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Yesterday I made black salsify. I got the salsify fresh and peeled it myself. Knowing what a hassle that is, I rinced and scrubbed it, put on disposable gloves and peeled in my sink, which afterwards I scrubbed down with a cleaning agent. I put the salsify in water with vinegar to avoid discoloration.

I peeled the salsify very thin, however. There were a few small spots of black peel left here and there, but since I was cooking for myself I didn't mind if it looked less than perfect. However, this might have left a bit of the sap on there and after cooking them, it has settled in my stainless steel pot on the sides, at where the water level was. The residue is sticky and extremely resilient.

I've tried scrubbing with a brush and detergent to no avail. After that I put in a mixture of water and vinegar hoping that would soak it loose, but without much success. Just now I took a scrubbing sponge to it with some kitchen cleaner, but no dice. I guess with continued use it might eventually start disappearing, but it's unsightly and probably not too hygienic. Any advice on what could successfully remove this rubbery substance?

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    If the diluted vinegar helped at all, maybe try soaking it in straight vinegar?
    – Jolenealaska ♦
    Mar 10, 2017 at 20:42
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    You say you've soaked it, have you tried boiling it?
    – Doug
    Mar 11, 2017 at 8:39
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    The diluted vinegar did not do much. Yesterday I used the pot again to poach some fish in boiling water, which seems to have made things a little bit better. Maybe repeated boiling or boiling with some vinegar will sort things out.
    – G_H
    Mar 11, 2017 at 9:36
  • Maybe an oily cleaner will penetrate the leftover goo. You can try cooking oil, peanut butter or something like Goo Gone.
    – Debbie M.
    Mar 11, 2017 at 16:37
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    I agree with @DebbieM. the sticky bit is latex and rubbing it with oil (e.g., olive) should start to soften it, Then rub it with straight washing up liquid and, if needed, a bit of baking soda.
    – Giorgio
    Mar 11, 2017 at 19:46

2 Answers 2

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When trying to remove gummy, rubbery substances often something oily will penetrate and soften the goo so that it maybe cleaned as usual. Things to try, cooking oil, peanut butter or something like Goo Gone or WD-40.

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Try some isopropyl rubbing alcohol!

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  • That could work too. I used oil as suggested by Debbie M., but I'll keep this in mind next time.
    – G_H
    Mar 13, 2017 at 21:10

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