There is nothing worse than burned chili.
There are few things more disappointing than realizing the delicious, aromatic pot of chili you have been simmering on your stove has scorched on the bottom. There are many folk remedies, including adding spoonfuls of peanut butter or putting a piece of bread in the pot to absorb the burned flavor, but none of these have been proven to work.
Remove the Good Chili
When you realize your chili is scorching, stop stirring so you don't mix scorched chili into the whole pot. Remove the chili from the heat and place the pot in a shallow bath of cold water in your kitchen sink. Cooling the pot stops it from burning further. Then, carefully spoon the chili out of the burned pot and into a clean one. Be careful not to scrape the burned bits at the bottom into your clean pot.
Damage Control
Taste the chili. If you were lucky and moved quickly, you may have successfully left behind all the scorched flavor. If the chili does taste a little bit burned, you may be able to cover up the flavor by adding additional spices, or by adding extra tomatoes or other vegetables to dilute the burned flavor somewhat. If the chili tastes very burned, or if adding spices does not repair the damage, it is time to call for takeout. There is nothing else that will save severely scorched chili.
Cleaning Up
Before you sit down to eat, coat the bottom of the pan with baking soda and add enough water to moisten it. Allow the pan to soak for at least half an hour. Then, put the scorched pan on the stove over very low heat until the water evaporates. When it is dry, scrub the baking soda paste with a sponge. Next, scrub with steel wool or a nylon pot scrubber and dish detergent. If your pan has a nonstick coating, avoid steel wool and use nylon or more baking soda on a sponge.
Prevention
To avoid scorched chili in the future, choose a heavy-bottomed pan for cooking chili or other thick soups and stews. It distributes heat more evenly and is less likely to burn food. Also, stir your chili frequently as it cooks. If it begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, turn the heat down and check again in a few minutes. If you have to leave the kitchen unexpectedly while you are cooking, be sure to turn off the stove. A late dinner is better than a burned one.
Tags: baking soda, scorched chili, burned flavor, have been, steel wool, steel wool nylon, than burned