Have you ever left a dish or pan in your sink so long it got stinky?
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
United States
June 11, 2008 12:33pm CST
A couple weeks back, my spouse decided to cook eggs in an old pan. Needless to say, it turned out to be a disaster. We were out of Pam and the pan had long since lost it's non-stick surface. So, he ended up using butter.
And, for some reason, the heat was too high and the butter scorched. And, when he put the eggs over top of the scorched butter, they made a real stink!
Then he dished them into the trash and left the pan for me to clean up. Ordinarily, I don't have a problem cleaning things up. Except for burnt eggs on an ancient pan. So, I let the pan soak for a day. And, then two days. And, still the stuff would not come off. On the third day, I woke up with a foul stench lurking in my kitchen.
Turns out, eggs decompose very quickly and stink. Of course, I'd already scraped out a bulk of the eggs. But, the burnt on stuff had gone bad. So, I ended up tossing the pan in the trash. I needed new cookware anyway!
Have you ever left a dish or pan in your sink so long it got stinky?
Have you ever left food in a dish or pan in the sink and then it soured? How do you get burnt egg off a pan?
6 people like this
14 responses
@sherlock27 (913)
• United States
11 Jun 08
I've had similar problem through the years. My mother always would fill the offending pan with water, put it on the stove, bring to a boil, and believe it or not it would loosen the contents so the pan could be washed. It's best to let the water simmer for a few minutes, then continue to clean as usual.
2 people like this
@dawnmiller (76)
• United States
11 Jun 08
Oh good advise I have never heard this before but will for sure try it out...most likley this will be soon too. Thanks for the suggestion, I love these little tips that are passed down.
1 person likes this
@Jemina (5770)
•
11 Jun 08
When I got sick with Dengue and I was going to be taken to the hospital I listed the things I needed to take out from my room. There was still some rice in the cooker and I was thinking of giving it to my co-teacher so they can clean the cooker for me as I was too weak to do anything. Alas, I forgot to do so. I stayed in the hospital for a week, rested for a couple of weeks and all this time I was thinking that the rice had been putrified and molds have grown on it.
When I got back to my place at work I was surprised that the rice looked like it was just cooked a day before. No repulsive smell, no molds, nothing changed with how it looked when I cooked it. Can you believe that? For 3 weeks the rice didn't get rotten.
1 person likes this
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
13 Jun 08
Perhaps it's a rice thing, then. I am happy to hear
that you are doing better.
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
12 Jun 08
no,but my mom left one so long it got maggots.
needless to say,i do the dishes now.pot o' maggots,yum yum 
beyond gross.
beyond gross. @heatherhedyjon (122)
• United States
11 Jun 08
I think we all have whether we admit it or not. I'm pretty fastidious about cleaning but sometimes I just get fed up that I'm the only one in the house that does it so I will let things go before someone else notices-if they do it sure beats me because in the end I'm doing it anyway.
1 person likes this
@beautyqueen26 (16030)
• United States
13 Jun 08
I'm a clean freak, by nature, but sometimes I have to let something soak.
In the end, I just gave up!
@meiyeec511 (405)
• Malaysia
12 Jun 08
No, I will never do that, I will clena up everything after a meal.
I don't like to keep everything to be uncleaned, it's uncomfortable. I will keep on thinking there's something not finished yet.
And if left everything in the sink after that, will bring insects. That time will be more trtouble.
1 person likes this
@mikeysmom (2088)
• United States
12 Jun 08
i would have tossed it too. i have never left anything in the sink long enough for it to get stinky though. i try hard to keep up with the kitchen as i cannot function in messy, cluttered kitchen.
1 person likes this
@lingli_78 (12822)
• Australia
12 Jun 08
i never do that honestly... i can't stand leaving dishes overnight in a sink as i think it is very messy and unhygenic... i don't like to pile things up... also, i need to cook everyday and i have limited cookery... so if i don't wash them everyday and leave it in the sink, i will end up not having pans or saucepans to cook... take care and have a nice day...
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
11 Jun 08
It is probably a good thing that you couldn't get the eggs out of the pan. Can you imagine that you have been eating that Teflon all this time? I know that they are expensive but once they start to loose the teflon it time to pitch them, not just because they are hard to clean but that stuff isn't good for you to ingest.
@wondericequeen (7876)
• Hong Kong
14 Jun 08
No! Definitely no! I always wash the dish off immediately after eating and I just hate the sight of any plate sitting in the sink. I guess I am a cleaning freak in this part of my life. I just have to wash the plate when I get up of my seat and finish eating!
@jungletime (221)
• United States
11 Jun 08
COLD water gets eggs out of a pan-burnt or not! :)
1 person likes this
@sudalunts (5523)
• United States
13 Jun 08
I work outside of the home, and my husband is home.
He used to be very good with cleaning up the kitchen each night after we have eaten.
Now, he leaves the dishes in the sink, being stubborn, since I am out working, I won't wash them. After two days the longest, I will give in.
He also irks my nerves, when he puts pots and pans in the sink with food in them.. I am always saying we do not have a garbage disposal, PLEASE scrap them first.
Actually, I never put pots and pans in the sink, until I am ready to wash them.
@dawnmiller (76)
• United States
11 Jun 08
I must admit I am really bad about this...acutally it is more of him than me but I end up cleaning it. The bad thing is I am known for just throwing out a pan or two. I am really bad about throwing out tupperware that sits in the fridge too long also. My dirty little secret, lol.
@chubzlife (95)
• Philippines
12 Jun 08
I don't leave a dish or pan in the sink for long. I have had seminars on food safety because I once worked in a fastfood chain and food companies who were strict in food safety. I am also practicing food safety at home. I have learned that bacteria multiply very fast. Leaving food in the room temperature or dish pan in the sink would likely be a haven for bacteria. That caused the stink on your dishpan.
On how to get burnt egg off a pan... I have read (but not tried yet) that putting a dishwashing liquid with water in the pan over slow heat would loosen it up, making it easier to clean. Another is using baking soda to clean it. (have not tried this either). ;)
1 person likes this
