Oh Barb, I feel your pain. I bought an 18 qt Nesco a few months ago and a few weeks ago, used it for about the third time and burnt the crap out of it. We made a big batch of bbq ribs and were just basting them at first with watered down my bbq sauce and then at the end with the straight stuff. Toward the end I left it up to Christy and well... the pan was so burnt. The ribs were great though.

So, on to the cleaning. Christy tried to clean it... for a couple days.. soaked and soaked. We have one of those small plastic scrapers with thing edges. That did good job of scraping off anything that came loose. It wasn't doing well. There were big sections in the corners where it was really fused to the metal. For you, you can try simmering some water with baking soda in it to see if that loosens any up. A couple of years ago I heard about a method using baking soda and peroxide. I thought this was a good chance to try it. You thickly sprinkle baking soda on the burnt areas. Then you sprinkle the area with peroxide until it gets wet. You sprinkle it so that you don't wash away/move the baking soda. Then let it sit for hours/overnight. It won't hurt the surface. You'll see the baking soda turn dark where it's loosening it. Then scrape the area with something stiff. Since yours is aluminum you can use a nice thin spatula probably. If there are any areas still with black on them, do it again. Ours was so bad it took 3 times to get it all but....it did get it all!! I was amazed. It did a great job and the finish is still nice and shiny. I had been meaning to try it on a couple of cookie sheets that have some really dark areas, so I'm glad I kept the simple directions. I'm a big believer now. Good luck.

Join the club. I burned the heck out of my Le Creuset sauce pan. I actually had peaks of burned food sparking on the bottom and the smoke alarm never went off.

Anyway, I soaked, scrubbed, chiseled (literally) and then started the process all over again for a week. Those pans are way too expensive to toss. I tried tons of stuff but the thing that worked best was soaking and scrubbing with dish washer tablets. When scrubbing I just put the whole tablet onto the scrubbie and worked away. When I was finished I boiled baking soda water in it ( a few times) to try to remove any remaining chemical residue from the various products I used.

I know people that have used oven cleaner but I don't trust that the chemicals won't stay in the pan and perhaps transfer to the food.

My pan is back in use, only slightly worse for wear. There is a new smoke alarm in my kitchen.

Hope this helps.

I second the baking soda tip, it works like a charm. I have never used the peroxide, but can definitely vouch for the baking soda.

I've also used the baking soda tip, although never with peroxide, so thanks, coconut, I'll remember that the next time I scorch a pan to the point where I'm thinking it's beyond redemption.

As mentioned, I'd probably boil some baking soda and water in the pan and see if that lifts it. If not, go for the peroxide trick and let us know how it works!

Good luck,

Annie

When I was little my dad used to make "midnight" snacks one time he was boiling water for krap dinner and fell asleep. They had aluminum pots. By the time the smell woke him up he had a nicely formed golf club sitting at the bottom of the element tray. Good thing the house did not burn down.

Oops "Kraft"

This post was edited by CLBlakey on Sun, Jun 16, 13 at 22:44

I find that the baking soda thing works well. My extra advise is to get some 400 grit wet and dry 'sand paper' and tear a little piece to use as a scrubber. There are also finer grits. It is useful for all sorts of stuck on stuff on inside and outside of pots etc. Use it after the lumps have been scraped off. Handy stuff to keep around!

This is the soda and peroxide solution I got on Facebook recently to get off the scorched on gunk that collects on cookie sheets.

How to clean your cookie sheets--Kitchen "Miracle" Cleaner! You put about 1/4 cup of baking soda in a small glass bowl and squirt in hydrogen peroxide until it makes a nice paste. Then you rub it on the offending dirt/stain/grease...whatever! You can usually just use your fingers...but you can also use a small sponge as well.

I've also been lucky using cream of tartar. I sat my Chantal soup pot on a burner that I didn't know was on and placed a spatula in it that wasn't metal. Yes, melted spatula burned on it. I put water in in several times with heavy doses of cream of tartar and let it simmer then scrubbed with wet cream of tartar and it did come out of the pot. I use the cream of tartar method on most anything I get scorched or burned food in.

Aluminum reacts with baking soda. Makes the surface an unattractive dark gray. I would try Bar Keepers' Friend.

In reading your post, I don't think you state whether the pressure cooker is aluminum or stainless. That would help in knowing what might work without damaging the metal.

I mentioned the aluminum reaction with baking soda because Coconut said "since yours is aluminum" -- so she must know from earlier discussions.

Yes, if you care what the inside of your pressure cooker looks like, the baking soda could discolor it. However, if nothing else works, I think I'd rather have the inside discolored than scorched and not usable.

CC, I had a container of Barkeeper's friend, and used it up. You reminded me that I need to get some more, although I can't get it at my small grocery here, I'll pick it up on Wednesday when Amanda and I go to Grand Rapids.

