Caustic soda OK for burnt pan? (2023 Update)

Trying to resurrect a pan (s/steel I think?) which is comprehensively caked in burnt-on residue (long story, don't ask). Think the pan is OK below the crud but a two-day soak and pan scrub is doing nothing. Should caustic soda be OK to use, or might the pan dissolve too? (Can't remember my 0-level chemistry!)

If it's not stainless steel might it be something else that might be adversely affected?

David

Reply to
Lobster
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I would only use it for the purposes mentioned on the label, and there is no mention of burnt pans.

Reply to
Phil Anthropist

You need to be sure of the pans metal if it is aluminium it will dissolve. TBH Caustic Soda is a bit drastic, assuming the pan is stainless steel try *gently* simmering some washing soda in water or even water & a squirt of washing up liquid for half an hour or so. Add liberal elbow grease applied with a soft (not metal) scraper and you should succeed, followed up with Bar Keepers Friend for the final polish/clean. Failing that try a proprietary, mild, oven cleaner.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Why?

Reply to
Grunff

Yes. Leave to soak a day or two and dirt just peels away.

Caustic will attach aluminium and flesh.

Caustic will also attack non-stick surfaces (actually I think it attacks the copper ? plating under the teflon causing the telfon to peel off).

Other thing I do with both pans and oven shelves is place in a large poly bag with an ammonia soaked cloth for a day or two in the garden (as it wiffs) and dirts just wipes off.

Reply to
Ian_m

Make absolutely certain it /isn't/ aluminium, Caustic soda *eats* aluminium. It would leave you the residue and not the pan.

Reply to
<me9

Yes, you can certainly give it a try, it won't damage the pan. Whether it will work is a different matter - that will depend on the type of deposit.

If it's still relatively high in organic content, the sodium hydroxide should do a good job on it. However, if it is charred to the point of being little more than carbon, you may be better off with an organic solvent - ether (sold as carb cleaner) works well for carbon deposits.

I'd try the sodium hydroxide first.

Reply to
Grunff

Personally, I would buy a new one. Probably cheaper than buying the chemicals! It might even be more environmentally friendly, although I'm not sure on that one.

Christian.

Reply to
Christian McArdle

try *gently* simmering some washing soda in water or even

For "antique" stainless steel, using a 20 gallon or so pan, boil in a strong washing soda solution for a few hours. Usually effective and harmless.

john2

Reply to
john2

Grunff typed

I would suggest the rather more costly, but gentler, Dr Beckmann 'Rescue' oven cleaner, and leave it in place for a few hours before scrubbing.

It seems to work (slowly) on my pans and roasting tins.

Reply to
Helen Deborah Vecht

The message from Lobster contains these words:

SS will be fine, aluminium and its alloys will fizz merrily and disappear.

Reply to
Guy King

If it's aluminium, you get to keep the crud but the pan will dissolve...

Reply to
Huge

Several people have mentioned aluminium - I don't think I've ever seen an aluminium pan - are they (still) used? Where can you buy them? Are they just plain aluminium?

Reply to
Grunff

============================

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aluminium pots and pans were collected in 1940 to make Spitfires.

Cic.

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Reply to
Cicero

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Wow, loads of them. Nice to see they're at least coated.

Reply to
Grunff

The message from Grunff contains these words:

Plenty about. Many cheap frying pans still are aluminium, and lots of older saucepans.

Reply to
Guy King

Our chip pan was aluminium.

I say *was* because I had this demon idea for removing the 20 years of gunk on it that wouldn't come off despite repeated dishwashings, soakings, applications of chemicals, WHY. I removed the plastic handle and put it on the next garden bonfire I had. It seemed to work well initially - the clots of gunge started to burn away merrily.

I should have stayed and watched. It melted. I do have a nice puddle shaped ingot of aluminium now, though.

Reply to
Huge

I thought They banned aluminium in cooking pots sometime ago cos it gave you Alzheimer's? Or did I dream that one?

david

Reply to
Lobster

========================= There was a strong suggestion about 20 years ago that the use of aluminium cooking vessels was a contributory cause of Alzheimer's disease. I don't know whether anything was fully proved but I know many people discarded their aluminium pots and pans in favour of stainless or Teflon. Apparently aluminium pressure cookers were regarded as safe because cooking was done by steam rather than by being immersed in boiling water.

Cic.

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Reply to
Cicero

The message from "Cicero" contains these words:

But plenty more were made afterwards - mostly to use up spare aluminium manufacturing capacity!

Reply to
Guy King

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