Help me save my frying pan!

[Catamount]

@Marion_Wormer

1. Open your kitchen windows
2. set up a fan to circulate the air
3. put a teaspoon of dry dishwasher powder in the pan, cover it with water to about an inch deep (enough so it doesn’t boil over)
4. Put it on the stove and raise it to a boil.

Yes, it might kill you, but it will clean the pan.

I’ve used this once and it did work. But never again.

I do this with baking soda. Once the water boils off, there’s a crust of soda on the bottom of the pan. Let it cool off and then wash it out. You may have to use a Dobie pad to scrub it, but everything comes out. I regularly burn my pans, but you’d never know thanks to the baking soda.

[ShadowFacts]

UPDATE: I haven’t had a chance to get the BKF yet, so I started with simmering some soapy water in the pan and scraping away at the gunk with both a wooden spatula and a sponge. Solid results - I was able to scrape away a lot of the darkest bits. Still not clean by any stretch, so BKF is on the way, but I’d say it’s definitely 30-40% cleaner than it was. Thanks for all the suggestions!

[Lukeinva]

nm

[Melchior]

@ShadowFacts

And my marriage. :smack:

I made a grilled cheese sandwich yesterday and accidentally left the empty pan on the hot stove for about 10 minutes. The pan now has a baked on brown film that is mostly resistant to my efforts to remove it, despite constant soaking. Some possibly relevant facts:
[ul]
[li]The pan is a stainless steel Calphalon. (My wife got a brand new set of pans for Christmas, so she is not amused.)[/li][li]The “butter” used in preparation of the sandwich was actually an all-natural, non-dairy butter substitute (“Earth Balance”).[/li][li]The pans cannot be put in the dishwasher and harsh abrasives (e.g. steel wool) cannot be used without damaging the pan. Don’t even bother suggesting it, my wife will not go for it.[/li][li]I have put a great deal of elbow grease into trying to clean it with a light duty sponge with a small amount of success, but at this rate it will take me 3 years to fully clean the damn thing.[/li][/ul]

So, with that in mind, any amazing Doper suggestions for magic remedies to clean this thing? Or should I just give up and buy a new pan?

Try hydrogen peroxide and baking soda, alternating.

[Snickers]

Bar Keeper’s Friend. Like everyone else has said. I have tri-ply Cuisinart pans, and it works a treat. Will restore them to like new condition. And my big-box grocery stores (Cub and Rainbow around here; Target too) sell it, so it’s not like you have to make a special trip anywhere.