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What's the best way to clean a VERY burned bottom of a Le Creuset pot?
I couldn't resist the bargain bags of apples at the farmer's market and so my wife and I came home with 40 pounds of apples to make our last batch of apple sauce for the season.
Probably because they had been stored so long and probably because they only had 3 varieties of apples on close-out sale, this batch behaved very differently than in the past. Not only is the flavor not as complex (I usually use as many varieties as I can in equal proportion -- as many as 15 kinds. I just walk down the row at the farmer's market taking 5 of each kind of apple) but it's thicker and pastier...
...but that's neither here nor there. The real problem is the burned on spot on the bottom of the pot. Black, black, black. I soaked it overnight. I scraped it with a sharp edged short-order cook spatula. I scrubbed it with a Dobie sponge and Barkeeper's Friend... and yet there's still quite a bit left.
So, how do I clean my beloved massive 13.25 quart Le Creuset pot?
Recipe
This time last year
Pan Fried Red Snapper with Tarragon Tartar Sauce
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Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
added about 2 years agoTry simmering some white vinegar in there and give it a little wooden sppon scrub now and again. Then when that doesn't work try salt / lemon / ice and swish it around (waitress trick for burned coffee pots) and when I say swish I mean put your back into it!
Good luck! Stupid apples.
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
added about 2 years agoAnd add some baking soda to the white vinegar. Be patient, this is going to take a while. And how do you think I know that?
Maybe some of these suggestions will help you...
http://www.food52.com/foodpickle...
Barkeeper's Friend didn't work? Oh no! I had high hopes for this product which has worked fine for us so far......I'm going to follow this to see if you find a solution, good luck!
I'm nodding my head in agreement with both of you, and rolling my eyes. haven't we all been there at one time or another? ;)
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
added about 2 years agoBarkeeper's Friend ALWAYS does the trick with a Dobie sponge on my All-Clad stainless steel. Alas, not on the enameled cast iron Le Creuset. I'm excited to try all these other solutions though!
i just took some BKF to my le Creuset pot yesterday and made major headway. not perfect, but helped a lot. it does require some SERIOUS elbow grease, however.
I am in a hotel and not my kitchen so excuse me for not having the exact names. Mr. Clean has a plain white sponge called Magic Erasure (something like that). When you use it, the material kind of disappears. The point being it cleans without scratching. I have used it with success on my broiler pan and other stained things.
Cost about $2.50 for 2 (I think).
The best thing I've found is soaking the pan overnight with baking soda and hot water. Scrub the pan in the morning with a dish brush and repeat if necessary.
I just used this method to get off the awful black crust caused by an applesauce event similar to the one that began this thread. Thanks for the solution!
Peter, try this work like magic on sugar high carbon crusts.
Add about 1/2 inch of Hydrogen Peroxide to the pot. Add about 1-2 tsp of baking soda.
Heat until it starts to bubble up. It needs the heat to start the reaction. Simmer about 10 mins..and brush with a green scrub brush. Repeat as needed.
It gets into the bond of the carbon and lifts it of the pan. It will bubble and stink, so turn on your vent. But it won't harm the enamel.
I've tried all the above for high sugar crusts/carbon burned on stuff. This is the ONLY thing that works 100 percent of the time without scratching your pan.
รด! Wonderfull!!! You saved my mother's pot!!! =) I did as you said. bring to a boil, let it at simmer for 15 mn, then, I turn off the heat and let it sit there for an other 15mn. When I came back, the liquid was all brown and it smell like burned food: Good! I empty the pot and realise that a few chips of burned food broke from my deep burned pot!!! Then I use a wooden spatula and decided to "chip" the burn surface, I hit the black crust more than scrap it, really, and it all came off quite easily!!! I was quite resigned about my pot that was soaking for a week without any result! 30mns and that big black crust was gone!!! hurray!!! Thank You Sam1148! =D
This method works the best with very little rubbing or scrubbing required. Thumbs up !
