Sometimes the most careful of cooks can accidentally burn food to their pans, causing stubborn stains and marks to appear. While we always recommend proper cleaning and cooking best practices to avoid this mishap from happening, we do have some helpful tips on how you can potentially remove discolouration or burnt-on stains if they do occur.
Before we cover how to clean a burnt pan, it’s best to prevent this mistake from happening by using cooking best practices.
When cooking, we recommend using a moderate to low heat, especially when using non-stick pans. Excessive heat can cause damage to a non-stick coating, impacting its easy food release and general performance. Although our uncoated pans can withstand higher temperatures for sauteing and browning foods, the heat can cause discolouration. While discolouration doesn’t impact the performance of the pan, it can alter the look. For more information, read our guide on how to cook with stainless steel pans.
However, sometimes accidents happen and our pans may become discoloured or burnt. If this happens, we recommend the following steps to help remove or counter these marks and stains.
If you do accidentally burn your pans, there are a few home remedies that can help remove burnt-on residue and marks. Of course, these remedies may not remove the stains, and our guarantee does not cover damage caused by accidents, misuse, scratches, stains, discolouration or overheating. You can read more about our guarantee information here.
Whether you’re using non-stick or uncoated, always allow your pans time to cool down before cleaning. By immersing hot pans in cold water, you can cause thermal shock which warps the metal, impacting the pan’s cooking performance.
After every use, we recommend handwashing your pans with warm, soapy water and using a non-abrasive sponge or scrubber. Always rinse away all suds and dry immediately to reduce the chance of water marks and rust from appearing. You should do this after each use to keep your pans in the best shape.
Avoid popping the pans in the dishwasher and using abrasive detergents and sponges as this can cause damage and scratching to the pan’s surface. Always use non-scratch scrubbers and soft cloths when cleaning your pots and pans, protecting the finish and keeping it shiny and new.
We also recommend using silicone, nylon or wooden kitchen utensils when cooking, especially when using non-stick, because metal utensils can scrape and remove the coating.
For burnt on food, we first recommend using hot water. This is very similar to deglazing, which is a cooking method that helps remove food stuck to the bottom of the pan to make gravies or sauces. Add hot water to the pan and very gently increase the temperature – this should help lift food from the bottom of the pan. Feel free to use a wooden spoon or silicone spatula to scrape at any burnt bits.
For more stubborn residue or discolouration from cooking, use a bicarbonate of soda and water mixture to make a paste. Apply this paste to the stained area and gently scrub with a non-scratch pad or scrubber until the stains have disappeared.
If there’s a rainbow tint from overheating, make a white vinegar solution (3 parts water to 1 part vinegar). Boil the water-vinegar solution for approximately 10 minutes, letting it sit for a few minutes afterwards before rinsing it clean.
If your pans have lost their shine, we recommend using a dedicated stainless steel cleaner or putting a small amount of white vinegar on a soft cloth and wiping with the grain to prevent streaking. Once polished, rinse with clean water and dry with a dry, soft cloth to prevent water spots and marks from appearing.
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