How do you get scorched food off the bottom of a pan?

I fix some scalloped potatoes on the top of the stove and the bottom scorched not matter how many times I stirred it.

How do you get scorched food off the bottom of a pan?

I have been soaking and scrubbing for several days without much results.

Type of pan?

If stainless, the goal is to avoid anything that scratches the inside (so you don't have this problem again).  I usually boil some water in it for a while to see if that will get the stuff loose enough I can scrape it with a wooden scraper or bit of bamboo.  After the water has cooled a bit.  Sometimes it takes a few goes.  agitate the burnt stuff, boil more water, cool, agitate.  Often I have to repolish it again with some baking soda but that takes ages so I avoid the scratches.  

If cast iron, a chisel (joking).  But it can take a lot of abuse if you are okay with reseasoning it again.  

If pottery or glass, scrubbing with coarse salt and a damp cloth works a treat.  But this is not so good for metal as it can cause pitting and make food stick more in the future.

Hope the potatoes were delicious. Sucks when this happens.

edit to add: some people boil soapy water in their pots but I made a mess when I did this, so approach with caution.  

r ranson wrote:If cast iron, a chisel (joking).

For real, cast iron can be scraped with just about anything. I have grown really fond of the chainmail scrubbers that are being sold intended to clean cast iron with. It really does a great job of not only removing food but also maintaining the smoothness of the cooking surface.

Don't know if this will qualify as 'toxic gick', but I use Dawn dishwashing liquid.  Mind you, this is for a scorched single use situation vs, say, my popcorn pan which has years of built up, heat-sealed grease on the surface that will stump future achaeologists as to its significance... lol.   For me, the best use of Dawn is in nearly pure form, adding only a touch of water to the cleaning.  After first removing the loose bits, now lather up the pan with Dawn plus just enough water to make a sludgy paste.  Let sit overnight, then use a scouring pad to remove as much as you can.  May have to do an encore to get the stubborn bits, but this has worked to clean many a pan that I thought would not be recovered.  Good luck!

I’m in agreement with Timothy, the chain scrubbers are useful!

In the future, seasoning cast iron before use greatly helps. I used to wonder why my tortillas always started sticking and burning, then I realized that the metal flipper I used was scratching the skillet every time I flipped or removed a tortilla, weakening the seasoning. It wouldn’t happen if I used a wooden spatula instead.

I have a method that works most of the time. I put in about a tablespoon or two of baking soda (adjust the amount for pan diameter and how much stuff is crusted on). Then I add just enough water to cover and set the pan on the stove to simmer. Keep an eye on it as the water boils away. Right about the moment when the mess gets fully dried out, it will start to bubble up and lift off the bottom of the pan. Take the pan off the heat, put some water in, and give it a scrub.

If you're lucky this will get most or even all the scorched food unstuck. If not, you can repeat the treatment and usually a second try will finish the job.

Similar to Phil Stevens - 4 parts baking soda to 1 part washing soda mix, sprinkled on, scrubber used to give it more contact with the burnt bits, little water added and warmed up. Then a good scour - I use a green fibre pad, composition unknown.  The same mixture works really well on built up grease . . .

My new best friend in the kitchen is a stainless steel brush, which is most excellent for cleaning baked-on greasy bits on the bottom of pans, and de-gunging stuck-on bits on the inside of pans.

The blurb tried to say it would last ten years, longer than any pan I bought at the same time. That pan is one I've had for around 35 years and I'm expecting it to outlast me. It would be cool if the new scritchy brush had a similar life-expectancy, but at €1.23 I guess I could forgive it if it just manages a year or so

Another vote for baking soda. I sprinkle some on the wet pan and let sit for a while. if it dries out i'll add some water. Let it sit overnight if possible, then go back and scrub. It's a rare mess that this won't resolve.

I got sidetracked and didnt get back to this topic.

Pan is all clean and has some soup in it now.

I did 50/50 water/white vinegar, then a teaspoon of baking soda.  Then on the stove to boil.

I scrubbed with a brush then a scouring pad.

The old camping solution to this problem is to make a paste of ash and water and slather this over the encrusted parts and let it sit for a few days.  Then re-moisten and scour....I often start with a handful of grass.  Repeat as needed.  I think the ash forms soap in situ reacting with grease, and provides some abrasive action.  I have rehabilitated several big pots found in dumpsters this way.

As a child, I recall my mother using cream to tartar to simmer loose stuck on or scorched food.  In hindsight, I likely contributed to a fair bit of the distraction which occasioned such a predicament!

I often use coffee grounds on gunky  or burned pans. I soak the pan, then add dishwashing liquid and the puck of spent coffee out of the espresso mocha, scrub. As a bonus the coffee plus gunk can be scooped straight into the compost.
Glad to hear vinegar and baking soda worked for you!

Anne Miller wrote:I fix some scalloped potatoes on the top of the stove and the bottom scorched not matter how many times I stirred it.

How do you get scorched food off the bottom of a pan?

I have been soaking and scrubbing for several days without much results.

Try simmering a mix of water and baking soda (or vinegar) in the pan for 10–15 minutes, then let it cool and scrape with a wooden or plastic spatula. Bar Keepers Friend or a paste of baking soda and dish soap can also help lift stubborn residue.