Burned millk on bottom of stainless pot? Simmer lemon juice diluted with a bit of water for a few minutes and gently scrape with wooden spoon. Comes off in a sheet.

BTW: How clean are the bottoms of dutch ovens meant to be? My well-loved pot has mottled darker patches on the bottom that I can't get off. The texture is mostly smooth (ie no bits of food) but not the same as the original enamel colour. Is this normal?

@jilly777 -- thanks for asking, I have the same problem. I've tried various products to no avail, so I've chalked it up to heavy use and a lot of lovin'. :)

I've had good luck with a little baking soda and dish soap in some water: bring it to a boil, and then immediately lower it to a simmer (or it foams right out of the pot). Most of the crud lifts off by itself, and the rest scrubs off easily.

I keep a tiny amount of BIOLOGICAL laundry detergent around for just this purpose. Put a couple of spoonfuls in COLD water in your pan and bring to the boil as slowly as possible. Or dissolve and leave to sit overnight.

My le creuset, that was my dad's as long as I can remember (and I'm 25) is still sparkling clean thanks to this method.

I use the same technique as sparrowrose. It works like a charm on almost anything and requires no elbow grease.

Soak anything with soap and water and scrape the muck with an old library/safeway card. I swear this saves me hours every month.

This isn't a baked-on item, but here's a good tip: I've found Soft Scrub to be the only thing that gets tea stains off my mugs and teapots.