I think I just killed my calphalon.

[Fairy]

If I did, I blame all of you for this.

Many of you know that I am pathetic in the kitchen, as evidenced by my many questions here in this forum about the basics. Well, my newest question is the most pathetic, as it involves boiling water. I have been heads down in BBB Bracelet stuff and FORGOT that I was boiling water for spaghetti (for me, DS is already asleep) until I suddenly hear "click ... click ... click." I'm like what the hell is that damned clicking?! Then it comes over me, ohmigod, something's on the stove! I ran there, and the flame on high was now boiling nothing, as the water had evaporated. This is what's left of the heavy duty beautiful calphalon pot.





Am I screwed? It's WAY too hot and still clicking so I'm afraid to put it in water or really touch it beyond having moved it to a cool(er) burner at the moment, and my stovetop is REALLY hot. That's right, people, I scorched my pot while boiling water. I did this once in college, too, only that was a piece of crap pot and melted, no question what to do with that one. This is heavy duty calphalon. Is it done for? What now?

[nrp]

Well, I don't know about calphalon in particular, but I am dealing with a scorched pot mess of my own (burnt soup - yuck). In my googling, several people suggested boiling some water and baking soda for a few minutes or boiling a water/vinegar mixture. I tried both and had middling success, but with the nature of your scorched pot perhaps you might fare better. I have now resorted to some heavy-duty spray stuff I bought at the restaurant supply store ("carbon off" I think). Dawn makes something called power dissolver that is designed to do the same kind of thing, I think. The stuff I have is really fumey, and my pot is spending the night in the garage with that stuff hopefully eating all of the gunk off. We'll see in the morning.

[Fairy]

OOh. And I thought I had it bad. Eep! Thanks for the tips.

[MontrealMum]

I did this many years ago, but not in Calphalon. I don't know if they have any brand/technology specific tips or not. Here's what I do know. 1st, once it cools, I'd try to clean it w/plastic scouring pads. Just assuming there, about methods, I don't think copper or brillo is recommended in Calphalon - we only have 2, and I haven't read the directions That's DH's job.

I used to cook for Meals-on-Wheels at our church w/ a retired air force cook. Many people used the kitchen and there were always "accidents" - which WE were left to take care of because we were regular kitchen users. This is not Calphalon-specific, but just general pot-cleaning advice.

You can put a mixture of vineagar (the cheaper, white kind is fine) w/some water in the pan and simmer it a bit to loosen the crud. Might need to do more than once. Scrub w/plastic brush or scouring pad. I've also heard about letting vineagar sit in a pot w/ some tinfoil overnight? Must be some chemical reaciont that makes that work. Anyways, scrub it gently afterwords.

One problem, though, is if the pot has a copper bottom (or insulated copper in some other metal) ... it may develop "hot spots" due to its trauma (of having been boiled dry). That means stuff might stick to it, or heat unevenly, at those specific spots from here on out. You can't know that until you cook with it again At that point, I don't think there's any way to salvage it.

I will say, when I did the same thing (I was on the phone w/DH ) it went much longer than yours did and the bottom turned black (also, my smoke detector kicked in!). I had to throw it out. Yours looks to be in much better shape, so I am hopeful for you.

ETA: that stuff that that guy who recently died (Billy Mays?) can be good in this situation. But again, I'm not sure how this would affect calphalon.

[lizzywednesday]

IDK that I would use OxyClean on anything coming into contact with food! (The closest I get to that is using it to clean the "grates" for the stovetop - I have a gas stove, not electric.)

Found this online by Googling "scorched calphalon pots":

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf97551016.tip.html

Folks have already recommended vinegar, but I am surprised to see Bon Ami in the list of remedies. (Though there's nothing in it that's toxic, though, unlike something like Comet. Ew.)

[Piglet]

Call Calphalon and ask them how to fix it... they also might be nice enough to replace it if it can't be fixed.

[MontrealMum]

Here's the info on cleaning Calphalon from their own site:

Cleaning Your Calphalon Cookware

How do I clean my hard-anodized cookware?

After each use, wash hard-anodized surfaces in hot, sudsy water using a nylon scouring pad - we recommend Scotch-Brite™ dark green scour pads. If you still see hazy or dark areas after it dries, scrub the dry pan (don't wet it) with a dry Scotch-Brite™ pad and rinse thoroughly. That often works best.

If the pan was used for frying or has baked-on grease or food, wet the pan, sprinkle Ajax®, Comet®, or Soft Scrub® with bleach on the surface, scrub it thoroughly with a Scotch-Brite™ pad and rise thoroughly.

Calphalon also makes a cleaner called Dormond™, which can clean and restore the warm luster of the hard-anodized finish.

How do I clean my nonstick surfaces?

Nonstick surfaces should be cleaned after each use in hot, sudsy water using a sponge or washcloth. If used for frying or sautéing, clean with a nylon-coated sponge and Soft Scrub® with bleach or lemon. ANY OTHER CLEANSER WILL BE TOO HARSH - DO NOT USE.

How do I clean my stainless steel lids?

Clean stainless steel surfaces after each use with hot, sudsy water. Use a soft cloth, sponge, or a nonabrasive scouring pad such as a Dobie® pad to preserve the stainless steel finish. Rinse with warm water and dry immediately to prevent water spots.

For stubborn, stuck-on foods, soak the lid, then scrub with a paste of Bar Keepers Friend®, Penny Brite®, or Bon Ami® - all nonabrasive cleaners. Rinse and dry immediately to avoid water spots.

NEVER use abrasive cleansers, scouring pads, or steel wool. To remove minor scratches on the exterior surface, scrub with a paste of nonabrasive cleanser. Rinse and dry immediately to avoid water spots.

My copper cookware doesn't look bright and shiny anymore! What happened?

Exposure to heat, air and humidity changes the appearance of copper. You can expect Calphalon Tri-Ply Copper cookware to change color when you cook with it. It may turn a deeper orange, pinkish orange, or even develop purple and blue streaks. This is perfectly normal and is not permanent. To restore your copper cookware to its original bright and shiny appearance, we strongly recommend you use RADIANCE™, the cleaner and anti-tarnish creme specially designed for copper and stainless steel cookware. RADIANCE™ is the fast, easy way to maintain a spotless "like-new" shine. RADIANCE™, not only returns your cookware to its original luster and color, it also prevents the natural tarnishing that occurs when copper is exposed to normal household conditions.

What is the best way to clean my Calphalon One cookware?

For daily cleaning, use hot sudsy water and a dish cloth or sponge. To restore your pans to "like-new" condition, wash with a green Scotch Brite® pad and Bar Keeper's Friend®. Pay special attention to rinsing when you use Bar Keeper's Friend; without careful rinsing, the cleaner may occasionally leave a powdery soap film. Never put Calphalon One in the dishwasher.

[ThreeofUs]

Hil, you caught your pan just at the right time. These are water deposits (well do I remember the Chicago water!) and you didn't scorch the pot.

Soak in cheap, white vinegar and then follow the cleaning instructions. Repeat as necessary. Or just cook rice Japanese-style (that is, with vinegar) in it.

[firstbaby]

Bar Keeper's Friend or Bar Keeper's Secret - I forget which it is called but it is sold at Williams Sonoma. It SAVED by all clad pan I thought I ruined. That stuff is awesome!