Stainless steel pans are durable, versatile, and unlike cast iron, they don't need seasoning or too much upkeep. However, this type of cookware is not foolproof, and it's possible to overheat your steel pan and damage its surface — this is how to tell if you cranked up the heat too much while cooking with your steel pot or pan.

If food is burnt onto your steel pan and you can't get rid of it even with forceful scrubbing, you definitely overheated the metal while cooking. This doesn't mean you have to throw the pan away, and while avoiding high heat is the best way to maintain your cookware, you can clean off the burnt food using household staples.

For mild stains on your pan, a mixture of equal parts dish soap and baking soda rubbed into the metal with a microfiber cloth should do the trick, and for dark stains, apply white or apple cider vinegar to the pan and scrub along the grain of the steel. Never use abrasive cleaning tools like steel wool, which can ruin the finish of the pan.