How do I restore my new stainless steel pot. I burnt potatoes in the pot. The smell is terrible too. –Janis
I have good news and bad news.
The pot can be cleaned up, but if the pot has “blued” at all, I am afraid the conduction properties of the metal has been greatly reduced.
I have a beautiful Lagostina pasta pot which had the same fate, and while we got the pot clean, it now takes almost twice as long to boil water, as another similar sized pot.
Remove as much of the burnt on food as possible, using a strong spoon, or even a putty knife, but try not to scratch the metal on the pot. Add water, a cup full of white vinegar, and two drops of dish soap. Let the pot sit for at least 24 hours. It is very important that the water solution touches the bottom of the pot, so scrape the mess, and it should be loosened enough that you can scrape down to the metal.
Put the pot on low heat, and stir/scrape regularly. When you feel that you have loosened the bulk of the burnt on food, dump the residue into your garborator, or strain the liquid so you can throw any solid waste into the garbage.
If there is still a lot of burnt on food, repeat the above step, if there is only a little, attack with a stainless steel scouring pad and hot water or for very stubborn areas apply oven cleaner, and allow it to sit for several hours before scrubbing.
This should remove all the burnt on food, but whether the pot will work as effectively is dependent on the severity of the overheating.
Good luck.
