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How do I remove melted plastic from my stainless steel pan?

Help...hubby accidently melted a piece of plastic bag in our stainless steel pan. We removed it from the heat when it happened and have not attempted anything yet.

Any ideas?

Thank you in advance.

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  1. The safest way is usually to add about 1" of water(with cream of Tatar or baking soda, if you have it) and bring it to a simmer. It should release from the pan with slight scraping with a spatula after the pan has been simmering for a few minutes.

    I doubt it will leave a permanent mark.

    21 Replies
    1. re: Kelli2006

      Thank you so much. I just tried your suggestion (with cream of Tartar) and it worked like a charm. My pan is as good as new.

      Thanks again!

      1. re: Kelli2006

        I melted a plastic spatula to my All Clad pan last night. I googled the remedy and found and tried your solution-thank you! It worked. I used baking soda. One thing I want to add while I am here. To remove stains from a stainless steel pan, simmer some ketchup. It sounds weird but works on those brown stains

        1. re: kristinekeenan

          regular heinz ketchup? what if the stain is on the side? Father turned the pan on without putting the water in...

          1. re: ali patts

            Bar Keepers Friend also works wonders on staned stanless pans.

            1. re: Kelli2006

              Hi! I finally stumbled upon the Barkeeper's Friend at Bed and
              Bath--it works awesome! It has revitalized all of my pans. It melts the old stains right off, even the ones on the bottom of the pan. To heck with ketchup-this stuff is amazing and quick!

            2. re: ali patts

              Yup-regular ketchup. Just paint it on the spot and let it soak for minimum 10 minutes. Sometimes you don't have to heat it. I had a really bad stain so I heated it (just for a sec).

              1. re: kristinekeenan

                Just don't touch or internally ingest the sauce

          2. re: Kelli2006

            What do I do if the plastic is stuck to the outside of the vessel. I accidentally placed my hot cuisinart pan on a bread cover and now the bread cover is stuck to my pan... need to get it out!

            Thanks in advance.

            1. re: akpreets

              akpreets, I would use a putty knife/non-metal spatula and a hair dryer to soften and remove as much as possible to begun with You can use Bar Keepers Friend, and then try a 3M scrubbie or a metal scouring pad to get the residue.

              The surface finish might not match the rest of the pot, but I would accept that as a small sacrifice instead of buying a new pan.

              1. re: akpreets

                Thanks Kelli for the reply. However, i tried this: I used 2 pans -- 1 pan was filled with water and Baking soda, 2nd was the pan with plastic, which was submerged into the first pan. I brought them to simmer and then slowly scraped the plastic out with a butter knife. It worked great!!! I had to repeat the process a couple of times until all the plastic was out. My vessel was not damaged too! Thanks to all.

                1. re: akpreets

                  Simmer in water with bicarbonate of soda in a larger pot. may need slight scraping with plastic spatula or plastic picnic knife. Worked great on my All clad.

                    1. re: mannaia

                      A couple of tablespoons of soda is plenty.

                2. re: Kelli2006

                  This worked like a charm! I used the technique noted akpreets noted below of putting the plastic coated pan in side a bigger pan, add water to cover smaller pan, add 3 TBSP baking soda, bring to boil, turn down to simmer and that plastic lifted right out. Still had to scrape a bit with a butter knife to get burned spots off the pan, then used Bon Ami powder to scrub off the rest. The Stainless steel pan has never looked so good!

                    1. re: clemrox77

                      What kind of plastic did you melt, and what kind of pan is it?

                    2. re: Kelli2006

                      I know this is an old post....but it was great to find it as it helped me take off melted plastic bottom of expensive cookware. It was incredibly easy! Thank you. This remedy will be passed on to my daughters and to all those I know spend time in the kitchen.

                      1. re: Kelli2006

                        Another Helping Hubby here, how long should I leave the pan in the fire? should the plastic be melting again for me to scrape it off? or should it come out solid?

                        1. re: windrune

                          You only need enough heat so that the plastic will separate from the pan when you scrape it.

                          2-3 minutes after you bring the water to a boil should be plenty.

                        2. re: Kelli2006

                          Very good boiled backing soda and then scouring with steel wool and ketchup worked like a charm. thanks sooooo much!

                        3. Used the baking soda remedy for years -- BUT -- how do you remove plastic melted in an oven? Right, I grabbed the wrong pizza pan (not the one to bake in but the one I serve with...dud!) preheated oven to 450, popped in the pizza, ran upstairs (as I had 10 minutes), and within minutes the smoke alarms went off!!! I thought the stove exploded - foul smelling but now I have a black serving tray melted onto the rack and the oven bottom covered in black plastic!!! HELP ...any ideas?

                          1. Is your oven gas or electric? convection?

                            The racks can be removed and cleaned by hand with a scraper(putty knife), extremely hot water(steam cleaner would be best) and oven cleaner, but removing melted plastic from a oven is something I have never dealt with. The kind of plastic that you melted also makes a difference in how is it most effectively removed.

                            I would suggest that you try a hair dryer on warm and attempt to remove as much as you can by softening it, and scraping it with something that won't damage the surface lining of the oven.

                            You might also call the appliance dealer that sold your oven and ask if they have any ideas. I am not a fan of self-cleaning ovens, but that might be a method for removing the residue after the visible plastic has been pried loose from the floor.
                            I wish I could be of more help, but I am new to this situation, and I don't want to suggest something that might cause a home fire.

                            2 Replies
                            1. re: Kelli2006

                              thanks Kelli2006 - called Sears (it's a glasstop self-cleaning = about two years old) they are coming out on Tuesday but I will save $ by your suggestion - thanks again. It was a plastic tray that restaurants serve their pizzas on; I took home some left over pizza once and they had included the tray (nothing is for nothing) and I've used it for a few times only. I will work on the rack today; thanks again. I never thought of a hair dryer!

                              1. re: Kelli2006

                                Some time ago Mike turned on the oven not knowing that I had left a skillet and plastic-handled pancake turner in the oven. (Actually, I think the pancake turner may have fallen out of the skillet unnoticed and was sitting on the bottom of the oven.) When I discovered it, the handle had melted off the pancake turner into a black puddle on the floor of the oven. I turned the oven off and let it cool. Then the next day I turned the oven back on to the "warm" setting, just through the preheat cycle, then I was able to get in there with another pancake turner and lift it right out. But it hadn't landed on the heating element or the racks.

                              2. Do any of these remedies work on the thermolon material in Todd English's Greenpans? Brilliant as I am, I managed to melt a rubber spatula onto the surface of my wife's braiser.

                                1 Reply
                                1. re: laobaixing

                                  Yes I recently had this problem with a thermolon pan and the baking soda worked very well it looked like nothing ever happened.

                                2. This is the best tip ever. Thank you so much. I just tried it and the melted plastice came off my stainless steel skillet easily.