How to Remove Burnt Rice from Pots and Pans

It can be hard to clean up your favorite pan or pot, especially when it has some burnt food stuck on it. No one likes dealing with burnt residue because it always requires a lot of elbow grease to scrub it off with your handy kitchen sponge and dishwashing soap, but a problem like this is only made more unbearable when you're dealing with something as stubborn as burnt rice.

Read this helpful guide to learn more on how to clean burnt rice from your pot!

How to Clean Burned Rice from Pot

Method 1: Baking Soda and White Vinegar

One method to get burnt rice off your stainless steel pot in a snap is by using baking soda and white vinegar. A very common combination around the household, using both together has been proven to be a very efficient and versatile cleaning solution, and it can certainly help you get burnt rice off your favorite pan or pot.

Here's what you can do:

1. Once your pan is warm enough that you can safely touch it, combine one cup of white vinegar with half a cup of baking soda in your pot.
2. While the ingredients of the mixture are reacting, carefully mix it around to make sure that it properly covers all the areas of that pot with burnt rice.
3. Then, get your dishwashing sponge or steel wool and begin scrubbing the pot. The residue of the burnt rice should start coming off in no time.

And in case you're worrying that the acidity of the vinegar will ruin your pots and pans, you have no reason to because any stainless steel equipment is designed to resist any possible corrosion that the white vinegar could cause. 

Everything should be fine as long as you make sure to carefully rinse your equipment and wash it with dishwashing soap before drying it with a cloth or paper towel to make sure that all traces of the white vinegar have been washed away.

Method 2: Boiling Water

Another way to clean burnt rice is to use boiling water. Hot water naturally softens up any burnt food that may have clung to your dishes, pots and pans.

Here's how you can use it to get burnt rice off:

1. Add enough water to your pot and make sure that the areas with burnt rice are completely covered by the water.
2. Put your pot on the stove and leave it until the water boils. The rising heat should begin to soften and loosen the burnt residue and make the cleaning process much easier.
3. Once the water has started to boil, remove the pot from the fire and run it under your kitchen faucet. The burnt rice should start falling out, and any remaining black bits should be soft enough to scrape and scrub off.

The heat of the water is a great way to soften the burnt rice, but some of us may not have the time to boil water.

An alternative take on this trick is to run some hot water from your faucet into the pot and leave it to soak for around five minutes. Once the five minutes are up, you can use a sponge, dish brush or a steel wool and some regular dish soap to scrub the burnt rice right off. The burnt rice should have softened under the heat and should make cleaning much easier.

Method 3 : Lemon Juice

Just like white vinegar, the acidity found in lemons and lemon juice can help break down the burnt rice stuck to your pot. This is a great option, especially if you find yourself out of vinegar.

Here's what you should do:

1. Grab a few lemons and chop them up before placing them in your pot.
2. Add enough water that all the areas with burnt rice is covered, and bring the water to a boil.
3. Once the mixture boils, you should notice that any burnt residue has been loosened and that you're left with a pot of blackened water. During this part, feel free to grab a wooden spoon that you can use to scrape whatever you can from the bottom of your pot.
4. Afterwards, let the blackened water cool and pour it all out, along with the lemons.
5. Use a kitchen sponge, dish brush, or a steel wool and some regular dish soap to scrub and scrape any remaining black bits. Remember to be careful to avoid the risk of leaving a scratch on your pot.
6. Once all the burnt rice has been removed, give your pot a final rinse and wipe it clean.

And if you find yourself with more time on your hands, you can also get burnt rice off your pot by making a combination of water and some lemon juice, enough that the areas with burnt rice are completely covered. Let the lemon and water mixture sit in your pot for around 30 minutes then get a kitchen sponge or a brush to scrub away at the burnt rice.