How to clean burnt food from an unglazed tagine
We recently cooked a beef stew in our unglazed earthenware tagine. The food at the bottom of the dish burned a bit, and we're now left with a rather crusty mess that we don't know how to remove. Is there any trick to softening up the remains so that they're easier to scrape away? Soaking in hot water hasn't really helped. We know that you can't use dish soap in a tagine, but is there something else that we can try—baking soda, maybe? And in terms of abrading tools, is detergent-free steel wool OK or should we stick to the usual brushes, plastic scrubbers, and coarse-grained salt?
Best Answer
You might try cooking it loose. Heat it up with plain water inside, even to boiling, and the combination of heat and soaking should loosen everything and make it easier to scrub out - especially if you scrape the bottom and stir occasionally as it boils.
Baking soda might help, sure - you might try hot vinegar and baking soda, boil vinegar and water, add baking soda, and let soak for a few hours. Or you might try a baking soda paste, leave on stubborn stains a while and try cleaning afterwards. Both possibilities are used for cleaning burnt food on pots, but it should also work for a tagine - I found one example of simmering hot water and baking soda in the tagine, which is another option.
Steel wool should be fine, though if you are worried about wear on the bottom of your tagine you can plan to use it infrequently, only for serious messes. Clay is pretty hard stuff, so it shouldn't actually be a problem (I use steel wool on my tagine, and the unglazed portions don't show any wear), but if you are worried just remember to scrub gently and let the abrasion slowly wear the residue away, instead of scrubbing hard. Other brushes and scrubbers should also be fine, though you might want long handles or heat resistance if you're going to pair scrubbing with simmering the residue soft.
Also, from what I've read, unglazed tagines are supposed to be seasoned with oil - not quite like cast iron, it involves soaking thoroughly, coating with oil, and heating at a low heat so the evaporation of the water pulls the oil into the pores of the clay. If your tagine was seasoned, it should be able to stand surface washing with soapy water - the danger is if the soap soaks into the pores of the clay, which an oil seasoning should prevent, especially if it's a brief wash not a prolonged soak and you rinse well. Up to you if you want to risk it or not, but it might help.
As a side note, there's nothing wrong with soaking a tagine...seasoning one requires prolonged soaking, in fact, and many sites suggest it for stubborn cleaning. I'm not sure what was said to GdD, but I've never heard anything against soaking.
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Quick Answer about "How to clean burnt food from an unglazed tagine"
If you scorch something in the tagine and can't scrape the burned residue from the bottom, try this method: Fill the tagine 1/3 full with water and place over medium-low heat; add 1 or 2 tablespoons of baking soda and bring to a simmer. Leave the liquid to simmer for 30 minutes and see if the residue has loosened.How do you clean unglazed tagine?
1. Wash your unglazed terra-cotta tagine by hand with very mild soapy warm water, baking soda or vinegar, and rinse well. 2. Leave the tagine to dry thoroughly, and then lightly coat the interior of the lid and base with olive oil before storing.How do you clean burnt earthenware?
Add three teaspoons of soda, pour hot water and cook it for about 15 minutes. Baking soda should dissolve the burnt rests and enables to remove them quickly. For better results, you can also add three teaspoons of vinegar to the mixture of water and baking soda, and cook it for about 15 minutes.What removes burnt food from pots?
Baking soda is your go-to for cleaning a burnt pot or pan because it has mild abrasive properties and its alkaline pH can help neutralize acidic burnt foods. It can also combine with an acid, such as vinegar or lemon juice to create a fizzing reaction that helps loosen burnt food to get it off your pan.How do you get burnt crust off?
Fill your sink with warm water and a squirt of dish-washing soap. Place the pots and pans in the soapy water and let them soak for at least 1 hour. Sometimes, a good soak is all that is needed to loosen food particles and remove the burned crust from pots and pans.How To Cure and Season a Tagine / Seasoning Claypots
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Answer 2
If it is only the old cooked food you are trying to get rid of, try one of those natural degreasers.. I would first you lemon juice or vinegar and see about scraping it off with a flat wooden spatula. Home Depot sells a product for stoves and such called Zep Heavy duty de-greaser. Contact the manufacturer and see if you can use it in this way and then clean the tangine before you cook in it again.
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