You have just put a pot of milk on to boil. You look away for just a second, and you now have a bubbly white cauldron and milk all over your stove! Yuck!

If you have dealt with the frustration of burnt milk on your stove, you know how difficult it is to get it cleaned up.

This article will help you learn the best ways of removing burnt milk stains from your stove with ease.

5 Ways to Clean Burnt Milk Off Your Stove

Using Vinegar & Baking Soda

Since milk is calcium-based, it converts to an alkaline deposit once it burns. Distilled white vinegar, on the other hand, is acidic and can eat away at any alkaline deposit, including milk.

Mix equal parts of white vinegar and baking soda in a bowl to make a paste. Apply the solution to the affected area of the cooktop and leave it for a few minutes to do its work. You can even leave it overnight if you have a stubborn stain, the longer the better!

The acid in the vinegar will eat away the deposits left over by the milk. Scrub off the stove using a soft cloth, and the burnt milk deposit should come off easily.

In case the cloth does not remove all of the deposit, you can try our next method.


Using Plastic Razor

Double Edged Plastic Razor Blade Scrapers Knife

Scraping with a sharp knife can help remove a lot of burnt food, but burnt milk is stubborn. It is hard to get rid of burnt milk using a sharp knife without scratching your stove.

Use a plastic razor blade like this one from Amazon (on Amazon) to cut through and remove the burnt milk from the stove without scratching your stovetop.

Scrapers work exceptionally well on ceramic stove tops. It may take a little bit more elbow grease if the milk has cooled and hardened but when it comes to ceramic, a scraper is the best tool for the job

Combine this method with the vinegar and baking soda soak from above and your stain will be gone for sure. Once soaked, the burnt milk will scrape off easily.

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Using Lemon Juice & Vinegar

Lemon juice is another good natural cleaner like the ones mentioned above. You can even use white vinegar and lemon juice together.

Mix white vinegar and lemon juice in equal parts in a spray bottle. Spray the solution on the burnt milk and leave it overnight. In the morning, wipe out the solution with a towel or scrap the burnt milk with a plastic razor.


Using Toothbrush & Dish Soap

If you do not have baking soda or vinegar available, you may use liquid dish soap and an old toothbrush or a sponge.

Add dish soap to the burnt milk to help loosen it up. It helps reduce adhesion between the stove and the burnt milk. Then, simply use the brush to swab it off from the stove.

Dish soap is an excellent cleanser and you can use it with any of the other methods to help you get rid of the residual milk stain.


Scrub Daddy To The Rescue!

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This powerful and versatile sponge changes texture depending on the temperature of the water that you use with it. 

No products found. (also from Amazon) is powerful enough to remove baked-in dirt but still delicate enough that will not scratch your metal or glass stove top.

Leave it cold for a nice stiff scrubber that will make quick work of your milk spill, then just rinse it clean when you are done.

Burnt milk is without a doubt one of the worse things that you want to see on your stove. We have covered some great methods to clean burnt milk from your stove, now let’s look at some easy we can prevent it from happening in the first place.

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At What Temperature Does Milk Burn?

Milk will start to burn at temperatures of 83°C or 181°F. This is the process of scalding begins and if you do not stir your milk properly it will burn to the bottom of the pot.

This will help prevent you from getting burnt milk in the pan but milk boils at a much higher temperature (212°F). So if you keep your pot below 200 you should not need to worry about getting it on your stove.

Just remember to keep stirring as you scald.

Milk burnt onto the the oven

What Is Scalding?

Scalding is a process where you heat the milk to a high temperature that kills bacteria, stops enzyme activity, and denature proteins.

This process causes separation in the milk and when the solid hit the bottom of the pot, this causes the classic burnt milk scenario we all know so well. That is why stirring is the best method to prevent burning.

How to Avoid Burning Milk Into The Pot?

To avoid burning milk, never boil it by turning the heat to the max. Set your stove at a slow or medium temperature and keep stirring so that the milk is warmed equally and slowly.

It will take longer to boil and there is a chance of the milk spilling if you are not careful. But this strategy ensures the heat raises the milk’s temperature without burning it. 

Another strategy is to pour some water into the pot before pouring the milk. Add a small amount of water to your pot till it covers the entire pot before pouring the milk into it. This helps lessen fatty protein build-up at the pot’s bottom. It helps guard against milk burning.

How To Stop The Milk From Boiling Over?

Milk will spill over the pot easily once it starts to boil. This is a mess we would all like to avoid. You can try placing a wooden spoon across the top of the pot. This will pop the bubbles and cause the milk to fall back into the pot.

Takeaways For Cleaning Burnt Milk

While it may be inevitable, you should try your best to avoid getting milk spilled onto your stove in the first place. But, if it does spill, you can use one of the methods above to clean the milk. The sooner you tackle the spill the better. 

Last update on 2024-04-23 at 21:03 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API