How to remove carbon deposits from an enamel pan

Every housewife has at least once in her life encountered a situation when food burns in her favorite enamel saucepan. With great pity, she examines the burnt walls, which also emit a terrible burning smell that spreads throughout the entire apartment. What should she do in such a case? How can she remove foul-smelling burnt food from an enamel saucepan as quickly as possible?

Features of enameled pans

The history of enamelware began in ancient times, when the ancient Greeks first came up with the idea of ​​applying enamel to the surface of kitchen utensils. But such vessels were not used for cooking, and they served as a kind of decoration.

Nowadays, such cookware has become widespread due to its unique properties. What is such a saucepan, in fact? It is a product made of steel or cast iron, covered with a layer of enamel. It is an excellent protection of food from metal. Cooking in it is much safer. But it will be more difficult to wash such cookware, and the glass enamel layer can crack from sudden temperature changes.

Types of contamination of burnt pans

Food generally leaves traces on the sides and bottom of the pan, but some stains are especially ingrained. One of the most unpleasant is burnt food, which is very difficult to remove. It usually occurs due to forgetfulness. Most often, porridge burns. Depending on the type (buckwheat, rice, pearl barley), the difficulty of cleaning varies: everyone knows that milk porridges burn more. Milk stains are also difficult to remove, but the sooner you start the procedure, the faster it will be. So, the most persistent stains arise from burning:

• milk;
• jam;
• various types of porridge;
• vegetables (beets are especially difficult to remove).

You can also differentiate carbon deposits not only by their origin, but also by the strength with which they stick to the dishes.

In severe cases, burnt food remains on the bottom of the pan as a black layer of several millimeters, sometimes more. Here, cleaning requires a lot of effort. Medium carbon deposits are characterized by a thin layer, which can be easily removed if you get down to business right away. In mild cases, individual soot spots are scattered over the surface and can be cleaned with a regular sponge and hot water.

Stainless steel pots are worth mentioning separately. Many people use them to cook a wide variety of products. It is believed that nothing will burn in them, and if something bad happens, everything can be easily cleaned with a metal sponge and caustic chemicals. A stainless steel pot is very durable, and therefore it can easily be rubbed with sponges, various detergents can be used, but you should not overuse them, because it is not always possible to wash everything off completely, and some of the chemicals can get into the food.

What to do if a pan burns

The key to success in this case is efficiency. The faster you start washing the pan, the easier it will be, firstly, to deal with the stuck carbon deposits, and secondly, less money will be needed for this.

In general, the main tips.

• Act without delay.
• In no case should you pour cold water into the pan: the temperature difference will cause damage to the enamel, or even chip it all off. It is better to pour slightly hot water with soda into the cooled dishes.
• You need to use gentle products: no iron sponges or toxic products.

How to wash and clean a saucepan from carbon deposits inside and outside at home

Any housewife will ask herself the question, how to clean a burnt enamel pan at home? There are several ways. Usually two are distinguished: with the help of folk remedies and with the use of household chemicals. Each of them has both its pros and cons.

Folk methods for cleaning a badly burnt pan from burning

These methods are very popular for several reasons.

1. Almost everyone has the necessary tools in sufficient quantity.
2. Harmlessness and safety of cleaning.
3. An abundance of cleaning options, the ability to combine them together in any order.

How to remove burnt food with salt

Table salt is an excellent absorbent, so its use is quite logical.

If there is a little soot, it is enough to sprinkle it with a thick layer and pour some water. After two hours of soaking, you can wash with a sponge.

If the contamination is serious, then the actions are different. Water is also poured into the pan, one hundred to two hundred grams of salt are added, and boiling begins. After half an hour, the pan can be removed from the heat and left to cool. Then wash with a sponge and gel. If the soot remains, then the manipulation is repeated.

Cleaning with vinegar

Acids also work well against carbon deposits, but they should be used with caution. Usually, a little vinegar is poured into the dish and left for a couple of hours. Some advise heating the vinegar. Citric acid is often used instead.

How to Remove Burnt Food with Baking Soda

The most popular and effective remedy remains soda. It is good for cleaning both light dirt and old stains. Its effectiveness is due to its ability to react with other substances (for example, acids).

If the burn is light, take a little soda and scrub the sides and bottom of the pan as with a regular detergent. However, what to do if the stains just won't come off? Then it makes sense to combine sodium carbonate and vinegar.

The bottom is covered with a small layer of soda, to which a few tablespoons of vinegar are added. The mixture is put on the fire and heated until the soot begins to come off. It is possible to simply leave the solution overnight, then there is no need to heat it.

A combination of soda and salt also gives a good result. In a separate container, mix the two ingredients in equal proportions until a paste is formed, which is applied to dirty areas.

How to clean a burnt bottom with laundry soap

Many people have bars of dark yellow soap, the so-called laundry soap, at home. Despite the unpleasant smell, it copes well with burning of varying degrees of complexity.

The first method is to grate the bar on a coarse grater and throw the shavings into warm water. Put it on the stove and bring to a boil. After the procedure, check the ease of removing the carbon deposits - if it simply comes off under the sponge, then everything was successful.

