We've all been there. You're cookin' up a storm, things are goin' great. And then, all of a sudden, what was supposed to be a beautiful dish turns into a blackened mess. Time to panic, right? Wrong! This is where we come in. We're here to tell you how to get burnt food off pans without making a bigger mess—or losing your cool. 

First things first: don't panic. Whatever you do, don't scrub at the burnt bits with a sponge or scrubber. All that's going to do is spread the burnt food around and make it harder to remove. Instead, take a deep breath and follow these steps.

Step One: Soak It Off

The first step is to fill your sink with hot, soapy water and let the pan soak for about 15 minutes. This will help loosen the burnt bits so they're easier to remove later on. Our Washupthings have all the cleaning power without any nasty chemicals, if you fancy making this step a little bit more aquatic-life-friendly. If the burnt food is really caked on there, you might need to let it soak for longer—up to an hour. But 15 minutes should do the trick most of the time. Just be sure not to let the pan soak for too long, or you risk rusting it. 

Step Two: Use Baking Soda 

Once the pan has had a chance to soak, it's time for some elbow grease – but don't worry, we’re talking a slightly achy arm, not working up a sweat. Sprinkle some baking soda onto the pan, then use a sponge (potentially a compostable one - like Spongethings) or rag to scrub at the burnt food gently until it starts to loosen. You might need to use quite a bit of baking soda, depending on how badly burnt the food is—but that's okay, baking soda is cheap! Once most of the burnt bits have come loose, you can move on to step three. 

Step Three: Give It A Rinse 

Rinse your pan off with hot water until all of the baking soda has been removed. At this point, you should be able to see a major improvement—but there may still be some stubborn bits left behind. If that's the case, repeat steps two and three until they're gone. And that's it! Once you're finished, wash your pan as usual using hot, soapy water. 

So next time disaster strikes in your kitchen, remember these simple steps and you'll be back to serving up a feast in no time!