Moderately Burned Pot

Fill with couple of inches of water and bring to a boil. Cover pot and let it continue boiling for 5 minutes. Once cool enough to touch, the burn should scour off. If stubborn, add a few tablespoons baking soda and/or 1 tablespoon vinegar. For fast cleanup of food stuck in pan, boil a little vinegar and water in the pan - no scrubbing should be required.

Severely Scorched Pan

Half fill the pan with water and pour in ¼ to ½ cup baking soda, depending on the size of the pan. Let it boil until the burned pieces float on top.

Hopelessly Scorched Pan

As a last ditch effort, fill the pan with mud and leave it for a day. Then use the mud to scour the pan. You never know!

Clean Aluminum Pots

Rub a wedge of lemon on the pot and rinse.

To Brighten Badly Discolored Aluminum, gently boil any of the following: the peel of an apple; slices of grapefruit, lemon, orange or tomato in as much water as possible.

Copper Bowls and Pots

Fill an empty detergent bottle with one part salt and 5 parts white vinegar and use it on a sponge to clean the copper.

For stubborn stains

Mix equal parts of salt and flour and add enough white vinegar to make a thick paste. With the paste on a sponge, massage the stain, then rinse with hot water.

To Remove Tarnish from Copper

Massage ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, or non-gel toothpaste on copper. If it doesn't come off, reapply and leave it on for ½ hour and then wipe off.

To Remove Verdigris

The green patina of copper chloride or copper sulfate that forms on copper can be removed with a paste of lemon juice and baking soda. Apply the paste with a cloth, scour, rinse thoroughly and buff dry.

To Remove Stains from Nonstick Pans

Combine 2 cups water with 4 tablespoons baking soda in the pan and bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes, then wash, rinse and dry. Before it's used again, re-season by massaging a light layer of vegetable oil into the pan. or Stains left by grease and burned foods can be removed with this home remedy: Mix 1 cup water with ½ cup liquid household bleach and 2 tablespoons baking soda. Simmer the mixture in the stained pan for 5 minutes or until the stain is gone.

Silverstone & Teflon Pot Cleaner

Mix 2 tablespoons of baking soda with ½ cup of white vinegar in 1 cup water. Put these ingredients into the pot or pan and place on the stove; boil for 10 minutes. Wash the pot and then rub vegetable oil on the surface to re-season it.

To Season a NEW Cast Iron Pan

Massage the inside with vegetable or mineral oil and put the pan on the range over a low flame for 1 hour or in a 200° oven for a couple of hours. This seasoning is to prevent food that is prepared in it from tasting like cast iron. It also helps prevent food from sticking to the pan somewhat.

To Clean Burnt Food Off Cast Iron

Fill the pan with water and a little dishwashing detergent, then let it simmer long enough for the food to loosen, then scour them away. Pan will need to be re-seasoned.

To Remove Rust

Use steel wool to scour a mixture of sand (available at hardware stores, nurseries, and pet shops) and vegetable oil in your rusty cast iron pan. Once the rust is gone, wash, then reseason.

Skillet Handle

If your skillet's handle is not ovenproof, you can wrap it with two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil to make it heatproof up to 375°.

Clay Cookware

Before using for the first time, soak the top and bottom in water for about ½ hour. Then remove clay dust by scouring with a stiff brush. Do not put a hot cooker on a cold counter - will cause cracks. Do not wash clay cooker in the dishwasher. Do not scrub the clay with steel wool, EVER.

To remove stains and smells

Fill the cooker with water, add 1 to 4 tablespoons baking soda, depending on size. Leave it for a few hours, then rinse thoroughly.