How do you clean a burnt stainless steel saucepan?

You've just put on the pasta to cook for dinner, been distracted by your latest Netflix obsession and suddenly detect the acrid smell of a singed pot. Luckily there are loads of ways to salvage a burnt saucepan, with cheap and easy household products you probably already own.

Bicarb soda

Bicarb soda is the ultimate cure-all cleaning product and works a treat on a burnt pan.

First, remove any solid burnt food and discard
Sprinkle a thick layer of bi-carb soda to cover the base of the pan. Add enough water to make a paste and rub it into the burnt debris
Leave it a few hours or overnight
Add ½ cup of water to the pan and bring to a boil over medium heat and remove immediately. Burnt on food should be lifted, brush with a scrubbing brush for any baked on food
Repeat until totally clean

Salt

Give your kitchenware the spa treatment with a generous helping of salt that acts like a 'pan exfoliator' to get rid of those stubborn scorch marks.

Cover the burnt area with table salt
Work in with a sponge or scrubber
Let sit for a few hours, and rinse

Dish tablets

This cleaning solution is great because it requires no scrubbing, and we are all about minimal effort and maximum results.

Fill the cooled burnt pot with water, add a dishwasher tablet and bring to the boil
Reduce the heat and allow it to simmer for 10 minutes, the burnt parts should lift off
Repeat until clean, then wash as normal

Coke

This one might make you rethink ever sipping a soft drink again, but Coke really is acidic enough to be fantastic for cleaning tough to move grime on burnt pots.

Fill the pot with a few inches of Coke, ensuring the burnt sections are fully submerged
Leave to soak overnight
Rinse out and scrub as usual

Now you have a sparkling clean saucepan, you're ready to whip up some delicious recipes like Thai curries, chicken korma or easy curried sausages. Check out some trending recipes below!