How to clean burnt food off a stainless steel pan
Burnt-on food and caramelized sugar cannot be removed with normal soap and washing. This leaves brand-new cookware and appliances covered in caked-on residue that requires specialized cleaning methods to break down the carbonized buildup.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Applying Bar Keepers Friend
- 2Bar Keepers Friend with a stainless steel scrubbie and elbow grease
- 3Stainless steel sponge with Dawn or other dish soap
- 4Boiling baking powder and water, letting it cool, and scrubbing with a chainmail scrubber
- 5Sealing them in a garbage bag with ammonia in the sun
- 6Using a wet pumice stick gently
- 7Scraping with a razor blade and sanding with 400 grit sandpaper
- 8Using specialized glass cooktop cleaners like Weiman or Bar Keepers Friend
- 9Scraping residue off with a razor blade
- 10Soaking the mess with a damp rag and cleaning spray
- 11Using a stainless steel wool ball or Scotch-Brite pad
- 12Applying a baking soda and dish soap slurry with a scrubbing brush
- 13Applying mild heat to help break up the residue
- 14Wiping down the oven interior with a warm, wet cloth and a bit of dishwashing liquid.
- 15Using a very wet paper towel to soak and soften the residue
- 16Applying glass cooktop cleaner
- 17Spraying soapy water and using a flat razor or pumice stone to scrape it off
- 18Using a razor blade or metal stovetop scraper to scrape off the plastic
- 19Keeping the surface wet while scraping
- 20Applying cooktop cleaner kits or polishing paste like the Pink Stuff
- 21Gently heating the plastic to wipe it away with a paper towel
- 22Using warm water and dish soap
- 23Scrubbing with extra soap in circular motions
- 24Using vinegar and baking soda
- 25Using a damp melamine sponge with gentle pressure
- 26Soaking in soapy water
- 27Scrubbing with standard dish soap
- 28Buying another cheap iron
- 29Ironing an old towel repeatedly on hot with steam mode until the residue comes off
- 30Applying a paste of Bicarbonate of Soda and water, leaving it for 10 minutes, and rubbing it off
- 31using Resolve
- 32using Dawn dish soap
- 33using the Bissel solution in a little green machine
- 34Using baking soda
- 35Using white vinegar
- 36Using soap and water
- 37Using dawn dish soap and a scotch brite steel scrubber
- 38Scrubbing in tomato paste and letting it sit for 20 minutes
- 39Using a scouring pad, steel wool, soap, and physical labor
- 40Scrubbing with Ajax and a Brillo pad
- 41Using a steel scrubber or steel wool
- 42Trying salt or small grain loose sand with a damp dish washing cloth
- 43Filling the pot with water and boiling it
- 44Heating up the grill and using a wet paper towel with a plastic spatula to create steam
- 45Laying a damp rag on the pan to soften burnt-on particles
- 46Laying down a layer of aluminum foil over the hot plate for cooking
- 47Spraying oven cleaner with the yellow cap, letting it sit for about 10 minutes, and scrubbing
- 48Scraping it out with a plastic tool once fully dried
- 49Using toothpicks, plastic scrapers, and hot damp paper towels while unplugged
- 50Using Barkeeper friend
- 51Using general oven cleaner while wearing gloves and washing hands afterwards.
- 52Using heavy-duty oven cleaners (like easy-off pro) with a few hours of soaking followed by scrubbing.
- 53Normal washing with soap
- 54Using vinegar
- 55Using specialized cleaners like Barkeeper's Friend
- 56Using Bar Keeper's Friend
- 57Spraying Dawn Power Wash, letting it sit for 15 minutes, and scraping with a plastic scraper or old credit card
- 58Using lots of soap, time, and scrubbing with a metal sponge
- 59Tossing the tray and buying a new one
- 60Boiling baking soda and water
- 61Running the pan through the dishwasher
- 62Using Barkeeper's Friend or The Pink Stuff with steel wool
- 63Simmering water in the pan and scraping with a spatula or wooden spoon
- 64Applying Dawn Powerwash and letting it sit
- 65scraping with a razor blade
- 66using Weiman Glass Cooktop Cleaner & Polish Cream
- 67using The Pink Stuff cleaning paste
- 68turning the stove on high to let it burn off and wiping it away
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“My partner and her friend were in the kitchen and left to go upstairs. I started to smell something from the front room and upon investigation found the kitchen full of smoke.”source ↗
“One of them had accidentally leaned on the oven and switched a hob on leaving us with this. Is there anyway to clean this or are we screwed?”source ↗
“I've done this too with a plastic cutting board.”source ↗
“first one I don't know what it is my partner did that the second happened whilst deep frying chicken wings”source ↗
“I did the exact same to my new stovetop a couple months ago.”source ↗
“I burned my cover while ironing my clothes.”source ↗
“It's hard as glue and it won't budge.”source ↗
“It already had black/brown stains that I don't know how to clean without taking off the protective layer.”source ↗
“I cooked hot dogs in this pan a few weeks ago and they left these grill marks. I tried my go-to, soaking it in soapy water before washing with more dish soap, but very little of it came off.”source ↗
