Cleaning burned enameled cast iron

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Cleaning burned enameled cast iron
Topic Started: Oct 15 2014, 04:57 AM (203 Views)
Dana	Oct 15 2014, 04:57 AM Post #1
WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire Posts: 13,054 Group: Member Member #830 Joined: March 23, 2011	I have an old Le Creuset - 30+ years it has served me, my large orange pot, but it is starting to give out on the bottom. I wondered if the enamel could be ground off the inside of the pot allowing it to be used as cast iron. Alas, that is not going to give a good result. I did find a thread with a lot of ideas on how to get rid of hard burned spots on enamel or stainless in the easiest manner possible. http://food52.com/hotline/4466-what-s-the-best-way-to-clean-a-very-burned-bottom-of-a-le-creuset-pot



campy	Oct 15 2014, 05:21 AM Post #2
Handyman Extraordinaire Posts: 28,720 Group: no politics Member #204 Joined: February 2, 2006	Listen to the voice of experience on burnt pots. Only one way to clean it. Be very careful not to breath in the fumes.Wear rubber cloves. Take it outside. Hold your breath. Spray the inside with oven cleaner. Put the lid back on. Put it in a plastic bag and let it sit one whole day in the sun on a warm day. Very fine steel wool will get the burn off . After all, oven cleaners work on a burnt oven so why not on a pot? They are a very caustic product. There's not enough safety instructions on the product. The fumes are harmful if you breathe them in. You should use a mask and rubber gloves. Then once it is clean use detergent and hot water and a bit of vinegar to wash it. Grinding off the enamel would be a tough job and not worth the price of admission. Edited by campy, Oct 15 2014, 05:28 AM.



erka	Oct 15 2014, 05:31 AM Post #3
Gold Star Member Posts: 5,330 Group: Member Member #233 Joined: February 8, 2006	Dana: I have cleaned lots of caste iron pots and enamel pans. When the oven is on "self clean" caste iron and enamel pots/pans are put in the oven as well. The enamel pans are just like new; the cast iron will have a bit of rust on the surface that is easily rinsed off before seasoning.



swing	Oct 15 2014, 07:06 AM Post #4
swing Posts: 9,979 Group: Member Member #359 Joined: August 18, 2006	I read somewhere to add vinegar to the pot and boil for a few minutes. It worked for me!



Durgan	Oct 15 2014, 09:03 AM Post #5
Veteran Member Posts: 13,273 Group: Gardening Guru Member #720 Joined: March 31, 2010	I have a cast iron porcelain pot which is heavily stained. Next time I clean the oven by heating, I will leave it in and see how clean it becomes. It is one of my favorite pot and I bake food in it often. They are most expensive to replace.



Trotsky	Oct 16 2014, 12:59 AM Post #6
Big City Boy Posts: 38,319 Group: Member Member #79 Joined: September 8, 2005	Dana, Nobody can ask more than 30 years of a pot. Buy a new one, and I recommend heavy cast aluminum for it's excellent heat conductivity and reasonable price. (Don't put it in the dishwasher.) Le Creuset is expensive stuff for people who like to show it off...or to smash in the skulls of intruders. Similar with copper...lovely to look at but it takes a lifetime of polishing and when all shiny you hate to use it. Stainless is a rotten heat conductor so you get scorch spots. Cast iron also stinks for heat conduction...that's why it has to be so thick. I had a heavy Teflon griddle, 20 years old, and I thought I would sand off the worn out Teflon. It was SLAVE LABOR...I couldn't write my name for 24 hours and I still didn't get it all off. Porcelain would be totally impossible to remove. Edited by Trotsky, Oct 16 2014, 01:14 AM.



Darcie	Oct 16 2014, 02:40 AM Post #7
Skeptic Posts: 31,154 Group: Member Member #714 Joined: March 30, 2010	I have an old one bought in 1976, when I go to Montreal I will go to the Portuguese shop on Blvd St. Laurent and buy me a new one for a fraction of the cost of the 'names'. The one I have is used and discoloured but the enamel is chipped but only on the outside. It is the right size and can be used on top of the stove or in the oven.



campy	Oct 16 2014, 06:27 AM Post #8
Handyman Extraordinaire Posts: 28,720 Group: no politics Member #204 Joined: February 2, 2006	I bought a slow cooker instead. It does the same job without burning a meal to a crisp. The veal I cooked (osso bucco) was the most tender I have eaten in a long time. The enameled pan is going to remain unused and will probably end up in the landfill. I bought a small one. Perfect for one or two people.



heatseeker	Oct 16 2014, 06:18 PM Post #9
Veteran Member Posts: 10,320 Group: Member Member #713 Joined: March 30, 2010	We have accumulated just about every sort of pot and pan over the years, and they all have a purpose. Cast iron is great for starting something (fish, chicken, steak etc) on the stove top and finishing it in the oven. Also handy for making corn bread and some desserts. Teflon coated pans probably get the most use around here. Like campy, we make use of a slow cooker, especially this time of year, and on occasions when we will be away most of the day. Conversely, there are times when a pressure cooker fits the bill. The heavy enamel pots have their uses too.



Trotsky	Oct 24 2014, 05:06 AM Post #10
Big City Boy Posts: 38,319 Group: Member Member #79 Joined: September 8, 2005	My theory is buy a cheap Teflon coated aluminum pot. When the Teflon is shot, throw it out. Sometimes they get a half life if they have a little heft: heat the ruined pot as hot as possible, throw in a steak and cover with splatter shield covered in paper. Flip steak. That's as close as possible as you can get to flame broiled in the kitchen. Pot is encrusted black...tough, don't even bother cleaning it, next time at 600 degrees will sterilize it. Whinging over a precious pricey pot has long ago been removed from my bucket list. (I kept a blender long after I hated it simply because it cost $120. Nuts.) Edited by Trotsky, Oct 24 2014, 05:13 AM.



Dana	Oct 24 2014, 07:29 AM Post #11
WWS Hummingbird Guru & Wildlife photographer extrordinaire Posts: 13,054 Group: Member Member #830 Joined: March 23, 2011	I had never seen so many ideas on ways to clean pots as in the link listed above but cleaning was not the issue with the old le creuset. Not throwing something away that might still have life in it was my thought about the old pot . It is not possible to do so, too far gone and after all these years it owes me nothing. It will now go into recycling as scrap metal . It was too heavy for my hands to use frequently and I bought a new smaller size one last year for use in the oven .



Trotsky	Oct 24 2014, 08:05 AM Post #12
Big City Boy Posts: 38,319 Group: Member Member #79 Joined: September 8, 2005	I asked Bob if he could lift a Le Creuset skillet, the one with the short handle. He tried and anything in the skillet would have wound up on the floor in an instant. (Imagine dropping one on a bare foot.)



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