Unsticking Stuff From a Non "Non-Stick" Pan.....

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine at work told me about this nasty pan she had with food stuck all over it. She said she used a dryer sheet to get the crusty food residue off of it. I didn't think much of it and went on about my day. However, I guess I filed that little nugget of knowledge into the depths of my left brain, and today it came in handy.

Ryan and I cooked garlic chicken pasta for lunch today, and decided to use what we lovingly refer to as "the deep dish".  It is a heavy duty pan, but it has a downfall. It is not a nonstick pan. We were sure to liberally grease the pan prior to cooking, but we still ended up with this big mess stuck to the bottom.

Eww.

So of course, not having a dishwasher, we left it sitting in the sink. Neither of us acted like it had happened. Plus, when your kid looks like this by the end of every meal, you really aren't too worried about the gross dishes. Let them grow mold, for all I care. We can eat off of paper, right?

OMG Mom, I'm full. And Cranktastic. And I WANT OUT NOW DAMNIT.

Then I remembered the trick that my friend shared with me, and I ran out to the laundry room to grab a dryer sheet.

I ran some hot water into the pan, and dropped the sheet into it. Then, I walked away. A few hours later, I came back and poured out the water and dryer sheet. Get ready for pure amazement.

Ta-Da!

This is before I even had to scrub! Is that not the coolest thing ever? 

Are there any other amazing, miraculous home secrets that I'm missing out on? Please fill me in!