I left my stainless steel frying pan on the hob empty for a while by mistake. It got very hot indeed, I ran it carefully under the tap to cool it down, which took a while - lots of steam. Now, there's a kind of black residue inside, that wasn't there before (it was clean while it was on the hob). I can't remove it even with the toughest of detergents and pan scourers, is it safe to cook with this pan any more?
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What kind of pan do you have? It makes a big difference it it's teflon-coated or just stainless steel or cast iron.– timMar 27, 2011 at 19:58
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Stainless steel, question updated.– fredleyMar 27, 2011 at 20:04
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Well, first off, you probably should have let it cool off in air. As for the darkening, stainless can do that when overheated. Barkeeper's friend may be able to remove that. Was this an aluminum-core pan? If so, you may have melted the core... See also cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/11916/…– derobertMar 29, 2011 at 18:56
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No idea, is it bad if it is?– fredleyMar 29, 2011 at 18:58
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5The good news is that when you have something that's near impossible to clean off (including scrubbing, heat, acids, bases, other cleansers), it's very unlikely to come off when cooking, even if the pan doesn't look all that pretty.– JoeApr 1, 2011 at 15:15
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3 Answers
What you are seeing is almost certainly a form of firescale, and it should be completely harmless. If the discoloration bothers you, you can try to remove it using the aforementioned Barkeeper's friend or a mixture of boric acid and denatured alcohol (which are non-toxic).
With regard to cooling off the pan, you should never put a hot, empty pan into a cold, wet sink: The temperature change can cause the pan to warp.
Stainless steel pans tend to get brown/black around where the flames are if you heat them empty. I wouldn't worry about it and you should be able to scrub it off eventually.
Boil water and Cascade dishwashing liquid inside the pan covering the black area. Rub with spatula after a few minutes to see if the black is loosened. Keep cooking until it rubs off with spatula.
