Need to know how to clean the bottom of a burned pot? Here’s an effective way to remove the black stuck on burnt gunk off the bottom of your pot.
When the bottom of the pan gets worn down, what is the best method to bring it back to life? This not only works with stainless steel pans, but it’s a good idea to do for all nonstick pans as well. It’s time to get rid of the woes of having a burnt pan bottom and use this easy way to get those burn stains gone!
This post is sponsored by Bar Keepers Friend but all opinions are my own.
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My mom gave me some copper bottom pots years ago when I left home and went away to college. I’ve had them ever since. They are awesome and I even know a few ways of getting their copper back to its nice copper color again.
When I visited the Goodwill in town recently, I saw they had one of these copper bottom pots and it was a smaller one than we had and would be perfect to add to our collection. And bonus! It was only $8.99. One of their pots today (brand new with a lid) are over $35 so it was a steal.
The only problem with the pot? It had a black burnt pot bottom. It was thick and dense and totally scorched.
Of course, the good news is it was out the outside bottom of the pot, not the inside where it would affect the food I cooked inside of it. But, I also hate having dirty looking pots and pans. I knew that if I could figure out how to clean a burnt pot bottom, then no one would ever know I only paid $9 for it and it would look pretty darn nice, and last me for years.
But, I had never really let a pot bottom get burnt like this before, so I wasn’t sure what it would take to remove it and clean it.
Most of the tutorials I found on Google were for how to clean a burnt pot’s inside, rather than the outside. I couldn’t exactly boil water in the pot or let something soak in it. Plus, I had no idea how long the previous owner used it before donating it. For all I know, they could have kept scorching the bottom of the pot, again and again, making it even more stuck on and hard to get off.
Instead, I used some Bar Keepers Friend (one of my favorite kitchen cleaning products for pots and pans, especially yucky ones like this dirty pizza pan) and employed a little elbow grease, and now it looks pretty darn great!
Watch the video to see it the cleaning process in action:
How to Clean the Bottom of a Burned Pot
Materials Needed to Clean the Bottom of a Burned Pot or Pan
- Burnt Pot Bottom
- Water
- Bar Keepers Friend (here’s where you can find it)
- Scour Pad
- Steel Wool
- Kitchen Gloves (optional)
Instructions on How to Clean a Burnt Pot Bottom
1. Get the bottom of your pot wet.
2. Apply some Bar Keepers Friend directly on the pot.
3. Scrub in the powder with the water until it covers the whole pot.
4. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.
5. Scrub with a scouring pad and then a steel wool pad (wear gloves if it’s too rough on your hands) until the black burnt marks are gone.
6. Apply more Bar Keepers Friend and water as needed. Continue scrubbing.
7. Rinse once you have cleaned the burnt pot’s bottom all the way.
8. Dry it and admire the clean, shiny bottom!
I will say, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to do such vigorous scrubbing or to use steel wool, but this burnt pot bottom was seriously rough to get off. And again, who knows how many times the previous owner kept cooking (and setting) in this burnt area?
The good news is that Bar Keepers Friend shines up copper bottom pots very well too! And I have a great new (to me) and clean pot to cook with.
If you liked this cleaning tutorial, be sure to check out my cleaning ebook Speed Clean the Deep Clean so you can learn how to clean your home quickly and effectively.
As you can see, the affected areas can be cleaned with tried and true methods! You can make it your favorite pan again with a little bit of elbow grease and Barkeeper’s friend. It’s time to get rid of those unsightly burn makers and baked-on gunk! Take it from my own personal experience, you can get the bottoms of those non-stick pots looking new in no time flat!
I was amazed at how the burnt parts of the pan looked like I had just bought new stainless steel pots. The next time this happens, I know exactly how I’ll get rid of those stubborn stains and burnt-on mess. Who knew that I could have clean pots and clean bottom of pans with just a little effort and a simple cleaning product?
For more information about what Bar Keepers Friend can do, check out the following posts:
Kim says
I own a motel with kitchen units and love this stuff. It takes all stains off porcelain sinks and tubs. I found if you turn your toilet water off to get out as much water as possible it is the best toilet cleaner it beats pumice stones.
Betsy Cline says
Don’t you just love to see the copper shining again? So many beautiful pots I see thrown away at thrift stores because they are considered ruined when really they are just in the need of a good deep cleaning!