# Need help cleaning off burnt pot



## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

Ok I was making sweet sticky ball dessert last night. I put some water into a pot, dropped a slab and a half of sugar cane sugar, and boiled it slowly (setting #5 on electric coils or MID).

I was doing something else at the time and the water boiled off and thus the sugar started to burn. It got to the point where when I got back upstairs the kitchen was smoking. I shut the heat off, moved the pot to naturally cool down as I remember in the past thermo shock caused some glass lids to explode.   

I opened all the windows and doors to vent the place out. I then thought I'd add water and tyr to boil and simmer the black lava rock looking porous burn glomp but it didn't do anything to soften up the harden blackened sugar burn. I spooned the stuff out and garbargio'ed it. I then used some of the really course green scrub pads and srubbed the sides and got off all the blackened glaze on the glass lid and pot. Only the bottom of the pot is now blackened but I noticed after like 30seconds of scraping the metal spoon to the bottom of the pot I managed to get like 2mm wide by about 1.5 in long clear marking to the metal bottom of the pot. What this means to me if I am correct is that I can still recover the pots bottom as the blacken bottom is covering it over but it's like I think 10 layers of black stuff there.

Is there any home remedy to soak/wipe to help remove this before going to any commercial product to clean it off? I love this Lagostina ThermoPlan pot and it's IIRC their first line in their diffusion designs to make the pot heat up more evenly.

http://www.lagostinaworld.com/philosophy/story/1956.htm

I'm mad over this. I should have put the pot on MIN or #2 setting and added more water or just left it off the stove.  Please help me out all you kitchen cleaning experts.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Soak it for a few days with water and detergent, scrub. Repeat until as clean as it's going to get. If it's some kind of glass, avoid abrasives, since scratches can cause the pot to crack at some future time. Doesn't the manufacturer's web site have advice on this matter?

The important thing here is that you didn't have smoke detectors going off to warn you as soon as it started smoking. Forget the pot, this puts your life in danger. You should have a smoke detector on every floor. Note also that if you do have a fire, and you didn't have smoke detectors, your insurance company may not be willing to pay up for damages.

Forget the fish equipment, the cheese grater, the knife sharpener and all the other frills. Go get smoke detectors *today*. If you can't install them on the ceilings, just put the batteries in, test them, and leave them sitting out in the open. If you are renting, your landlord should reimburse you.

If you've already got smoke detectors, check the batteries and replace if necessary. If you've disconnected them because they go off every time you burn toast, consider whether your life and property are worth the inconvenience and reconnect them.


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

bae said:


> Soak it for a few days with water and detergent, scrub. Repeat until as clean as it's going to get. If it's some kind of glass, avoid abrasives, since scratches can cause the pot to crack at some future time. Doesn't the manufacturer's web site have advice on this matter?
> 
> The important thing here is that you didn't have smoke detectors going off to warn you as soon as it started smoking. Forget the pot, this puts your life in danger. You should have a smoke detector on every floor. Note also that if you do have a fire, and you didn't have smoke detectors, your insurance company may not be willing to pay up for damages.
> 
> ...


I have smoke detectors on all floors of the house. Two in the sleeping quarters. Batteries changed yearly (those a friend tested that batteries can hold for 3 yrs with about 4 alarms a year) as I like changing the batteries yearly. I had my vent on MAX with a window slightly open (I was hot before) thus why the smoke detector did not set off as quick as I had some vent pulling of the smoke.

It is a stainless steel metal pot. I was thinking of soaking it in vinegar before but not sure. Perhaps some chemists here can chime in on this.

BTW thanks for your immediate concern on the smoke detectors. I should have mentioned that more in my first post.


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## MichaelAngelo (Jul 6, 2009)

Vinegar soaking should work.


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## characinfan (Dec 24, 2008)

If you try the vinegar soak and it doesn't work, rinse it well and then add lots of baking soda and some water, then boil it.

Scrub with an appropriate scrubby once cool.


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

Has anyone been in my situation before? Say without the burnt sugar thing? I'd liek to now what you burnt and how bad the burn was.

I'd like to hear the experiences you've had and the solutions. I'll be back later to chekc on this. Thanks in advance.


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