“Do I need a more abrasive sponge or a pumice stone, or a different cleaning product? I have barkeeper’s friend (soft cleanser) but I’m not sure if that’s safe for food surfaces.”source ↗
“I’ve got the stove pretty clean but this is several months of cooked on gunk. I’ve tried goo gone, crud cutter, and even some basic baking soda and vinegar, but nothing really seems to be doing it.”source ↗
“It has been soaking for nearly that long and the residue isn't budging even a little bit.”source ↗
“I've scrubbed and scrubbed, tried reheating it with soapy water to soak with hotter water and absolutely nothing worked.”source ↗
“I’ve tried boiling baking soda and it got most off, there’s still this bottom gunk.”source ↗
“Anyways should I use steel wool or a treatment of some sort?”source ↗
“Just found out there’s this stain in my rice cooker. I’ve tried cleaning using vinegar+baking soda. Didn’t work as in the picture. Please help🙏🏻”source ↗
“This morning I cooked sausages on this frying pan and I then couldn’t clean off the imprint left. I cleaned it as normal with warm water and dish soap.”source ↗
“When I put it down to dry and left it for a minute, I noticed the marks so I cleaned it the same way again.”source ↗
“I made sure to then take more soap and really rub it in circular motions but that didn’t help.”source ↗
“My flatmate used the oven and spilled some sauce. It looks like something difficult to clean and I am scared of those agressive chemical cleaners since my skin is kinda sensitive and in general I try to avoid it.”source ↗
“Any tips on how to get rid of it without something that would dissolve your skin as well.”source ↗
“Washed and found this brown stain - it feels smooth, not like a layer of polymerized grease. Ways to remove, and is it still safe to use?”source ↗
“Brand new pan, son used it before i could wash/unpack. What will clean this as soap will not?”source ↗
“However, my waffle iron now has burnt sugar caked on it. How should I go about cleaning this?”source ↗
“I had the wicked idea of putting a glazed donut in my mini waffle iron. The results were incredibly delicious, no regrets.”source ↗
“Somehow, some food (maybe some kind of sauce? Not sure) got extremely burnt onto the front right burner. It's making the burner unusable (because it just burns even more), but I'm unable to get it off, even a little bit.”source ↗
“I'm worried about needing to use a tool to remove it and potentially damaging it, because 1) we're renters, and 2) our landlords are very difficult”source ↗
“Discovered this tea stain on my bathroom toilet flush plate.”source ↗
“I’ve tried baking soda, white vinegar and just soap and water. Did nothing!”source ↗
“However, the bottom of it is very dirty. I used dawn dish soap and scotch brite steel scrubber and was able to clean a tiny bit of it only.”source ↗
“The inside of the stainless steel pots and pans are clean. However, the bottom of it always get dirty like this. Scrubbing with dish soap and a scotch brite steel scrubber doesn't remove much.”source ↗
“Mine looks close to that!”source ↗
“If it really bothers you, bar keepers friend will shine it up.”source ↗
“I'm planning to sell some of these used cookware that I have. So that is why I ask.”source ↗
“I wish my pans looked that clean on the bottoms. Mine are almost fully black. I am to lazy to scrup the side food doesnt touch.”source ↗
“Im new to cooking and accidentally burnt some rice in this pot. I scrubbed it with Ajax and a Brillo pad. Got a majority of it out but still have these dark black specs. What can I use to get it out? Or did I permanently ruin it?”source ↗
“No, it doesn't come off, that's why I can't pour too much water on it or anything”source ↗
“My biggest concern is the stuff between the gaps, I've taken the plastic coverings on the inside, but I'm not sure if there's anything else removable”source ↗
“Im not positive what it is but I can’t get it off for the life of me. Its driving me crazyyyy”source ↗
“I have the spray and no luck! Do you think the polish is still worth a shot?”source ↗
“Any ideas for getting these black burn marks/stains off my gas stove grates and burners?”source ↗
“I’ve tried soaking in dish soap and hot water then scrubbing, magic erasers, barkeepers friend, and lots of elbow grease.”source ↗
“We just moved to a new apartment and when preheating the oven it smelled the whole apartment up with a chemical like smell.”source ↗
“Upon further inspection, I think whoever cleaned it before move in left whatever oven cleaner used still on some parts of it?”source ↗
“I really just need to know how to properly clean it so we can use it.”source ↗
“i have tried resolve , dawn, the bissel solution that’s in the little green machine . what else ??? the stain is just various food and hands from husband and toddler”source ↗
“Bought this new stainless steel saucepan and used it only once to boil water. Afterward, the cooking surface developed these marks and looks like the surface has started peeling/deteriorating.”source ↗
“Tried normal washing, but the marks don’t come off. They don’t seem like ordinary stains either. Any way to clean it?”source ↗
“been on here for months and it doesn’t feel like crusted up any tips?”source ↗
Where this came up
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