Baking Soda is Amazing Stuff

We got our most recent issue of Real Simple in the mail yesterday and I saw a suggestion for "removing stuck-on bits without scrubbing." I thought to myself, "Our 6 qt pot that we got as a wedding gift is pretty disgusting. I wonder if this will work for it?" There were 3 easy steps:
"1. Fill the dirty pan almost to the rim with water and add about 1/4C baking soda.
"2. Simmer the mixture until almost no liquid is left. A chalky film should coat the bottom and the sides.
"3. With a sponge, wipe the skillet clean, then wash with soap and hot water."

I really didn't believe that it would work or I would have taken a before picture. Then, I was so excited that it was working that I didn't want to stop to go and get my camera. To give you an idea - in the first picture you can kind of see the black stuff. It completely covered the bottom and a couple inches up the sides and above that all the way to the top it was just yucky stained yellowish brown from 11 years of cooking, often with Indian spices. The 2nd picture is the finished product. There are still a few areas that need work so we are going to boil baking soda in it again but it hasn't been this clean since we first got it.

I know I had gotten a book from my Gram about the wonders of baking soda as a newlywed but I didn't become a believer until today. We were thinking about throwing this pot out. Now we don't have to - Thanks God!