Burnt food and greasy edges can quickly stain your glass cookware. And while some people find it pretty easy to clean glass dishes, it’s often a completely different story when it comes to getting rid of burnt food from glass. Still, with the right cleaning technique, you can easily remove all the stubborn food that’s stuck to your glass dishes.
You can clean a burnt glass pan by sprinkling baking soda directly onto the stains and burnt marks, and then scrubbing them off with a soft sponge. Spritz a bit of ammonia onto the pan before scrubbing it again. Finish the cleaning process by washing the pan with regular dishwashing liquid.
While you can use a dishwasher to clean glass bakeware, it’s not always effective — and it may even scratch your dishes. Let’s look at what exactly causes glass to burn, how you can clean burnt glass, and which supplies you’ll need, so that you can continue using your glass cookware without worrying about burning it.
What Causes Glass to Burn?
Many people love using glass cookware because it’s oven-safe and serves as an excellent heat conductor. Unfortunately, these exact qualities mean that it’s very easy to burn food when cooking in glass pans.
Since glass conducts heat so well, burnt food usually sticks and adheres very firmly to it. And if you don’t clean this burnt food properly, it will leave stains and burn marks on your glass dishes.
Can Burnt Glass Be Cleaned?
If you don’t properly clean your burnt glass dishes, there’s a high chance of bacterial food contamination the next time you cook in them. Luckily, you can easily clean burnt glass, and with the right cleaning technique, you can quickly remove all the stubborn food that’s stuck to it.
There are also several different methods for cleaning burnt glass, so you can easily opt for the one you find most convenient.
Which Supplies Do I Need to Clean Burnt Glass?
You can effectively clean burnt glass with only a bit of ammonia and baking soda. In fact, baking soda is an excellent stain remover that does wonders for both stained clothes and glass pans.
The ammonia and baking soda cleaning method is extremely effective and ensures clean, sparkling, and spotless glass cookware in no time. Here are the supplies you’ll need for it:
- Four to five teaspoons of baking soda (on Amazon)
- Dishwashing liquid
- Ammonia spray (on Amazon)
- A soft cloth or soft sponge (on Amazon)
How to Clean Burnt Glass
You can easily remove burnt-on residue and clean your burnt glass cookware with ammonia and baking soda. Here are the steps you need to follow:
Step 1: Sprinkle Baking Soda
Take the soft cloth or the sponge and dampen it with water. Then, sprinkle a bit of baking soda, either on the sponge or directly on the glass pan where the stains and burn marks are.
Step 2: Scrub
Take the soft cloth or the sponge and gently scrub the glass until the burnt stains have been completely removed.
Step 3: Use Ammonia Spray
Rinse your glass pan to get rid of all the baking powder. Then, take the ammonia spray and spritz a bit of ammonia onto your glass pan before thoroughly scrubbing it again with your sponge or cloth.
Step 4: Add Dishwashing Liquid
Rinse your glass pan with some water. Then, add a bit of regular dishwashing liquid and properly wash the pan. Make sure you don’t skip this step, as it helps get rid of any trace amounts of baking soda or ammonia that may still be on the glass pan.
Step 5: Rinse and Repeat
However, if you still have a few stubborn stains left on your glass pan, then you might need to repeat these steps all over again. While the baking soda method is a bit slow, it will eventually get rid of all burnt stains and discoloration.
Since baking soda is naturally abrasive, it’ll also allow you to thoroughly scrub the pan without using any harsher materials, such as steel wool.
Additional Advice and Tips
- If you need a bit more scrubbing power, try using a nylon scrubbing pad (on Amazon). These pads won’t scratch or damage the glass and will provide more cleaning power than a sponge or soft cloth.
- If you don’t want to risk damaging your glass pan by scrubbing it, you can clean it with a denture cleaner (on Amazon) instead. Just fill your pan with water, add a denture tablet, and let it fizz for as long as needed.
- If your pan has a lot of burnt stains, place it in a strong garbage bag, fill the bag with enough ammonia to keep your pan wet, tie it off, and then leave the pan in the bag overnight. Remove your pan in the morning, get rid of all the ammonia, and the burnt marks should rub right off.
Alternative Cleaning Methods
If you don’t want to use ammonia and baking soda, there are a few other cleaning methods you can opt for:
Soak the Pan in Vinegar and Water
You can easily remove burnt stains from your glass pan by soaking it in some water. However, if your pan is particularly discolored or burnt, then you should use a bit of vinegar as well.
If the burnt stains are especially bad, make sure you soak the pan in a vinegar solution for around three to four hours before washing it.
Also, remember to wear a pair of latex dishwashing gloves (on Amazon) before handling vinegar, as some types can be incredibly harsh on your skin if they’re not properly diluted.
Boil Water in the Pan
You can get rid of burnt food and stains from your glass pan by simply boiling water in it. You just need to fill your pan with vinegar and water, preferably in a 1:4 ratio. Then, mix the solution properly and make sure the vinegar is diluted before proceeding any further.
Next, instead of letting the solution sit in the pan, place the pan in the oven or on the stove. Switch on the heat and wait for the solution to come to a boil. After the water boils for at least five minutes, remove the pan from the stove and set it aside to cool.
Once the pan comes down to room temperature, rinse it with tap water and scrub the burnt food off with a sponge. Lastly, add a bit of dishwashing liquid and use your sponge again to wash your glass pan clean.
Tips for a Successful Clean
It may seem easy to scrub off burnt food, but keep in mind that glass cookware requires an extremely gentle hand. For this reason, here are a few tips you should keep in mind for a successful clean:
Always Wait for Your Glass Pan to Cool Before Washing It
Cleaning a hot, burnt glass pan is just asking for trouble. Make sure you wait for the pan to cool down to room temperature before touching it, or you may end up with serious injuries and burns.
Never Place Hot Glass Cookware Under Running Water
If you rinse a hot glass pan, the large temperature difference can cause the glass to shatter or burst. Your pan or dish may get irreparably damaged, and you might even suffer a few injuries.
Avoid Using Rough Sponges
Rough sponges can be very abrasive, causing minute scratches on your glass cookware. So, if you can’t get your hands on a soft sponge, just use the other side of your regular sponge.
Never Scrape Off Burnt Food
Scraping off burnt food will damage the surface of your glass pan and may even make it unusable.