Annie

One cup of water should have been sufficient for at least 45 minutes of pressure cooking. You don't need to cover the meat. One suggestion, which you may already know about (so please don't be offended if you already are doing it this way): put the food in the PC, lock on the lid, then on high heat bring the pressure up to high. Once it gets to high, though, cut the burner's heat to the point where it just barely maintains that pressure, and cook for the prescribed amount of time.

If you have the heat higher than that, the pressure won't be any higher than 15 PSI, but you'll use up the water faster.

Don't be discouraged, though, I've been pressure cooking for years and occasionally have the pot run dry and have to clean up a godawful mess.

Here's my go-to recipe for pressure cooker pot roast:

Chuck roast, 3 to 4 pounds
2 cups onions, finely chopped
1 cup carrots finely chopped
1 cup celery finely chopped
1 cup or so of chicken broth (if you want to use an entire 14 oz can, that's fine; if you have some good quality beef broth, use it, but most commercial beef broth isnâÂÂt very good)
1 large can of mushroom stems & pieces (optional)
Black pepper
1 or 2 bay leaves (optional)

Trim excess fat off the outside of the chuck roast, but donâÂÂt be too aggressive--you want to leave some for flavor. If you want to, sear the chuck roast on high heat in a frying pan (thatâÂÂs optional--itâÂÂll still taste good if you donâÂÂt do that).

Mix the can of mushrooms with the celery, onions and carrots. Put roughly half in the bottom of the pressure cooker along with the chicken broth and a bay leaf. Give a generous grinding of black pepper to what is in the cooker. Put in the pot roast. ItâÂÂs okay if it comes up the side of the cooker a little bit. Grind some more black pepper on the top of the roast, then put in the rest of the carrot/onion/celery/mushroom mixture on top of the roast. Reattach the pressure lid and bring the cooker up to pressure on high heat. Once it gets to pressure, cut back the heat to where itâÂÂs just keeping the pressure on high.

Now, donâÂÂt do anything for a while. After some time (roughly 45 minutes for a 3 pound chuck roast, 50 or 55 minutes for a 4 pounder), turn off the heat. DonâÂÂt vent the pressure, but rather allow the pressure to come down by itself. ItâÂÂll probably take at least 15 minutes to do so. During this time, you might want to make a batch of rice or couscous or noodles to catch the juices.

Once the pressure is down, remove the lid. Remove the roast to a platter. The juices in the pot will be delicious with no other treatment, but if you wanted to get fancy and strain them or blend them, you could do that. Slice the pot roast and serve with rice and the pot juices.

My SIL did the same exact thing as you the first time using her pressure cooker. I have not done that, but my impatience has gotten me into trouble with the pressure cooker before. I was making navy bean soup and when it came to take the top off I guess I did not release the pressure all the way before opening it - the next thing I know is the lid violently pops off and I literally had navy bean soup all over the kitchen. That was not a fun cleanup.
I don't know if this is safe for a pressure cooker but I had bought some Mauviel carbon steel pans a few months ago and did a terrible job seasoning them. I should have watched a video first but instead I just read the directions and I ended up with a bumpy, sticky surface. While trying to figure out how to clean it so I could re-season, I read somewhere to try putting it in the oven during the self - cleaning cycle. Note - I did not try this to see if this actually works. (2 of my pans are still a mess) DH used oven cleaner and something in his garage (grinder?) to get the third one clean.

I don't see anywhere here where you've said which brand pressure cooker, sometimes the product website or customer service will have useful tips. I don't know if appropriate for your particular pan, but some makers will advise dishwasher soap (not dishwashing, but washer) and a good long stove top boil to removed burned on food.

I'd try checking with the product maker before using anything abrasive. I don't cover my meat, or cover anything with liquid in my pressure cookers or pressure canners. How large is yours? A cup wouldn't go far in my 22 qt, but would be enough for most cooking times in my 6 or 8...I wonder if you didn't have the heat up so high too much steam was escaping during your processing time, you did turn it down once pressure was reached didn't you...Or, did you have vegetables or something in with your meat that could have absorbed your liquid during cooking?

Every time I see the title of this I think of a well known Aussie rock song. So, for your enjoyment:

Here is a link that might be useful: I've done all the dumb things

I burned one of my stainless steel pots beyond belief with chicken bones for stock....long story.

I scraped out what was easily removed and soaked the pan with Cascade powder for almost 24 hours. Rinsed and scrubbed it out with a scrubby sponge. What little was left I repeated with the Cascade and water and let it soak again.

The pan has some tarnishing on the bottom that has faded over time, but looks pretty good for a pan that I thought was a total loss.

I think I'll save this thread because there's lot of interesting tips.
I have used ammonia (lemon scented, because it smells better) to clean oven racks and the pans of my burners numerous times. Just a 1/4 cup or so in a zip lock or kitchen garbage bag with the 2 pieces of your cooker, if they both need it. Fasten the bag tightly and leave overnight. Not much scrubbing needed, but I imagine
you could repeat if necessary. Good luck.

jude