Cure for Burnt Pans

Have you ever wondered how to make cleaning a burnt pan easier, without ever having to use elbow grease again?

Several years ago, I bought this book, Le Cordon Bleu, Kitchen Essentials . I read it cover to cover, then put it down and enver thought about it again until yesterday when I was watching Top Chef Master's and wished, "I wish I was a master chef!" I remembered I had this book, got it down and began reading.

One of the very first topics in the book is about pots and pans and the care of pots and pans. It said to "spread 1 cup of any biological washing powder over burnt surface of the pan. Add two cups of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour the contents away and scrub" (p. 15)

Everytime I make Swiss Steak, I always have a burnt pan at the end. Then, I usually let the pan sit with water in it for days before I work up enough energy to start scrubbing. NOT TONIGHT! I sprinkled baking soda over the burnt areas (probably not a cup - I just sprinkled until it somewhat covered the burnt areas), then eyeballed about two cups of water as I shoved the pan under the faucet. I placed it on the stove, set the temperature to medium high, walked away. About 5-10 minutes later, I came back, dumped the pan out, took my spatula to the burnt areas and it easily scraped off! It was magic!

Warning: it smells like an oven cleaning (that's why I didn't quite let it simmer for 10 minutes - my family begain complaining!).