The Burnt Food On The Bottom Of Your Pan Is No Match For Sugar Cubes

You start cooking your food, then step away for 10 minutes to catch the rest of your show. When you return, your food is still salvageable, but the bottom of your pan is a disaster. It's burnt. You scrub at it with a sponge, but the black crusty spots stubbornly cling on, threatening to creep into your next meal. Your once shiny, spotless pan now looks far from its former glory. Is it time to toss it? Absolutely not. Grab a sugar cube.

Splash a little water in the pan and then gently rub the sugar cube over the burnt spots – the cube's natural abrasiveness will help loosen the stubborn food particles without scratching your pan's surface. Be careful not to add too much water or the sugar cube will dissolve. If needed, grab another cube and repeat the process until the burnt residue is gone, leaving your pan gleaming once more. The sugar cube method works wonders, but if you don't have any in the pantry, it's not the only way to rescue a burnt pan.

If you burn your pan and don't have any sugar cubes, don't fret, there are plenty of other cleaning hacks to save your cookware. For starters, ever think about using a dryer sheet? Yep, toss one into your burnt pan with some dish soap and hot water and let it soak for about an hour. The dryer sheet's softening agents help loosen the gunk. Just remember to give the pan a good rinse afterward — you don't want that fresh lavender scent lingering in your next meal.

For a tried-and-true method, go with baking soda and vinegar. Fill your pan with equal parts water and vinegar, bring it to a boil, then add 2 tablespoons of baking soda. The fizzing reaction helps lift off the burnt bits. Remove the pan from heat and allow it to sit for up to 15 minutes for the solution to work its magic. After discarding the liquid, you can use a crumpled piece of aluminum foil (preferably heavy-duty) as a scrubber. If stains remain, make a paste with baking soda and water, let it sit, and scrub again.

For those who love a good pantry hack, grab that bottle of ketchup (we've ranked the best brands, of course) and slather it on the bottom of the pan. Let it sit for 30 minutes. The acetic acid in ketchup breaks down grime, while its thick consistency keeps it in place during the soak; leaving your pan shiny and mess-free.

If burnt food stains are a constant kitchen companion, you're in good company. Honestly, it feels like I'm scrubbing charred bits off my pans more often than I care to admit. Now that we know how to handle them, let's shift to preventing stains from happening in the first place.

One of the easiest ways to avoid burnt food stains is by using non-stick pans. Their smooth surface keeps food from clinging, making them perfect for cooking delicate dishes like eggs that are prone to sticking. Oh, and don't forget to stir or rotate your food often — keeping it in one spot too long can cause it to burn and leave behind tough, charred residue where it made contact with the pan. When you're done cooking, a splash of water in the pan can deglaze any stubborn bits before they harden into something you'll dread scrubbing later.

Another tip is to use room temperature ingredients. Adding cold food to a hot pan is a recipe for sticking. Be sure to preheat your oil too — this creates a natural nonstick layer that keeps food from clinging. When it comes to oils, choose wisely. Oils with high smoke points, like avocado or refined coconut oil, perform better at higher temperatures. Low-smoke-point oils can burn quickly and leave residue. With these tips, your pan will stay burn-free, and you can finally retire your scrub brush and sugar cubes.