I wouldn't use oven cleaner, try barkeepers friend first.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works well for getting stains off my white enamel stovetop and dutch oven as well as stainless steel or aluminum pots.

I always pour dishwasher detergent on the burnt on stuff and then pour boiling water on top. I let it sit for awhile, and then when the water is cooled try scrubbing. I sometimes have to do this a couple times before getting it totally clean, but it works.

Fill the pot with water and add a little dish soap. Put it on the stove and let it boil until the bits loosen up. Scrape it with a wooden spoon to help it loosen. Just like deglazing.

+1 on this. I've been able to get some really stubborn gunk off steel with good old BKF.

Three words: Bar Keepers Friend.

sprinkle with baking soda, mist with white vinegar in a spray bottle. let it sit for a bit and then scrub it all off. it might take a couple tries but it worked for me.

this is how i cleaned my entire white-enamel stove top and now it looks brand new!

Depending on what the residue is, the following procedure may work: Bring water and baking soda to a boil in the pan. Lower heat and simmer.

(This works well for burnt sugar)

PBW (Powdered Brewery Wash): http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/powdered-brewery-wash.html

You mix the powder to a particular ratio and then soak the item until the residue releases. Then just rinse! Basically, it forms an alkali that eats away organic buildup without damaging the vessel.

I bought it to get hop and yeast residue off my plastic fermenting bucket (scrubbing would create scratches that impede proper sanitation), but I've used it to remove labels from beer bottles and also to clean stubborn cooking messes from my stainless steel cookware. Best investment ever!

I use the magic eraser sponge and a scrub like Bar Keeper's Friend or Bon Ami together. You can let the scrub soak as a paste a little, but it's usually not needed.

thanks for posting this!! definitely grabbing some barkeeper's friend. roommate did this to one of my pots. :(

Dawn makes a product called Dawn Power Dissolver that works fairly well.

http://www.dawn-dish.com/us/dawn/product/037000006329

Particularly useful in those nooks and crannies around the handles that are hard to get to.

I just soak overnight filled with water and a little dish soap. In the morning, I dump out the water, sprinkle with baking soda, and use a scrubby. Usually it comes up very well, but if not, I just repeat. Good luck.

I quintuple (?) Bar Keeper's Friend. It's more abrasive than Bon Ami and with a coarse scrubby really gets the gunk off. You could also try copper scrubbing pads, although they're a bit rough on the fingers.

All abrasives tend to take some of the surface steel off, so gentle remedies are better, but if they don't work, resort to the tough guys.

I have used oven cleaner on stainless steel. I don't know how it could possibly scratch the stainless steel--it is a non-gritty liquid. However, I probably wouldn't use it inside a pot, since who knows how toxic the chemicals are. It works like a dream to clean the outside of my teakettle that sits on the stove, though. Just let it set for an hour or so, and you can wipe off the residue with a cloth, rinse it, and it's as shiny as new.

I have had amazing luck using Dr. Bronner's liquid soap (it gets off 80% of the guck that soaking and regular soap and scrubbing didn't get off), followed by Bar Keeper's friend for the remaining few spots.

I've had good luck with a strong baking soda/water solution, put the pot on the stove, and simmer for a half-hour or so. The kitchen smells questionable, but the gunk on the pan comes right off...

oven cleaner is mostly sodium hydroxide (lye, or caustic) and is an effective cleaner for most stainless steel. wear gloves, avoid the fumes.

Trust and believe ... baking soda is your friend ... especially combined with hot water & a little elbow grease. Sprinkle the inside with baking soda, fill with water & bring it to a boil. Then, let it soak/marinate a while before scouring it to remove the burnt on mess.

This worked so well with burnt-on oatmeal in the bottom of a vintage enameled cast iron Le Creuset pot ... I thought the pot was ruined. But, this method worked wonders, no vigorous scrubbing required (so no risk of ruining the enamel coating).

I keep a jar of baking soda under my kitchen sink for scrubbing pots & pans or soaking casserole bake ware to loosen baked on food. The stainless steel mesh scrubby is great to have on hand as well. I've always loved Bar Keeper's Friend & Bon Ami; but, there is no need for either since baking soda works just as well.

Don't use oven cleaner! It will discolor the finish and ruin the shine on the stainless steel. I agree with lifeabundant. Use the baking soda and water and boil it. Instead of baking soda, you can also use cream of tartar. Boil the water and you will see the burnt flecks start rising to the top. Each of these may require doing it a couple of times, but it's the safest way to remove burnt on stuff without chemicals.

Simmer salt water in the pan for 30 minutes. Dump water and wipe /scrub of remaining. If still stuck on repeat with salt water simmer for next layer of gunk

Vinegar. White vinegar and a regular kitchen scrub brush. Pour in some vinegar, simmer for a bit, scrub lightly with brush. It will come right up plus its cheap and safe to use. I wouldn't inhale it per se, but Vinegar has worked wonders for me.

Salted water like PastaAMT.

I second the Dawn Power Dissolver - it's really effective. I used it on a pot that had burned-on rice (yes, I forgot about it) and it was sparkling afterwards.

Best way to remove that burned on crud? Ammonia. Place burnt pan in a new plastic trash bag, pour in a tablespoon or 2 of ammonia (in bag, not in pan), tie bag so it is air-tight and leave overnight. The fumes are what loosen the crud. The next day you'll be able to wipe crud off with a sponge. It works on oven racks, broiler pans, etc.

Amazing.

I'd just boil some water in the pot. Gently scrape at the crud with a utensil, like a spoon or something. Once it starts getting loosened, dump the water, let the pot cool down a little bit, then attack with an abrasive cleaner. Repeat as necessary.

I second using white vinegar. It you pour in enough vinegar to cover the nasty spots and let it simmer a bit, you should be able to use a safe scrubby to get the rest off.

Try vinegar and baking soda first. Let that sit for a while and see if that breaks it up. If that doesn't work, Bon Ami should work. I hate using chemicals on dishes, so I stick with the edible options first. It might take a few days to get it all off (trust me--I've had burned-bottom pots in my sink for a week), but it'll come off without using something nasty on it.

I use oven cleaner ALL THE TIME and have for decades. Easy and always works with minimal effort. No damage whatsoever.

Barkeepers Friend is my new friend. :)

Oven cleaner is probably not a good idea. Those tend to be filled with strong, corrosive chemicals that can damage the more delicate surface of your pans. A simple soak and boil with salt water should help break up the burned on residue. Follow these directions, and you should be able to clean it off without too much trouble.

A lot of people warn against using salt with stainless steel pans out of fear of the salt causing surface pitting, but if it is completely dissolved in a solution, it shouldn't be a problem. Obviously, you don't want to make a habit of cleaning your dishes with saline solution, but for the occasional charred food removal, it will be fine. If the salt water method still doesn't work, you may want to look into buying a cookware-specific stainless steel cleaner.