Rx for Pots and Pans

Scraping the remains of burnt oatmeal, soup or spaghetti sauce off of a saucepan is time consuming and not a lot of fun. Next time, instead of reaching for the steel wool, add two tablespoons of baking soda and two cups of water to the blackened pot and bring it to a boil (watch carefully, it can boil over in seconds).

Turn the heat to medium, allow the baking soda mixture to simmer for five or ten minutes, then pour it down the drain. The black coating will simply peel away from the pan (use the back of a wooden spoon or a scrubbing brush to loosen it). If you aren't able to remove the entire burnt layer the first time, repeat the process.