Recipe: How to Rescue Scorched Food and How to Clean a Scorched Pan

Rescuing Scorched Food or Cleaning a Scorched Pan:
Source: How to Do Just About Anything by Readers Digest

Remove a scorched pan from the heat at once. Transfer unburned food to clean pan, add fresh liquid, and continue cooking until done.

Trim off dark-brown crusts from overdone baked goods. Save burned toast by scraping off blackened crust with a table knife.

To remove burned on food from pan, scrape off as much of it as possible with a wooden spoon: fill the pan with hot, soapy water, let it soak, then scour it with baking soda or a non-abrasive cleaner on a plastic scouring pad. Or bring water to a boll in the pan. While the water simmers, scrape off scorched bits with the wooden spoon. After 10 minutes, pour-out the water and scrub the pan. Repeat the procedure until the pan is clean.

If you can't clean a scorched non-aluminum pat right away, soak it in cold water. Soaking pits an aluminum pan so clean it Immediately. If a pan is beyond cleaning, discard it. If it's one you're particularly fond of, have it restored by a professional. To find a professional, check the Yellow Pages under "Metal Finishers".