How do I dissolve and clean burned sugar from an enamelled metal surface?

[Peter]

I have tried all the solvents I can lay my hands on but can't find any that will remove burned sugar syrup from the white enamel metal surface of the cooker.

Any remedies?

[Rob Morley]

How about a strong solution of biological washing powder, left for a few hours?

[Huge]

Burned sugar syrup (aka caramel!) is mostly carbon and insoluble in anything short of molten iron.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Water (better if hot) should dissole it, I would have thought. Be careful with chemicals (particularly acids) on enamelled metal, as they will easily destroy the polished surface.

Is there still an obvious residue there which you can feel if you run your fingers over it, or just visible staining? If the latter, it may be that the enamel surface had already been damaged before the sugar was spilt on it.

[Peter]

I am pretty sure its just visible staining. It's black like charcoal. and I can scrape it off carefully with a razor blade but I would prefer to find a chemical method that may be a little less likely to scratch the enamel.

[ben]

Mr sheen oven cleaner.

[Peter]

Thanks, I don't know why I didn't try this first but I squirted it with Mr Muscle oven cleaner and it dissolved it in under an hour.

I wonder what the active ingredient in that aerosol is?

[Smudger]

Peter said the following on 18/09/2005 12:09:

down to Food Industry Products "MAMMOTH OIL 25"

[Huge]

Sodium hydroxide, aka caustic soda.

[Andrew Gabriel]

Probably Sodium Hydroxide -- it should say on the container. In that case, I suspect your sugar syrup had also contained some fats, as Sodium Hydroxide is good at breaking down burnt (polymerised) fat.

[Mary Fisher]

That would do it, as would plain water, left long enough. They don't dissolve the carbon but they loosen its grip on the component and can then be brushed off with a wire brush or steel panscrub. It doesn't take much effort and is better and cheaper than using any chemical.

Too late for now, I realise, but something to remember for the future.

Mary

[ben]

Heh! wire brush or panscrub(brillo pad) on enamel.

[Badger]

How good is the enamel? How fluid was the syrup when it got on it? Depending on both factors it may dissolve with water or commercial cleaner, it may also have marked the surface or cracked it, glass topped hobs can be wrecked by molten sugar cooling....

[Chris Bacon]

Mr. Muscle is very good, don't let it dry on, though. It's also an absolute abstrad, read the label and take precautions. The ingredients should be listed.

[Peter]

Wow! Now that's some stuff that Delia doesn't list for a well stocked kitchen.