Using activated carbon

An effective and inexpensive remedy is activated carbon in tablets, which must be thoroughly crushed, mixed with warm water and applied in a thin layer. Afterwards, the mass is washed off. This method is suitable for small pots with light contamination.

Cleaning the inside of a burnt pot of coffee grounds

Coffee grounds can polish the surface of dishes well and remove the greasy layer. Small particles penetrate into the burnt area, cleaning it off. The coffee aroma eliminates the unpleasant burnt smell. The grounds are effective only when the problem is not neglected.

Using carbonated drinks to clean a burnt pan

The excellent cleaning properties of carbonated drinks have long been known. The orthophosphoric acid they contain corrodes any stain, even the most ingrained. At the same time, it does not leave stains and has a pleasant smell that can kill the soot.

The application is simple: pour a bottle of cola or Pepsi into a saucepan and leave it overnight. To enhance the effect, you can boil it, which only promotes bleaching. It is not recommended to use tarragon - it is very often dyed.

How to clean an enamel pan with household chemicals

To quickly and effectively remove carbon deposits from dishes, chemical detergents are best. Specialized aggressive substances in their composition are capable of dissolving fat, soot, and even old carbon deposits.

The most commonly used substance in household chemical stores is bleach. The damaged vessel is filled with cold water, a tablespoon of bleach is added to it, and it is left to soak overnight. After that, the mixture is poured out. Clean water is poured in again, and it is set to boil. Then the water is drained five times and the boiling procedure is repeated until the dirt disappears.

Finally, rinse the dishes thoroughly with running water. There should be no traces of bleach left anywhere, because getting it into the body can lead to serious health problems.

The second method: using washing powder. Make a steep solution of the powder in a basin and place the pan in it. After soaking, scrub the burnt spots and rinse under the tap for a few minutes to wash off all the powder.

The third method of using household chemicals is a combination of silicate glue and soda. Here everything is more complicated, and to carry out the procedure, you need to make some preparations.

1. Find a large pot large enough to hold the dirty one.
2. Water is poured into it.
3. Pour in half a pack of soda and silicate glue (one bottle).
4. Then the solution is placed on the fire and stirred until it reaches the consistency of medium-thick paste.

To clean the pan, it is immersed in this solution and kept there for fifteen minutes. Then it is taken out and washed. The remaining carbon deposits are scraped off. The method is suitable for removing particularly strong dirt, and the duration of boiling largely depends on their degree. The dirtier, the longer the cookware is boiled.

The nuances of cleaning a badly burnt pan

A very burnt saucepan can cause a lot of problems, because it will take more time and effort to clean it up. But don't despair. Using a combination of products and persistence will help solve this problem.

• Soap and ammonia together will quickly clean any burnt surface. Soap shavings are mixed with a tablespoon of alcohol and boiled.
• Salt, glue and soap. Ammonia and glue are poured into the soap foam. A saucepan is placed in the container and kept in boiling water.

How not to clean a pan from soot

No matter how strong the desire to scrub with a hard brush or, even worse, a fork or spoon, you should refrain. Enamel is very sensitive to mechanical impact, and such manipulations can cause cracks and chips. The saucepan cannot be used after this.

You also cannot use abrasive powders, because their solid particles scratch the surface of the pan and penetrate into the micropores, which creates a health hazard - the substance is not so easy to wash off, and it is guaranteed to get into the food.

Enamelware is afraid of temperature differences. You can't pour ice water into a hot pan, and vice versa.

If the housewife often forgets about the porridge cooking on the stove, then it is more convenient for her to use dishes made of another material, which is much easier to clean in case of burning. A good option would be stainless steel, which is not at all demanding in terms of cleaning methods.

Before cleaning the inside of a burnt enamel pan, it is worth dealing with the outside, because it also requires careful handling, and it is always easier to wash the outside first than the inside.

Helpful safety tips for cleaning an enamel pot

• To protect your hands from the harmful effects of chemicals, you need to wear gloves. Even salt can cause irritation, so it is better to be on the safe side.
• When making solutions and boiling water, do not lean over the pot or grab it with bare hands. It is safer to use a potholder.
• Before use, carefully read the instructions for cleaning products.

How to properly care for enamel cookware

Any cookware requires careful handling, and enameled cookware even more so. You should always remember the features of this material. When washing by hand, use soft sponges. Washing in a dishwasher is not the best idea, as this procedure often darkens the enamel.

Before first use, it is recommended to calcine it: bring water to a boil and cool it. After this, the pan will be stronger.

To avoid burning of food, it is better to cook only compotes, soups, eggs in an enamel container, that is, something that will not create a layer of soot. For those who decide to cook other dishes, you need to carefully monitor the cooking process, and at the slightest suspicion of overheating, reduce the heat, or remove the pan from the stove.

Enameled cookware is a constant companion in the kitchen, without which it is impossible to imagine cooking. But in order for the cookware to serve as long as possible, it should be carefully looked after, following the rules and remembering the differences between enameled products.

VIDEO: How to clean an enamel pan.