Cleaning a Burnt Pan (without chemicals!)

I had a lot of stuff to do this week. If you know me well, you know that I'm not that great of a multi-tasker. I think my mom will attest to that. When I was younger (and even now), I don't know how many times I remember hearing "Can you continue sweeping while you tell me this story?". Or washing dishes. Or cutting hair. Or setting the table. I think you get the point. I can't seem to do two things at once. :)

Anyway, a couple days ago I was attempting to juggle making dinner, doing laundry, writing our grocery list, organizing my craft room, and cleaning the apartment all at the same time. And also trying to get it all done before Tony got home from work. 

I thought it was all going well. I was in the bedroom hanging clothes and could smell the aroma of dinner cooking on the stove. At first it smelled good, then all of a sudden, I realized there was a charred scent coming through, too. I came out to a kitchen full of smoke, my pan completely charred, and smoke billowing out the center of the pot. 

I grabbed it and ran it out onto the balcony. I set it out there on a potholder (which ended up turning completely black and unusable) and let it sit while I tried to point fans outside to get the smoke to leave.

Tony came home and we talked about whether or not the pan was ruined. I was so disappointed!

He said he thought we could get it cleaned, but I thought for sure it was done for.

Yes, that is a thick layer of charred gunk. 

(You can stop laughing now.)

Now, I'll explain how we cleaned it just in case you ever experience something like this, as well.
And if it does happen to you, don't worry, I won't judge. :)

Fill your pan with water, 

along with about a cup of white distilled vinegar, 

and about a tablespoon of salt.

Bring it to a boil and let it boil for about 30-60 minutes. 

(You will feel it start to loosen up when you scrape it with a wooden spoon.)

Just don't let the water evaporate, since we know that can be a problem....

Once it's done boiling, scrape out as much as you can, and rinse. 

Look how much it's taken care of already!

Now wash it.

After washing, there was still a charred piece that refused to come off.

(I never realized how scratched the bottom of our pan was until I took this picture with the flash. 

You'd be surprised how hard it is to take a good picture of the inside of a pot!)

I pulled out some of my DIY Goo-Gone, and rubbed it in. 

I let it sit for about 30 minutes.

 *If you want to make some goo-gone of your own, click here for the recipe.*

After about 30 minutes, rub the goo-gone in with a soft cloth and wash again.

We're all done! 

So happy that I didn't have to throw it out OR use harsh chemicals to clean it!