Cooking accidents happen, sometimes we get a little distracted and leave a pot on the fire for longer than we should.

Or we miscalculate and don't add enough water to boiling rice before running off to watch TV for a few minutes.

Whatever the cause may be, everyone has probably ended up with a badly burnt pot that seems impossible to clean.

There's no reason to spend hours sweating and scrubbing a badly charred pot. Here are easy ways to get rid of burnt remnants in a pot:

1. Set the pot to heat:

This works very well for rice pots. Jollof rice is not jollof rice if the bottom of the bot is not slightly burnt at least. To get rid of the burnt residue, simply set the pot on your cooker and leave on medium heat.

In no time, the rice will become harder and crispier, making it easy to peel or scrape it off as a layer. Then you can wash your pot normally.

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2. Soak in water:

For a thin layer of burnt food, all you need to do is soak the pot in warm water overnight or for many hours. Pour enough water into the pot that it covers the level of the burn stains/ residue.

If you can afford it, you may soak the pot in oil instead, this works better for cast iron pots. The scorched food will loosen out after some time and you can wash your pot normally.

3. Boil cleaning agents in the pot:

For really stubborn stains, instead of soaking the pot, set it to boil for some minutes. Pour in water, mix with detergent and vinegar or baking soda.

After some minutes, remove from heat, scrape off the burnt food and wash normally.