How to clean a burnt stainless pan

Why this is easier than it feels

Stainless steel has no coating. There is nothing on the surface that can be scrubbed off, scratched through or dissolved, which means every method that would ruin a nonstick pan is available to you. Steel wool, oxalic acid, an overnight soak, boiling — all fine.

The only genuine cautions are chlorine bleach, which pits stainless, and letting a pan go from red-hot to cold water, which can warp it. Everything else is fair game.

Method 1: deglaze, while it is still warm

This is the one to learn, because it takes thirty seconds and prevents the problem entirely. Do it the moment the food leaves the pan.

1. Pan still on the warm hob, or off it but still hot.
2. Add a splash of water, wine or stock — enough to cover the bottom thinly. It will hiss violently, which is the point.
3. Scrape with a wooden or metal spoon. The fond lifts in seconds.
4. Pour it out, or turn it into a sauce, which is the better answer.

The thermal shock plus the liquid does nearly all the work. A pan deglazed while warm essentially never needs any of the methods below.

Method 2: the baking soda simmer

For a pan that has cooled with food welded to it. This handles the large majority of cases.

1. Add about an inch of water to the pan.
2. Add a tablespoon of baking soda.
3. Bring it to a simmer and hold it for ten minutes.
4. Turn it off, let it cool enough to handle, and scrape with a wooden spoon or a non-scratch pad. The residue lifts in sheets.
5. Wash normally.

Baking soda is mildly alkaline and mildly abrasive, and the sustained heat softens the polymerized food. The two together do far more than either alone, which is why simmering beats scrubbing with a paste.

Method 3: an oxalic acid cleaner

The powdered stainless cleaners sold for this purpose are largely oxalic acid, and they are genuinely the right tool for badly burnt pans and for discoloration.

1. Wet the pan.
2. Sprinkle the powder over the affected area.
3. Work it into a paste with a damp non-scratch pad and scrub with moderate pressure.
4. Leave it two or three minutes if the marks are stubborn.
5. Rinse thoroughly. Wash with soap afterwards to remove any residue.

It removes burnt-on carbon, heat tint and mineral deposits in one pass. Wear gloves if your hands are sensitive; oxalic acid is an irritant. It is not going to hurt the pan.

Method 4: overnight, for the worst cases

A pan that has been left on a burner and blackened is still recoverable. Make a thick paste of baking soda and a little water, spread it over the burnt area, cover the pan with a damp cloth or a plate to keep it from drying, and leave it overnight. Then run method 2, then method 3.

Two or three cycles will get almost anything off. The pan itself is unharmed — this is a cosmetic problem on a material that does not degrade.

What the marks actually are

Rainbow or oil-slick colors

A thin chromium oxide layer that forms when stainless is heated. It is a thin-film interference effect, the same physics as oil on water, and the color depends on the layer thickness rather than on anything being wrong.

It is cosmetic, it is harmless, and it does not affect cooking. If it bothers you, wipe the cool pan with white vinegar or use an oxalic acid cleaner and it goes.

White chalky spots

Calcium deposits from hard water, usually from boiling water or salting water before it boils. Also cosmetic. Vinegar or lemon juice removes them, and adding salt only after the water boils reduces them.

A blue or brown tint that will not shift

Heat tint from running the pan very hot, and the same oxide phenomenon as the rainbow just further along. An oxalic acid cleaner removes it. If it persists, it is baked on hard rather than being damage.

Should stainless go in the dishwasher?

It depends on the maker, and the manufacturers genuinely disagree. Cuisinart's MultiClad Pro is dishwasher safe and its manual says new pans can be washed there before first use. Tramontina's listings say dishwasher safe. All-Clad publishes "Handwash Only" on the D3.

The pan body is fine either way; the concerns are cosmetic dulling of the exterior finish and, over many cycles, detergent working at the rivets. Follow the maker's instruction, which is on the care page and not on the listing.

What to avoid

• Chlorine bleach. It pits stainless. This is the one genuine don't.
• Cold water into a screaming-hot pan. Thermal shock can warp a pan, and a warped pan rocks on the hob forever after. Let it come down first.
• Oven cleaner. It is caustic, unnecessary, and hard on the exterior finish. The methods above do the same job.
• Leaving salted water standing in the pan. It can pit the surface over time. Rinse it out.

If your pan keeps burning, the cleaning is a symptom. Nine times in ten it is a heat problem, and the fix is in why food sticks to stainless.