Baking soda can remove burned-on gunk from pan

Dear Readers: I recently had Dr. Joyce Brothers on my nationally syndicated radio show, and she brought a query about how to remove burned-on food from the bottom of a pot. She said that it probably wouldn't be a concern except the pot was a favorite oldie-but-goody that had been given to her as a wedding gift in 1949.

Let me answer this often-asked question: One of the easiest ways to remove this stubborn gunk is to pour some baking soda in the bottom of the pan and add a little bit of water. Let this soak for an hour or so, and when you are ready to clean it, the whole mess should just lift right up. A little bit of scrubbing might be necessary to make the pan look like new.

We got to thinking about favorite pots and pans and decided to pose a question to you, the Heloise readers: What is the oldest pot or pan you have, and does it have a special significance? Send us a picture with all the specifics, and we will pick the 10 oldest and send those readers a set of Heloise pamphlets, plus we will put the photos on the Heloise Web site.

I have my grandmother's and mother's cast-iron skillets. I checked with the "girls" in my office, and here is what a couple of them had to say:

• Kelly said that she has pots that her mother-in-law gave her when she first got married — 21 years ago.

• Joyce threw all her old ones away and bought new ones.

• Brucette said she has a cast-iron frying pan that is 30 years old. — Heloise

Send a great hint to:

Heloise

P.O. Box 795000

San Antonio, TX 78279-5000

Fax: 210-HELOISE

E-mail: Heloise@Heloise.com

Dear Heloise: If I have used canned fruit and I wish to save the juice for future use in another dessert (gelatin, for instance), I put one slice or piece of the fruit in the container with the juice so I can identify the flavor. That way, I don't need to glue a label onto the container. — Ellen Jo Fleming, North Little Rock, Ark.