Friday 7 October 2011

Help.........

In need of some therapy I settled down the other evening to make Beetroot Chutney with the beautiful beetroot I bought at a farm shop during a rare excursion into the countryside. Except, after I had added to my preserving pan 1.1 litres of vinegar, 900g sugar, 450g onions and 700g of apples all nicely chopped where necessary, I found I didn't have the 1kg beetroot I asked and paid for, I had a mere 600g.  Ooooer I thought, oh well I will have to make it up with more apples and onions and see what happens.  So that is what I did.

Eight jars of 'jamney' and a veryveryveryveryveryvery burnt preserving pan is what happened.

I quite like the taste of the jamney, but then as I have said before, I like the taste of my cooking usually, so my dear friends L and B H have agreed to be Beetroot Jamney testers for me and give me their honest opinion.  I think I'm looking forward to that.

However, I am more concerned about my burnt preserving pan.  I  have no idea how to rescue it.  So far I have tried soaking it in warm soapy water overnight, heating it gently on the cooker for a short while, scrubbing with a brillo pad and three days and nights soaking it in vinegar. All to no avail.  The significant ex has informed me that I need to heat it at a high temperature and then when it's hot enough add a few drops of water.  Hmmm.  He does know about these sorts of things having gained a combined degree in chemistry and maths but I am a little anxious about putting an empty (apart from burnt bottom) pan on  a cooking ring and turning it up full.  And how hot is 'enough'.  I would have to stay in the kitchen the whole time in case it explodes and if it explodes what about me!  So before I attempt that piece of advice  I am going to go and get some coke - that would be cola by the way - I don't where to go for the other kind - and try soaking it in that.  I believe genuine coca-cola, as in fat not thin and not a copy, has remarkable stripping qualities.

My sanity is at risk if I can't get back to the theraputic effects of making chutney so if anyone out there has a foolproof tip for  rescuing burnt preserving pans I would be very grateful if you would let me know.

4 comments:

  1. I would have said baking soda would be an answer: http://funny-about-money.com/2010/05/26/how-to-rescue-a-scorched-pan%E2%80%94easy/

    That person also suggested boiling and simmering and, from the photos, it does look like it worked.

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  2. Hello!
    I had a similar disaster when making pear cheese (took my eye off the pan for a millisecond!). Soaking & scrubbing didn't work, so I used coke too. I poured a can in, left it overnight & went at it with a scouring pad. It did come off (mostly in flakes & chunks, so a bit of levering with a palette knife was involved too).
    The heating up/cooling down method works too, I've heard (something to do with SCIENCE, so completely beyond me!)
    Good luck, a life without a good preserving pan is no life at all! (and also - Hello! I love your blog!)

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  3. Hello again & thank you for your lovely comments!
    I hope the SCIENCE method is working on your pan.
    Oooh, the light in Italy is beautiful, isn't it?! I spent a week in Firenze (Florence) as an art student - simply beautiful (even if it's full of right-wing politicians & anti-Roma propaganda). I loved Barcelona, I've wanted to go there for years. And I love markets - why take home a souvenir t-shirt when you can have a souvenir bundle of spices & fruit?!
    Jx

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  4. not baking soda but soda crystals

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