How to clean a burnt stainless steel dish ?

Stainless steel is a healthy material that can withstand very high temperatures: it is your ally when grilling or searing meat. However, if you forget to add a cold liquid to deglaze your stainless-steel pot or frying pan to loosen the juices, your stainless-steel pan could be burnt. Actually, at high temperatures, black residues form on the bottom of the pan or stainless-steel dish ; the more they are heated, the harder it is to remove.

So how do you clean your burnt stainless-steel pot ? There are several solutions. Depending on the damages in your dish, you may have to repeat the cleaning operation several times.

You may use natural products: white vinegar, fine salt, wood ash

White vinegar: prepare a mixture of equal parts with white vinegar and water, to which you can add lemon juice for more effectiveness.

Heat this mixture into the burnt stainless-steel pot and bring it to boil over low to medium heat. Let it cool and rub vigorously with a sponge or non-abrasive brush.

When the outcome is satisfactory, rinse thoroughly with clean water and dry your stainless-steel pot with a dry cloth.

Baking soda, to be used diluted

Sodium bicarbonate, also called baking soda, is a white powder soluble in water. Present in sea water, created from salt and limestone, it is very often used, multi-purpose in many fields : cooking, maintenance, gardening, body care... It is a natural ally for cleaning your utensils ! Fill your stainless-steel pot with cold water, add 2 tablespoons of baking soda, then bring to the boil, boil for a few minutes and leave for about 15 minutes. The burnt deposits will then come off by themselves: drain and then carefully rub the inside of your dish with a sponge, before rinsing and drying your dish.

Another practice is to use a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda: as they are both excellent cleaners, you can combine them as follows: pour bicarbonate of soda on the burnt parts of your stainless steel dish, then pour white vinegar on it. A chemical reaction will take place, the mixture will crackle and foam, leave it for about fifteen minutes. You can then easily remove the burnt deposits.

Fine salt: salt has the property of absorbing the burned-on food at the bottom of your stainless-steel pot or pan.

Pour a small amount of water into the stainless-steel pan, and two handfuls of table salt; leave this mixture for at least two hours, then wash with clean water before wiping.

Wood ash: If you have a fireplace or a barbecue, you can use wood ash to help you clean burnt deposits and polish the stainless-steel of your pot or pan to a shiny surface.

Put the ash in your stainless-steel pan, add a little water and boil the mixture. When it comes to the boil, remove the pan from the heat and let it cool, then rinse thoroughly before wiping.