After a period of cooking and using, the bottom of the pan is often burnt and has unpleasant black stains. Handling burnt or scorched pans is one of the difficult jobs that housewives often encounter. If you want to get rid of these stubborn burns to keep your family pans shiny and clean, don’t miss the article below! KITCHENBAR will reveal to you the simplest and fastest ways to clean the bottom of burnt pots and pans in a jiffy.
How to Clean Burnt Pans
1. Clean Burnt Pans with Salt
The salt pan cleaning method is usually applied to stainless steel pans. Because if you use salt for aluminum pans, the pans will corrode.
- You can use 2 teaspoons of salt dissolved in half a liter of water
- Then soak this mixture in the pot for about 15 minutes.
- Then, use a dishcloth to clean the burnt area.
- After scrubbing, if the burn still does not come off, you continue to dissolve the salt mixture with the above ratio and then put it in a pan and cook on the stove for about 5 minutes.
Then let it cool and scrub again.
2. Lemon can clean burnt pans
Lemon has many uses, including cleaning burnt pots and pans.
- First, you need to prepare 2 lemons and cut them into thin slices.
- Put all the freshly cut lemon slices in a burnt pan and boil with a little water for about 15 minutes.
- Remember to turn on a low flame so that the solution can soak into the burnt area.
- After cooking, turn off the heat and let the pot cool.
- At this time, the burns will be peeled off.
- Use the dish soap to wash it as you normally would.
- If the burn is still there, soak the pot with water overnight and wash it the next morning.
- You will find your pots and pans clean.
3. Vinegar can clean burnt pans
Vinegar has the ability to clean burnt pots and pans. The way to do it is quite simple as follows:
- You just need to put about 3 tablespoons of vinegar in the burnt pan and soak it in cold water.
- You pay attention to pour water to about half of the pan.
- Then, you put the pan on the stove to cook for about half an hour. After that, the burnt spots will be peeled off.
- You let the pot cool down and rinse it with dish soap.
- If you’re not in a hurry to clean up the burn, you can soak the pan with vinegar overnight without heating.
- The next morning, you rinse the pan as usual.
Vinegar won’t dissolve grease like soap does, but the acidic nature can clean through some stains that other methods won’t remove.

4. Baking soda can clean burnt pans
- You can put about 2 tablespoons of baking soda in pans and soak in half a liter of water for about 3 to 8 hours.
- When you see the burnt patches come off, you can use dishwashing liquid to clean the burnt pans.
- If you want to go faster, you can use a mixture of 1 to 2 tablespoons of baking soda mixed with 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid for the burnt pans.
- Turn on low heat to boil the mixture within about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Then, turn off the heat and pour the mixture out of the burnt pans.
- Wait for the pot to cool down, and then drain the burnt pans under cold water.
- Finally, you wash the burnt pans clean with a sponge.
Baking soda will have a chemical effect on aluminum pans. It can be abrasive to utensils. You should avoid using baking soda on Teflon pots and pans or other non-stick cookware surfaces.
6. Potatoes and salt can clean burnt pans
Potatoes combined with salt also work to clean the stains on the bottom of the pot. Potatoes contain natural oxalic acid, which can dissolve rust. If you combine potatoes with salt, this will slightly abrade the surface of the burnt layer for a high cleaning effect.
Remove the outer skin of the potatoes and cut them in half lengthwise.
Dip the potato slices in a little salt and then rub them on the burnt pan surface.
As a result, you will have a shiny pan like when you bought it.
7. Specialized cleaners can clean burnt pans
Besides using items available in the kitchen, you can use specialized cleaners to remove burn marks on pans as below:
- Kitchen cleaners
Choosing to use specialized cleaners will save you time but it also depends on whether you can buy them easily or not.
You just need to spray the solution onto the burn, wait a few minutes before scrubbing hard. Depending on the cleaning solution, you should read the instructions for effective use.
- Metallic polish
You can use a metal polish to remove the burn mark on the bottom of the pan. However, you must choose one that matches the metal of the utensil.
Check the instructions and brand carefully before you buy to make sure it’s safe to use on surfaces and it will not interfere with food preparation.
Do not forget that after the stain is removed, you need to rinse the pan with hot soapy water.
- Use ammonia to clean burnt pans
Wear rubber gloves and clean the pan in a well-ventilated area to avoid overexposure to ammonia fumes. You will need to use a small amount of ammonia to remove the stain.
If that doesn’t work, try placing the pan in a garbage bag with the ammonia fumes for 24 hours to give the smoke enough time to clear the burn.
Using ammonia to clean burnt pans can be used for stainless steel and copper cookware. Do not use ammonia for aluminum pans because it is easy to damage the utensil material.

Frequently Asked Questions
1. How to clean burnt pans without scratches?
You need to pay attention to the way as well as the cleaning tool because it is very important, which affects the process of maintaining the durability of the pan.
For enamel, anodized aluminum or Teflon pans, you should use a sponge, nylon brush or Dobie pad (sponge with protective plastic mesh) to avoid scratching the pan.
For pans made of stainless steel, copper or aluminum: you should first use a light sponge to rub it on. You should pay attention to adjust the strength when scrubbing to minimize scratches.
You should pay attention to adjust the strength when scrubbing to minimize scratches

2. How to properly clean a non-stick pan?
Do not soak the non-stick pan in dishwashing liquid for too long. This will cause rust, oxidation and be easily damaged and deformed when exposed to high temperatures.
Wipe the kitchen surface before processing to prevent non-stick pans from sticking to gas.
Clean inside and outside of pans before and after use.
Dirt and debris clinging to the pan make cooking burnt and difficult to clean. You should use a soft sponge to wash the non-stick pan, do not use a dishwashing sponge that will peel or scratch the non-stick coating.
3. Does tomato sauce really clean burnt pans?
In addition to adding spice to dishes, tomato sauce also has the ability to clean burns on pots and pans effectively.
The method is quite simple. You just need to put the tomato sauce in the burnt pans and soak it for 30 minutes. In the next step, use a soft brush or sponge to clean the burnt area in the bottom of the pan. Finally, you can wash it with soap to clean it.
4. I have heard about the cleaning use of apple peel, is it effective for clean burnt pans?
If you accidentally overcook the food and burn the bottom of the pan, buy some apples for dessert for the whole family and to solve the problem that you have caused.
- You peel the apple skin and put the apple peel in the burnt pan.
- Add some water and bring to a boil.
- While boiling, you should use chopsticks to stir the apple peel. Thanks to this, the burnt plaque will slowly peel off.
- Cooking time will depend on the stubbornness of the burn, so don’t be impatient.
- After the burnt patches have completely peeled off, use the sponge to scrub the pot again. The remaining burns will quickly disappear.
Some Tips & Warnings
- You need to soak the pan as soon as you discover burned food. The longer it is kept, the harder it is to clean completely.
- You should use dishwashing liquid to clean pans after you have cleaned the burnt food layer with bleach.
- Make sure that bleach doesn’t get on your cooking utensils as they can be harmful to your health.
Kitchen equipment will directly affect the dishes as well as indirectly human health. Therefore, when you find any problem, even as small as burnt spots on a non-stick pan, you must deal with it early to prevent any harm. Hope the above article has been helpful for you in keeping how to clean burnt pans as well as ensuring the health of your family.