280752 Mon Nov 07 09:39:50 -0800 2005 42 41 Cookware 0 1492363 I spaced out yesterday while sitting here posting, and ironically, neglected what I was cooking on the stove. So regarding stainless, besides soaking in water, and using steel wool and a gritty cleanser like Bon Ami, any hints for getting the carbonized black crust off my pot? Mon Nov 07 09:39:50 -0800 2005 0 Niki Rothman 1 1492364 Oven cleaner Mon Nov 07 09:41:56 -0800 2005 1492363 0 FlyFish 2 1492375 Yes, oven cleaner or Dawn Power Dissolver. Stainless scratches very easily so you want to avoid cleaning techniques that will do that so no steel wool or grity cleansers. Sctarching the surface will make it more likely to stick. Mon Nov 07 10:30:06 -0800 2005 1492364 0 Candy 3 1492379 I thought stainless DOESN'T scratch easily, and that is one of the main reasons for using it in the first place? Am I wrong? Mon Nov 07 11:04:00 -0800 2005 1492375 0 Two Forks 4 1492380 yes, sorry, it does scratch very easily which is why non-stick is so popular Mon Nov 07 11:09:01 -0800 2005 1492379 0 Candy 5 1492385 Now I am REALLY confused. I thought non-stick was popular for its ease of use and cleaning, stainless steel for its durability. So, you are telling me stainless steel isn't durable because it scratches, so that's why people use non-stick? My SS has no scratches on it, but my non-stick does. Maybe I am doing something wrong? Mon Nov 07 11:26:17 -0800 2005 1492380 0 Two Forks 6 1492447 Any surface can be scratched so the less abrasive the cleaning approach the better. For burnt stainless steel pots or ones with deposits I've simmered a half and half mixture of water and white vinegar with the pot covered. After heating for about 10 minutes. Let it sit overnight. Then try using a mild solution of Bar Keepers Friend powder and a soft sponge. Another approach I've used is to cook a tomato sauce, the acid does a great job and won't hurt the pot. Don't try this with aluminum. Mon Nov 07 14:08:14 -0800 2005 1492385 0 BluPlateSpec 7 1492457 My new stainless-clad pots came with a recommendation to use BarKeeper's friend (which, if you look at the label, is a mild acid). If it's really crusty, you can get some of the crust off by filling the pot (above the crust level) with a weak vinegar-water solution, bringing it to a boil and letting it simmer for a while -- the heating of the metal and the mild bubbling action helps some of the crust release from the pan surface. Stainless doesn't scratch easily, but one thing to remember is that anything will scratch if you use something as hard or harder than it is -- thus, steel wool will potentially scratch. Mon Nov 07 14:54:25 -0800 2005 1492447 0 Ruth Lafler 6 2414204 If your non-stick is scratched, it should definitely be thrown out immediately. Teflon is a known carcinogen. It's reasonably stable if the surface is not scratched, but highly toxic if it is. Fri Mar 23 10:15:07 -0700 2007 1492385 56793 ballulah 7 2414392 Teflon itself is not a carcinogen, but perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is a known carcinogen, is used in the manufacturing process for Teflon-based coatings and can remain in trace amounts in the final product. There is no evidence that the amount of PFOA remaining in Teflon coatings is hazardous to individuals cooking in Teflon-lined cookware, but of course (as the saying goes) absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Manufacturers are currently changing their processes to greatly reduce releases of PFOA during the manufacturing process and to reduce the amount of PFOA in the final Teflon coating by 95%. I doubt that scratching the surface makes any difference one way or the other, but if you can refer me to a responsible source indicating otherwise I'd be interested. Fri Mar 23 10:57:01 -0700 2007 2414204 10207 FlyFish 8 2414510 You know, it's funny, my responsible source is my mom! After reading your much more thorough summary of the situation, I feel rather silly. "My mommy told me!" My mother has always said that Teflon was pretty much poison in a pan, and I've always taken it as gospel. I'll go looking for the info though, because after hearing since childhood that scratching Teflon was pretty much a death warrant (my mother is guilty of hyberbole), I had some non-alarmist friends with kids recently throw out all their old Teflon pots because of something they read. That was dangerous info for me, because it reinforced the "my mommy said so!" evidence! Well, she was right to a degree about not cooking acidic foods in aluminium! Fri Mar 23 11:29:15 -0700 2007 2414392 56793 ballulah 8 3865199 flyfish>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>"There is no evidence that the amount of PFOA remaining in Teflon coatings is hazardous to individuals cooking in Teflon-lined cookware,">>>>>>>>...........There is an abundance of evidence that Teflon coatings is extremely harmful to individuals>>>>>>>>>>>>>Do you live on another planet? Sun Jul 13 15:43:11 -0700 2008 2414392 209479 