Burning rice is an easy mistake to make. Oftentimes, you don’t even realize you’ve burnt your rice until you dish it on a plate. Whether you’ve forgotten to stir your rice, haven’t cooked rice before, or have simply cooked it for too long, you may be left with this hard-to-clean burnt rice residue on the bottom of your pot.
No matter how much you scrub your pot or how long you leave it soaking, usually, you need a quality method to break down the rice sediments to easily clean your pot.
Otherwise, you’re left with a dark stain which can add a weird taste to your dishes if used again, and potentially ruin a delicious meal.
Luckily for you, we have compiled a list of all the best methods to get rid of even the most stubborn burnt rice stains from your favorite pot.
The best bit is that all these methods contain products already in your pantry, so you don’t need to go out and buy new products. Once your pot is clean, you can go back to making delicious rice meals, without a burnt after-taste!
Method 1 – Vinegar
This is one of the more well-known and common methods of removing burned rice from a pot.
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Directions
- All you need to do is create a mixture of equal parts half water and half vinegar, and add it to the bottom of your burnt pan – making sure you cover it completely.
- Set the vinegar mixture on the stove at medium heat and gradually let the mixture come to a boil. Continue to boil until you notice the black soot beginning to loosen and float to the surface of the mixture, this should take roughly 10 minutes.
- Take the mixture off the stove, and once it’s cool, finish it off by using a nylon scrubbing pad to scrape away any leftover burnt rice.
- Then use your regular dish soap and a sponge to wash away any residue. You should be left with a spotless and brand-new-looking pot, free from any burnt rice!
Method 2 – Baking Soda
Are you a baking enthusiast and have a lot of baking soda in your pantry? Well, this method would be great for you!
Directions
- If your burnt rice continues to persist and won’t scrub away, add two tablespoons of baking soda to your water and vinegar mixture.
- The acidity in the mixture will help to dissolve any hard-to-clean burnt rice. Once the mixture has simmered and is now cooled down, leave it to sit for 15 minutes.
- Then, pour away the blackened mixture and scrub the pan using a sponge or scouring pad. If spots continue to persist, combine some water and baking soda to form a paste.
- You can then use this paste to scrub any stains and remaining rice residual marks that may have splattered around the sides of the pot.
One thing to note when doing this, however, is to make sure you use a nylon scrubbing brush instead of a metal one, as metal ones can scratch and mark your pans, while a nylon pad is much softer but will still be effective in scrubbing any stains.
Method 3 – Lemon
Another great method is to use lemon juice, perfect if you don’t have any vinegar or baking soda in your cupboards, or you need to use up some old lemons before they go bad!
Directions
- All you have to do is chop up a few lemons (2-3 should be enough) and arrange them at the bottom of your pot.
- Once this is done, cover the lemons with water, and let them boil on medium heat for 5-10 minutes. The acidity of the lemons will help strip any burnt rice residue.
- Once cooled down, you’ll begin to notice floating food particles on the surface of the water. You should then use a washcloth and dish soap to remove any leftover grains of rice, and finally, make sure to rinse your pot thoroughly.
This is a great method for cleaning your pot if you’re looking for an all-natural approach.
Method 4 – Aluminum Foil & Baking Soda
Perfect for even the trickiest of stains, using baking soda and scrubbing it with a scrunched-up ball of aluminum foil will help remove those deeply ingrained residual marks.
Directions
- The first step is to rinse your dirty pot and drain it, this will remove any loose grains. Next, generously sprinkle 2 tablespoons of baking soda all over the bottom of your pot and add a few teaspoons of boiling water. This should create a paste-like substance.
- With the aluminum foil, create a ball roughly the same size as a golf ball, and begin scrubbing away the blackened rice residue.
- Once you’ve got rid of all the stains, rinse and wash with soap and hot water to finish cleaning your pot. While this method is effective, it may require some extra elbow grease!
Method 5 – Dishwasher Tablet
The last method, and arguably the best method, is to use a dishwasher tablet.
Directions
- All you need to do is grab a dishwasher tablet from its container and, with warm water, begin scrubbing your pot with the dishwater tablet inside.
- Scrub until all the residue is lifted, then rinse thoroughly with warm water – it’s that simple! This should leave your pot shiny and new, all within 5 minutes!
Conclusion
Burnt rice can be tricky to remove from the bottom of your pot, no matter how much elbow grease you use.
Sometimes, it will just refuse to budge. In these instances, you may need to become more creative with what you clean your pot with.
Whether this is with baking soda, vinegar, aluminum foil, or even a dishwasher tablet. Although these methods may sound strange, they will help get your pots back to their original state!
Hopefully, this article has helped inform you of all the different ways to clean your pot, helping you remove even the trickiest of burnt rice. So you can go back to making rice recipes you love without being worried about ruining your favorite pot!
