Nigella Lawson has shared two simple techniques for removing burnt food from pots and pans, and neither requires specialist cleaning solutions or gadgets. Both methods use only a small amount of cleaning supplies that are likely already at home.
Boiling water and washing-up liquid
The first suggestion is to squeeze a small amount of washing-up liquid into the base of the pan, then fill the pot or pan with water. Next, place the pot on the hob and bring it to the boil.
All sticky, baked-on food particles slide away, leaving only a quick wipe-out of the pan. It is remarkably straightforward and requires no aggressive scrubbing.
Soaking with laundry detergent or fabric conditioner
For occasions when pans are “really dauntingly stuck with cooked-on gunk,” the alternative approach involves soaking the pans in hot water with either a small amount of laundry detergent or a tumble dryer fabric conditioner sheet added. Allow it to sit for a period, then give it a good scrub.
Afterward, the pan must be thoroughly cleaned to remove any remaining traces of the laundry detergent — nobody wants a stew with a soapy aftertaste.
