it in a blanket so that the water does not cool down. The water can be changed after three hours.
Then pour the freshly boiled water into the pan and add two or three tablespoons of table salt (it is important not to cold, otherwise it will have a detrimental effect on the pan) and leave the dishes alone for an hour or two. After these operations, it will be much easier to remove carbon deposits, however, it should be noted that in no case should you use hard abrasive brushes: although they perfectly scrape off burnt food, at the same time they leave microcracks that will be healed with salt or other carbon deposits in the future.
Cleaning with activated carbon and whey
You can clean a burnt pan with the help of solutions, the main component of which is the listed ingredients. The difference between them is that activated carbon must first be ground into powder and added to cold water, while whey is recommended to be added to warm boiled water.
Important: a solution containing activated carbon is especially good at fighting carbon deposits formed as a result of drying on the walls of dairy products and cereals.
Also, the solution containing activated carbon must be drained from the pan after 15-30 minutes, while the suspension of milk whey and water - after a day. In both cases, carbon deposits should be covered by means of at least 2-3 centimeters.
Cleaning with vinegar and other chemicals
Removing carbon deposits with vinegar is even easier: just pour a small amount of it onto a soft cloth and gently rub the carbon deposits with it. Vinegar, being a product of the weak acid of the same name, copes well with strongly burnt food, while in no way harming the surfaces of the pan.
Tip: You can use citric acid instead of vinegar. To clean carbon deposits, it is enough to dilute a solution of one tablespoon of acid and 250 milliliters of water.
After using both vinegar and citric acid, be sure to, firstly, thoroughly rinse the pan several times with ordinary running water, then wipe it dry with a towel.
There are a little fewer ways to clean the outer surface of a stainless pan, since it is quite problematic to soak the entire outer part in most cases, unless you have to occupy an entire sink.
In this case, it is generally forbidden to use abrasive agents, since the result of such a procedure can be a huge number of scratches, which afterwards will be impossible to remove, and the constant effect of fire at the bottom will gradually destroy the structure of the dishes (even heat-resistant ones).
Cleaning with baking soda and glue
With the help of these two ingredients, it is necessary to make a soft paste, which, firstly, will absorb some amount of carbon deposits during the first wiping, and secondly, it will allow you to gently remove burnt food afterwards. Usually, the following proportions of the components are taken for cooking: 100-150 grams of soda and about 20 grams of glue are taken per liter of water. The mixture must be completely walked over the burn so that the carbon is completely under it for half an hour.
Tip: To speed up the process, you can put the saucepan over medium heat.
Cleaning with chemicals
In numerous supermarkets in Russia, you can easily find non-aggressive, soft, care products for various surfaces, for example, Amway Oven Cleaner and the like. In most cases, the instructions for using them are universal:
- To begin with, you should warm up the pan well over medium heat.
- Then the composition of the product is applied to the burnt surface using a spray bottle and left on it for 15-20 minutes.
- After the carbon deposits are gently wiped off with a soft sponge. If the smallest pieces still remain on the surface of the dishes, the procedure should be repeated, reheating the pan.
A window glass cleaner can help to completely remove carbon deposits from both the outer and inner surfaces. It is only necessary to apply about 15-25 milliliters to the surface with the help of a distributor (about 2-3 injections) and clean the problem area with a soft cloth.
Important: you need to use only those products that are based on weak acids. Even if they contain a very small amount of salts, they must be used in compliance with certain measures, that is, quickly apply the product, clean the carbon deposits and thoroughly rinse the dishes.
After applying any chemicals, the surface of the pan should be rinsed with warm water and wiped dry with a soft cloth. Using soap after various remedies is impractical.
General tips for caring for stainless steel cookware
There are several main rules for caring for stainless dishes, the observance of which will allow, firstly, to extend their service life, and secondly, to avoid any problems with removing burn-on from both surfaces.
In no case should you leave the dishwashing "for later", as this is fraught with carbon deposits. Moreover, many manufacturers urge immediately after the end of cooking to transfer the dish to any container, and rinse the stainless dishes themselves thoroughly. It will not take long, plus it will help preserve the original look of the dishes.
It is also not recommended to use the dishwasher and air dry the stainless steel pan, as this is fraught with the appearance of various stains. In order for it to last as long as possible, it is better to use a regular towel right after washing and using it.