mymy 4 1492387 There are many different types of stainless with different hardnesses, but generally it's considered to be a hard metal, which is why most stainless steels make poor knives (impossible to resharpen at home). The high-end knife manufacturers - e.g., Wusthof - are using a stainless formulation that's soft enough to allow resharpening. My experience has been that steel wool won't really scratch the stainless that's used for pots and pans, but the more aggressive cleansers, which I believe use a silica abrasive, can. Bon Ami, which uses feldspar instead of silica, won't. The green-backed "scratchy" sponges are very aggressive and will leave huge scratches. If you're patient with the oven cleaner and are prepared to use multiple applications you can just about rinse off the burned-on crud without any rubbing at all. Mon Nov 07 11:27:10 -0800 2005 1492379 0 FlyFish 5 2414003 As I found out when a nanny/housekeeper cleaned the SS backsplash of my pride and joy Wolf Range with a green-backed "scratchy" sponge. I've been looking at those swirl patterns for a decade! Grrrrr! Fri Mar 23 09:27:06 -0700 2007 1492387 10864 sel 6 2414056 Ouch! But think of the same patrtern at the bottom of a clean pan versus looking at burned on stuff. The pattern would be a lot more acceptable than the crust. Sorry about the backsplash. Fri Mar 23 09:39:16 -0700 2007 2414003 11290 jfood 6 2414354 I have a 48" Thermador with a SS high back, and had a similar problem, though in a much smaller area. I was able to more-or-less restore the original brushed finish by careful rubbing with a 320-grit 3M foam-backed sanding pad, which is available in paint or hardware stores. The trick is to go slow and (this is the tough part) keep the pad moving in a straight line, parallel to the original brushed finish. Even if you can't fix the whole backsplash it's a good thing to know for touching up minor dings and scratches. Fri Mar 23 10:47:55 -0700 2007 2414003 10207 FlyFish 7 2414365 Awesome idea. Thx. Fri Mar 23 10:49:42 -0700 2007 2414354 11290 jfood 7 2414473 I have considered the product that I have linked to below although you suggestion is deffinately more economical! http://rsi.jaguarinternet.com/product/scratchbgone-homeowner-kit-for-stainless-steel-1000.cfm Fri Mar 23 11:19:49 -0700 2007 2414354 10864 sel 4 2413298 I am either blind or have no muscle tone because I have used steel wool on my Farberware P&P's for 25+ years and they are not smooth as a baby's bottom any longer but I would not called them scratched either. And I have no sticking problems that would follow scratched. Remember these are early 1980's vintage and I do not know which brand you refer to but the surface has worn like iron. BTW - To the OP. Do not feel bad about what you did. You have many of us who have been caught up in threads and lost track of the stove. Welcome to the club. Fri Mar 23 04:57:54 -0700 2007 1492379 11290 jfood 2 2413053 Say, what exactly is oven cleaner, anyway? (I know it's in a spray can, but what it actually is?) Thu Mar 22 22:02:59 -0700 2007 1492364 40486 Cinnamon 3 2413295 Most oven cleaners were originally based on caustic soda (sodium hydroxide, sometimes potassium hydroxide), and many still are. Caustic soda is relatively inoccuous environmentally, but can be a strong skin and eye irritant if used improperly. Some newer formulations are based on ethanolamine and/or ethylene glycol esters, both of which can also be irritating, and the latter at least has been linked (arguably) with other health issues. Caustic soda-based cleaners, which I prefer, are strong chemicals and should be used with reasonable caution but present no unusual health problems, as long as you keep them off your skin and out of your eyes, and avoid inhaling any overspray. That requires some small amount of care when you use them to actually clean an oven, but shouldn't be too difficult in the case of cleaning burnt-on crud off the bottom of a pot. Fri Mar 23 04:50:04 -0700 2007 2413053 10207 FlyFish 1 1492373 An ex of mine's mother once told me how to deal with this. Perhaps one of the better things to come out of the relationship. Boil water with about 1/4-1/2c of baking soda in the pot until the burned stuff comes off. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't entirely...but worth a shot and you're not using chemicals... Mon Nov 07 10:17:44 -0800 2005 1492363 0 fresser 2 2372913 Baking soda, water, soak overnight, is what I do. How well it works depends on the degree of burn. By the way, If it was rice you were cooking, it became Zen Rice -- cooked until it became one with the pan... Sat Mar 10 11:54:49 -0800 2007 1492373 14063 Anne H 2 2373392 I'll second this - I've used the boiled baking soda trick quit successfully. On the rare occasion when it doesn't suffice then I do the dishwasher detergent thing someone mentioned below, or use oven cleaner. Sat Mar 10 16:13:25 -0800 2007 1492373 66685 AnnaEA 2 2414221 Yup, my mother uses this trick all the time. It usually