Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Cleaning Scent-Free Savvy Style

Thick smoke filled the air.  I was making syrup for my daughter's french toast.  As usual, I started cooking and walked away from the stove.  I got distracted, smelled smoke and ran downstairs.  There it was, I burned another cooking skillet.  I mean I really burned the skillet with hot cane sugar, butter and jam. The syrup harden to a thick black substance. Oh no! I also now have to admit to my husband I burned another pan.  This was not the first time this scene played out in our household.  Usually I can save the pan, but this time even I was doubtful.  I posted the pan on Instagram and Facebook. I received many suggestions.  I has already put baking soda and white distilled vinegar on it.  These are my main go-to cleaning ingredients.

One person told me to use Bar Keeper's Friend.  I love Bar Keeper's Friend.  I use it to clean our white porcelain sink, tub and stainless steel pans and surfaces, however, I thought this was beyond its ability to clean this mess.  Another friend told me to warm the pan in the oven, spray oven cleaner on it and place it back in the warm oven for the designated time to heat the oven cleaner.   It sounded like a good idea only I knew I would not be able to tolerate the intense odor of the oven cleaner.   I decided to heat the pan with the baking soda, vinegar and lemon solution.  I then placed the pan on the stove and heated it.  To my surprise, it lifted most of the thick black burnt substance  (see second photo), I scraped the black pieces of burnt syrup with a spoon/butter knife.  I topped off my cleaning with Bar Keeper's Friend and juice from a lemon.  Yeah! I saved my Rachel Ray's skillet.  See the results below.

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