Removing Burned Food From A Teflon Pan: Tips And Tricks

Burnt pans are a common problem, and non-stick pans are not immune to burnt-on messes. Burnt pans can be frustrating, especially if you've invested a lot of money in your kitchenware. However, with some simple techniques and household ingredients, it is possible to rescue your pans. Here are some tips and tricks to help you get burned food out of your Teflon pan.

Soak in hot water and vinegar

If you have a Teflon pan with an oily layer and some food particles cooked onto it, there's a simple way to clean it using hot water and vinegar.

First, wait for the pan to cool down, then fill it up about halfway with water. Next, add around 1/2 cup of vinegar to the water. Place the pan on a stove burner and bring the water and vinegar solution to a boil. This may take 5-10 minutes, depending on how high the heat is. As the mixture gets hotter, the oil and food particles will rise to the surface of the water.

Once the mixture is boiling, turn off the heat. Use a bunched-up paper towel to carefully dab at the pools of oil—be very careful not to touch the hot water. Dispose of the oily paper towel, and use a perforated plastic spoon to collect and throw away any floating food particles. Finally, carefully pour the remaining water down the drain.

Let the pan sit in the sink and cool down before washing it with warm water and dish soap. Use a soft nylon scrubber, sponge, washcloth, or paper towel to gently clean the pan. Rinse the pan thoroughly to remove any remaining soap, then dry it with a paper towel, dish rag, or drying rack.

Your Teflon pan is now ready to be used again or stored for later use.

Use baking soda and water

To clean a burnt Teflon pan with baking soda and water, follow these steps:

Firstly, remove as much of the burnt food and debris from the pan as possible. This can be done when the pan is still warm, but be sure to use a non-metal utensil, such as a wooden or plastic spatula, to avoid scratching the Teflon surface.

Next, make a paste with baking soda and water. The ratio should be 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Make sure you make enough to cover the burnt areas of the pan. For a whole pan bottom, try 1 cup of baking soda and 1/3 cup of water.

Liberally apply the paste to the burnt areas of the pan. It should be thick enough to fully coat the areas. Alternatively, you can cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of warm water and then add enough baking soda to create a paste.

Let the mixture sit for a few hours or overnight. If you don't want to wait, you can add another 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water to thin the paste, then place the pan on the stove and bring it to a boil. However, be sure to remove it from the heat quickly so that it doesn't burn again.

After the mixture has sat for a few hours or overnight, add more baking soda and scrub the pan with a nylon brush or scouring sponge. The food should come off the pan easily, but if there are stubborn areas, apply a bit more pressure when scrubbing.

Once the burnt food has been removed, wash the pan as you usually would, using warm to hot water, a soft nylon scrubber or sponge, and a small amount of dishwashing soap. Rinse the pan with clean water to remove any soap residue, then dry the pan with a dishtowel, paper towel, or drying rack.

Your pan is now ready to be used again or stored away for later use.

Try salt water

If you like the idea of your pan cleaning itself, then this is the method for you. It uses the power of salt to remove burnt food from non-stick pans and takes minimal effort.

Non-Stick Pan Salt Water Cleaner

First, fill the pan or pot with hot water and pour in about three tablespoons of salt. Let the non-stick pan sit for a few hours while you do something more enjoyable.

After the pan has soaked, turn the burner on high and bring the salt water to a boil. Dump the dirty salt water and wash the pan using a little soap and water.

Removing Stubborn Burnt Food from Non-Stick Pans

Baking soda is an alkaline powder that works great as a mild scouring agent and can be used for cleaning a multitude of items in your home from your clothes to the dishes.

While you won’t be scouring your pans with the baking soda, it does remove severe burnt food from your pans by absorbing the dissolved residue. This cleaning method can also be used to clean steel pans or those made from cast iron.

Non-Stick Pan Cleanser

Mix equal parts water and baking soda in a small bowl to make a sticky paste. Use a soft sponge to spread the paste onto the areas in the pan with the burnt food.

Allow the cleaning paste to sit on the pan for about 15 minutes without scrubbing it. Rinse the pan under cold water to remove all of the residue.

Clean with dish soap and a sponge

To clean a burnt Teflon pan with dish soap and a sponge, start by filling the pan with hot water and adding a few squirts of degreasing dish soap. Let the pan sit for about an hour so that the soapy water can loosen the burnt-on food. After an hour, dump out the dirty water and use a nylon scrubber or sponge to wipe away the softened food. If there is any remaining food, add a little more soap to the sponge or scrubber and gently scrub the pan. Once you've removed all the food, rinse the pan thoroughly with cold water and dry it with a paper towel or dishcloth.

It's important to note that you should not use abrasive cleaning pads, steel wool, or heavy-duty scrubbing brushes on Teflon pans, as these can scratch and damage the non-stick coating. Instead, use a soft sponge or nylon scrubber to avoid damaging the pan.

Lemon solution for stainless steel pans

To get burned food out of a Teflon pan, you should first remove any loose food from the pan using a paper towel, wooden, or plastic spatula. Then, fill the pan with water and add about 1/2 cup of vinegar. Bring this to a boil and, once the oil and food particles rise to the surface, turn off the flame and use a paper towel to absorb the oil. Use a slotted spoon to remove any food pieces. Finally, wash the pan with warm water and dish soap, dry it, and it's ready to be used again.

Now, for the lemon solution for stainless steel pans:

Lemons are a great natural solution for cleaning stainless steel pans. The high acidity of lemon juice helps to remove tough stains and discolouration from stainless steel pans.

• Squeeze half a lemon into your dirty stainless steel pan. Don't worry about the seeds, and add the lemon rind to the pan as well.
• Pour in some baking soda and white vinegar.
• Place the pan on the stove and turn on the heat. Bring the mixture to a boil. As it boils, the concoction will melt away any stains.
• Stir the mixture for about a minute.
• Rinse the pan under running water. The stains should disappear in seconds.

You can also use lemon juice to keep your stainless steel pans shiny. Simply rub some lemon juice on the pan and rub it around. This will quickly and effectively remove any discolouration or cloudy layers that have formed on the pan.

Frequently asked questions