How to Prevent Burning of Pots and Pans

Co-authored by Andrii Gurskyi

Last Updated: October 4, 2024 References

It happens to the best of us. “Just for a moment,” you turn away from your food as it cooks on the stovetop, only to discover, upon looking back, that the food and its respective cookware have burned. Burnt pots and pans do not cook food as evenly, and severely damaged cookware can even pose a health hazard. Even though accidents can happen to anyone, there are a few steps you can take to minimize your odds of burning your pots and pans.

1

Use high-quality pots and pans.

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Make sure your pots and pans are made of heavy materials. As the saying goes, “you get what you pay for.” Cheap cookware is made from low-quality materials that do not heat as evenly and, as a result, these pans are the quickest to burn. Invest in finer quality cookware, instead.
- Three-ply pots and pans made with a stainless steel-aluminum-stainless steel composition are heavy and durable.
- It is also easy to prevent burning in cast iron cookware, as long as it is well-seasoned beforehand.

2

Select nonstick pots and pans.

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Older pans do not usually have a nonstick surface, but many newer pans are made with Teflon. This is a smooth, conductive material that food does not stick to quite as easily.

3

Keep your stovetop clean.

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Residue from spilled sauces, sugary syrups, and other food will burn if exposed directly to the heat of the stovetop burner. This can be a hassle to clean off your stovetop, but more to the point, it could also end up burning to the bottom of your pots and pans. Wipe your burners down and scrape off any burnt, stuck-on chunks of food before each use in order to spare your pots and pans.^{[1]
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4

Clean your pots and pans.

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It is possible that crumbs or other grime attached themselves to the sides and bottoms of your cookware during storage. If these elements come into direct contact with the stove burner, they could end up burning onto the outside of the pan.

5

Season your cast iron pots and pans.

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If seasoned correctly, cast iron pots and pans are nearly stick-proof. When you season your cast iron cookware with oil or fat, it carbonizes in the pores of the metal. As a result, food cannot attach itself to the pans, which prevents it from burning the metal.^{[2]
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- Coat the pan with lard or solidified bacon grease. You must use a solid fat. Do not use vegetable oil.
- Put the pan into an oven preheated to 250 °F (121 °C). Bake the pan for 15 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the oven and dump out excess, liquid grease.
- Place the pan back into the oven for another two hours.
- Remove the pan, and then repeat the process over once or twice more to make sure that the fat thoroughly seeps into the pores of the pan.

6

Preheat oil in the pan before adding food.

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Hot oil can create a quick nonstick coating. Any pan, regardless of the material, should be treated with oil before you begin the cooking process. Like solid lard, oil seeps into the pores of the metal when exposed to high temperatures, which forms a sort of nonstick coating.
- Pour enough oil into the pan to provide a thin coating over the bottom. Heat it over medium to medium-high heat.
- Add food only after thin wisps of vapor appear. The oil must be this hot in order to create a seep into the metal thoroughly enough to prevent sticking.

7

Use a burner that fits the pot or pan size.

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This is especially important for gas stoves, since flames that lick up along the sides of the pot or pan are more likely to cause liquids and solids to stick to the side. If you do not have a burner that fits the precise size of your cookware, opt for a burner that is slightly smaller over one that is too large.

8

Heat sauces and syrups slowly.

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Spaghetti sauce, sugary syrups, cheese or dairy-based sauces, and many other thick sauces are likely to burn quickly if heated too fast. Bring these sauces up to boiling slowly, starting them on a low to medium heat instead of a high heat. Only allow the liquid to boil as long as necessary according to your recipe's instructions.

9

Move the food in the pot or pan constantly.

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Constant stirring is especially important in preventing sauces from sticking to your pots, but you should also stir, turn, and flip solid foods like meat and vegetables.^{[3]
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10

Rotate the pot or pan often.

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Some burners may not distribute heat evenly, especially if you have an old, worn-out stove. Rotating your cookware prevents high heat from directing itself on one spot for too long.

11

Use a flame tamer.

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A flame tamer, also known as a heat diffuser, is a metal plate that sits between your cookware and the burner. It controls the distribution of heat, leading to even cooking and thereby preventing excessive burning.^{[5]
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12

Deglaze burnt foods immediately.

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Deglazing helps reduce the likelihood of burns sticking. Even if you take as many precautions as possible, you may still end up burning food occasionally. You can reduce the chances of food burning your pots and pans by deglazing the cookware immediately after you finish cooking with it.^{[6]
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- Remove your used, empty cookware from the stove while it is still hot.
- Add 1 cup of cold water to the pot or pan.
- Return the cookware to the stove and heat the water over medium heat.
- Use a metal spatula to gently encourage burnt food to lift from the bottom. The heated water alone may be enough in many cases, but a metal spatula can assist you for more stubborn residue.

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How do you clean a scorched pan?

Andrii Gurskyi
House Cleaning Professional
Andrii Gurskyi is the owner and founder of Rainbow Cleaning Service, a New York City cleaning company specializing in apartments, homes, and moving cleanup using non-toxic and artificial fragrance free cleaning solutions. Founded in 2010, Andrii and Rainbow Cleaning Service has served over 35,000 customers.

Andrii Gurskyi

House Cleaning Professional

Expert Answer

Some of the supplies that we suggest are Weiman supply. It is a stainless steel commercial cleaner, if it's softer edges on the pan, because the pans can be nonstick pan, ceramic pans, so in those cases, you would have to use, if it's a soft one, you have to use the Weiman Bar cleaner, it has a formula that's like a base and it contains baking soda.

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My gas stove burners are putting black soot on the bottoms of my pans. They are not cheap pans. What can I do?

Michele

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Your pots might be turning black because the heat is turned up too high or burning unevenly. If the flame is not heating evenly, you'll notice it's blue on the outside with a yellow core. If you see yellow, your air-to-flame ratio needs to be adjusted. Simply adjust your air intake valve until you see only blue in the flame.

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How do I remove burnt pork roast from the bottom of caphalon pan?

Community Answer

Use olive oil or vegetable oil on the rough side of your sponge and scrub it like your using soap, then clean it regularly, it should come right off.

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Tips

You may be able to reverse the damage caused by previous burns by purchasing a specialized cleaner. Cleaning products designed to remove heat discoloration and scorch marks are not guaranteed to work, however, and many of them contain harsh, abrasive chemicals, making them unsuitable for many types of cookware.

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Warnings

Never put cast iron or Teflon cookware in an automatic dishwasher, and avoid using abrasive cleaners or steel wool on these pieces, as well. Washing these pots and pans with coarse methods could damage them. As a result, food would be more likely to stick and burn.

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