How to Remove Burnt Sugar from Pan
When you’re melting or caramelizing sugar, often because you were distracted by something else, said sugar might get burnt. This burn won’t just stick to your pan; it will be unfit for obvious reasons. But how do you remove burnt sugar from your cooking pan? For this tutorial, we will learn the many ways to remove burnt sugar from pans.
Why not just scrub the burnt sugar off?
Good question; why don’t we grab a scrubber and thoroughly scrub the pan? But as you’ll soon see, things aren’t that simple. Scrubbing the pan’s surface, especially with a very abrasive material, could leave some severe scratches. This is especially the case with pans with non-stick coating, which could get damaged from the scrubbing.
How to remove burnt sugar from pan | Top 5 methods
Now that we’ve covered why you shouldn’t scrub off burnt or melted sugar let’s learn how to get them off a pan. We looked best ways how to remove burnt sugar from the pan and found five of the best ones. In this tutorial, we will examine these methods and learn how they can help remove those charred and sticky sugar.
Get burnt sugar off your pan with baking soda
When it comes to eliminating burnt sugar, baking soda is one of the best choices. But why baking soda specifically, you ask? Outside of baking cakes, baking soda can also be used as a mild disinfectant and cleaning agent due to its abrasive properties. For this section, we’re going to learn how to remove burnt sugar from a pan with the help of baking soda.
1) Sprinkle Baking Soda before filling the pan with water
First, sprinkle at least 2 cups worth of baking soda onto the burnt sugar. Then fill the pan with water, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan.
2) Simmer the solution in the pan
Next, place the pan on the stove. Set the stove on low heat and let the pan simmer for about 15 minutes. If you’re dealing with larger, bulkier bits, then simmer for 30-40 minutes instead.
3) Wash the Pan
After you’re done simmering, drain the pan before washing it. This will peel off the burnt sugar bit by bit. If the burnt sugar still hasn’t been removed, repeat the process until the burnt sugar has been removed.
Clean burnt sugar from the pan with vinegar
If you don’t have baking soda, you can use vinegar instead. Like baking soda, vinegar is a decent alternative to remove burnt sugar stains. This section will be on how to remove burnt sugar from a stainless steel pan with vinegar.
1) Cover the bottom of the pan with vinegar and let it simmer
Cover the bottom of the pan with 1 cup of vinegar. Afterward, let the vinegar simmer gently on top of a lit stove for 15 minutes.
2) Stir the vinegar to dissolve the burnt sugar
As the pan boils, stir the vinegar to help dissolve burnt sugar into bits. Then, with a wooden spoon, scrape bits of any burnt sugar that is amicable to being taken off.
3) Gently scrub the pan with a cleaning sponge
Drain the pot of the vinegar solution and gently scrub the bottom of the pan to clean. If burnt sugar is left, you might have to repeat the process.
Remove burnt sugar from the pan with Baking Soda and Vinegar
If you’re looking for a heat-free approach how to remove burnt sugar from pans, then this one might help. Baking soda and vinegar are potent cleaning agents by themselves. Still, together these two can remove burnt sugar from your pan effortlessly. This section will teach us how to use baking soda and vinegar to remove burnt sugar without heat.
1) Fill the pan with water, baking soda, and vinegar
First, fill the pan with water and vinegar, covering the burnt sugar. Then, slowly add a cup or two of baking soda and stir it in the pan. Simmer the combined mixture until it starts to bubble.
2) Let the solution sit overnight
After simmering the pan, let it sit overnight. This should allow the vinegar to soften the sugar and let the baking soda lift any stains the burnt sugar left behind. By the next day, The mixture should’ve taken an amber-brown hue.
3) Drain the solution and clean
Next, drain the pan of the mixture. Then, gently scrub the remaining sugar bits from the pan with a cleaning sponge. Afterward, rinse out and wash the pan with warm water and dish soap. Finally, rinse and repeat until the burnt sugar has been removed.
Get burnt sugar off your pan with Cream of Tartar
If you don’t have vinegar or baking soda on you, there is another unconventional alternative. Cream of Tartar is often used to add volume to cakes when applied to egg whites. For this section, we will learn how to remove burnt sugar from pans using the cream of Tartar.
1) Mix the cream of Tartar with white vinegar
Mix the cream of Tartar with white vinegar to form a paste. This will help in breaking down and removing burnt sugar from the pan more easily.
2) Apply on the burnt sugar and scrub gently
Then, apply the paste to the burnt sugar. Then, scrub the burnt sugar from the pan with the paste on top.
Soaking the Burnt Sugar in water and detergent
As we’ve already established, baking soda and vinegar are the best ways to remove burnt sugar. But if the sugar isn’t too severely burnt, you can soak the burnt sugar in water. Instead of vinegar or baking soda, all you need is a bit of detergent soap, and you’re good to go. For this time, we will look at how to get burnt sugar out of a pan or pot by soaking it in water and detergent.
1) Fill the pan with water and apply detergent
Cover the parts where the burnt sugar is filling the pan with water. Then apply and mix detergent into the pan. Alternatively, you can use ketchup on the burnt sugar before soaking it in water. The acidity of the ketchup helps break down the sugar better.
2) Let it soak overnight before draining
Then finally, let the pan sit and soak overnight. Afterward, wash then rinse the burnt sugar from the pan. Rinse and repeat until the burnt sugar is gone.
Getting Caramelized Gunk out of your Pan
Burnt sugar is tough to remove, no thanks to how hard it sticks to the surface it has burnt onto. We have, however, covered the many ways we can remove them, from baking soda to cream of Tartar. With this tutorial, hopefully, you’ve learned the ins and outs of how to remove burnt sugar from pans. You can checkout our other blog –
