At one time or another, every cook has had to deal with the misfortune of a burnt stainless steel saucepan or frying pan. Just few moments of distraction from our preparations can make us forget the hob, with unfortunate results.

The cooking continues until an unpleasant smell fills the kitchen, that of a burnt pan or saucepan. This can also happen when cooking over too high a heat for too long. CRISTEL® has some top tips for restoring the shine to your burnt stainless steel pan or saucepan.

Our 5 tips for cleaning a burnt stainless steel frying pan or saucepan

1. The first tip is not to wait, but act immediately to clean your stainless steel frying pan or saucepan.

2. Depending on how badly your stainless steel pan is burnt, you may need to repeat the process. In all cases, we strongly advise against using abrasives to remove burnt-on residue from the bottom of the saucepan or frying pan.

3. Do not use accessories that could scratch or damage stainless steel. Use a wooden spoon, a sponge, a non-abrasive brush or even a cloth to remove burnt particles from the bottom of your stainless steel pan.

4. Avoid bleach. This product may be very powerful, but it is still toxic. What's more, it will immediately ruin your stainless steel.

5. Rinse your stainless steel frying pan or saucepan thoroughly with water after cleaning, whatever technique you use.

Clean a burnt stainless steel saucepan or frying pan with bicarbonate of soda

Baking soda is your best ally in many everyday situations, but it's also great in the kitchen. It is non-toxic and biodegradable, easily purchased in powder form. It is particularly effective when used in paste form.

In the case of a burnt stainless steel pan, the best way to proceed is as follows:

• Mix the bicarbonate of soda with a little water to form a paste.
• Boil for a few minutes
• Leave to cool
• Scrub with a sponge or non-abrasive brush to remove burnt-on deposits

Ideally, leave the baking soda to work overnight. You can apply this method to a stainless steel frying pan that has suffered the same fate.

White vinegar, a cleaning solution for the bottom of a burnt pan

White vinegar is always a hit wherever you are in the house: descaling taps, coffee makers or kettles, cleaning windows or maintaining dishwashers. Combining white vinegar with bicarbonate of soda also produces effective results for cleaning the burnt bottom of a stainless steel saucepan.

• Pour in equal quantities of white vinegar and water
• Add a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda
• As soon as it foams up, place the stainless steel saucepan or frying pan on the hob and boil for 10 minutes.
• Leave to cool and scrub with a non-abrasive brush
• Repeat the process if necessary

Good to know: spirit vinegar and bicarbonate also work well for this type of cleaning. All you have to do is mix them up and let time do the rest. The burn deposits dissolve. There's no need to heat the mixture.

Citric acid is effective for cleaning burnt stainless steel pots and pans

To clean a burnt pan, you can use citric acid, a natural product.

• Pour 2 to 3 tablespoons into your pan.
• Fill with boiling water
• Leave for at least 30 minutes
• Scrub with a non-abrasive brush

Depending on how badly your stainless steel cookware is burnt, you may need to repeat the process.

CRISTEL® also supplies a range of natural RENOX products to maintain your stainless steel kitchen utensils all year round. Environmentally friendly degreasers and descalers which are Made in France, to take care of your equipment so that it's always as clean and functional as when you bought it.