works at least well enough to reduce any subsequent work you might need to do to get the burnt scum off, sometimes it works perfectly and the burn is gone. Fri Mar 23 10:18:43 -0700 2007 1492373 56793 ballulah 1 1492382 1) set pot in sink 2) pour in dish washer detergent to cover stain 3) add 1 in boiling water 4) soak overnight 5) wash away stain in morning Mon Nov 07 11:20:04 -0800 2005 1492363 0 Hungry Girl 2 1492388 I agree. I learned this technique a year or two ago and it is really effective. In the worst case you may have to repeat to get the last of the burned-on goo. Mon Nov 07 11:31:47 -0800 2005 1492382 0 GretchenS 3 2949718 I agree wholeheartedly with this. My pots always come out just fine. All these dramatic and long suggestions ... I'd rather buy a new pot! Mon Sep 17 14:17:05 -0700 2007 1492388 95060 idia 2 1492411 Someone here recommended a variation of this: making a paste of dishwasher powder. I couldn't believe how miraculously it worked! Mon Nov 07 12:24:56 -0800 2005 1492382 0 Fida 1 1492389 Once you have cleaned away the grime, if you see any cloudy residue, try white vinegar. It will remove the residue. Just soak, then rub and rinse. The mfg of my stainless rec. this. Mon Nov 07 11:32:04 -0800 2005 1492363 0 Michele Cindy 1 1492414 PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash) by 5 Star Chemicals works well on scorched stainless. Available at a lot of homebrew shops. Mon Nov 07 12:45:12 -0800 2005 1492363 0 rexmo 1 1493213 I always take some soap, water and actually heat the pot over the stovetop. You've find that the heat itself will take that crust right off, or at least most of it. I too have stainless pans and have found that using Barkeepers Friend powder after washing it keeps the residual cloudiness and markings off and reverts the look back to brand new. Thu Nov 10 20:13:50 -0800 2005 1492363 0 krispykremed 1 2372839 i've left a copper bottom lined stainless steel pot of boiling water on for 3 hours, the water boiled dry and the copper has burned away (gray and faded orange on the bottom that's easily wiped off) and the bottom inside of the pot has rings and spirals of gray/black that seem to be permanently discolored (I tried leaving baking soda and water soaked overnight- no difference) and when i wipe the inside bottom w/a paper towel the color is still grayish brownish. At this point would it be unsafe and toxic to re-use the pot for boiling water/cooking any food? Sat Mar 10 11:26:21 -0800 2007 1492363 81574 whathavei 1 2372894 photo attached. note brownish color off napkin Sat Mar 10 11:49:31 -0800 2007 1492363 81574 whathavei 2 2372930 Wow, that's hard core. What happened when you soaked it in vinegar overnight? Sat Mar 10 12:04:58 -0800 2007 2372894 72925 ttriche 1 2372928 Chor-Boy copper wool pads are nice, and will get rid of almost any offending substance if you soak the pan (eg. with some detergent) while you're eating dinner or overnight. If that doesn't do the trick, there is always Barkeeper's Friend. Stainless is not nearly as hard as a lot of people think it is, so it pays to use a softer metal for de-crusting pans that you have (purposely or in the course of deglazing) burnt things onto. Sat Mar 10 12:03:19 -0800 2007 1492363 72925 ttriche 2 2372948 there's not really any substance at the inside bottom, it's only used for boiling water, just discoloration, and I'm just paranoid that I'll be ingesting toxic metal if I re-use the kettle. I can scrub for ages, nothing would come off but the grayish brownish color. Sat Mar 10 12:14:56 -0800 2007 2372928 81574 whathavei 1 2373056 I use baking soda Sat Mar 10 13:02:38 -0800 2007 1492363 39328 IndyGirl 1 2373378 Some homebrew shops sell PBW -- Powdered Brewery Wash. It really goes after scorched malted barley on stainless. Seems like I have heard that Oxy Clean containe a similar active compound. Sat Mar 10 16:04:58 -0800 2007 1492363 46177 rexmo 1 2373438 I've always been told that household ammonia, in a weak solution will restore and clean stainless steel to a like-new condition. I searched this on the net: http://housekeeping.about.com/od/ideasbysurface/qt/steelclean.htm It's worth a try. Da Cook Sat Mar 10 16:44:49 -0800 2007 1492363 22115 Da_Cook 1 2373649 I have had great success with a loose slurry of cream of tartar and water, Let the mixture sit overnight and wash in the morning. Sat Mar 10 18:37:09 -0800 2007 1492363 22220 Kelli2006 1 2396815 I actually went to the supermarket and found that powder cleanser "BarKeeper's Friend" hidden away at the bottom shelf. I scrubbed for almost half an hour (got a good workout) and it really made a difference! Though I can still see the stains, it's 80% better. Sun Mar 18 08:25:43 -0700 2007 1492363 81574 whathavei 1 3865799 fill the pot with water, dish soap and white vinegar and put it on the burner with the black stuff covered with the 'solution'. As it boils, the black dried on stuff will start flaking off of the pan. Sun Jul 13 19:44:13 -0700 2008 1492363 193486 meadandale