Dear Heloise: Help, please! I forgot I was stewing strawberries in a stainless-steel pot. The result: a blackened mess inside of the pot. I can’t get it off. Help, please!—Bernice Weill, via e-mail

Here are a couple of hints to help! Fill the pot about 3/4 full of water, put it on the burner and bring to a boil for only a few minutes. DO NOT LET IT BOIL DRY! Let cool and then scrub.

If the pan is still black, fill with water and add 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar for each quart of water in the pan. Let the mixture boil for 10 minutes. Pour off the water. Wash, rinse an...

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