I agree with everyone who says to keep trying. I over-baked a batch of onions into a miserable black crust in a brand new dutch oven and was sure I'd ruined it. But after a few days (!) of rounds of boiling with vinegar and water and working at it gently but in a determined way, the muck eventually began to give way. The pot is now a little seasoned-looking and works just fine. I think the answer is that it takes endless, zen-like patience but it will work eventually.
You've gotten all the suggestions I could offer, so please accept my sympathies. After you've done your best, call it seasoning and keep using it?
If it makes you feel even a little less bad, one of my favorite pans is one my Mom gave me, that still has the ghost of many individual rice grains seared into it. Pan performs fine, but nothing will make the ghosts go away. I've learned to live with them, and would miss them in the bottom of my pot now. It has character.
Cynthia is a trusted source on Bread/Baking.
added about 2 years agoBurnt Offerings, I've got one of those too.
Chris is a trusted source on General Cooking
added about 2 years agoWhat a lot of stories in this thread. Peter, I think that most everyone at Food52 has had a similar disaster and felt we've ruined out Le Creuset, only to finally recover it. Burnt Offerings really brought it home to me--my mother had a huge collection of Revere Ware. Over the past almost 60 years, I've seen it destroyed, piece by piece, often with those rice grains seared into it. I still have a couple pieces, but they could never survive an applesauce adventure. Be happy that your pot is of thicker stock and will recover! Let us know what finally worked.
Use Dawn Power dissolver (it comes in a blue opaque bottle). Just spray on , leave in a place inaccessible to lil kids for ~ 1 hr & then just practically wipe it off
aargersi, you cracked me up. "Stupid apples." Sounds like something I'd say.
I'm glad to be in such great company.
With you Betteirene ...That's right, I'd scold the apples too!
For my Creuset, I use dishwasher detergent. Make sure you buy a brand that contains enzymes (you have to read the ingredients on the label). Dissolve the detergent in hot water and let the pan soak overnight. It always works for me.
Barkeeper's Friend always works for me!
dmbaer's method always works for me. It softens the burnt on crud and makes it much easier to scrub off - whether LC or stainless cookware.
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
added about 2 years agoThank you everyone for the wide array of ideas. Last night I tried the boiling vinegar and baking soda and... no dice. Absolutely no easier to remove what's burnt on.
Tonight I'll try to make time to try the dishwasher soap ('cause I have it handy) and if that fails, next I'll try the hydrogen peroxide (which will require a quick trip to the drug store).
One question though. I've banned the green nylon scrubby sponges from our kitchen as it wreaks havoc on the stainless steel. I use the yellow sponges with the with nylon nets -- Dobies.
Are those green scrubbies ok to use on Le Creuset? Or will they scratch it up?
Are you leaving it to soak overnight? Also, have you tried putting it in the oven with water and an agent such as baking soda? It might release easier if hot. I think the key is to keep letting it soak without interruption. And, maybe instead of trying any other remedies, you should contact Le Creuset: http://www.lecreuset.com....
Good luck! I've used the green scrubbies but then again my LC is about 20 years old..and has it's share of ware, the enamel is still fine. Just stained a bit from use. However with the Hydrogen Peroxide you shouldn't have to scrub much and the yellow net sponge should work fine. You might have to repeat the HP method as once it reacts with the carbon, it'll give it's all and you reload with fresh. Only takes about a half hour or less. A few mins boil and a few mins simmer. You'll see it start working and lifting off the crust.
It really only works well on "Crusty" carbon that's bonded to the pan. Rinse and repeat.
BTW: When I say "BOIL" it's not really boiling in the traditional sense. Just heat until you see bubbles reacting with the carbon bits. It should only bubble on the parts that are crusted. Hope this helps!
so...Is it clean yet?
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
added about 2 years agoI'll scrub tonight. Stay tuned!
Abbie is a trusted source on General Cooking.
added about 2 years agoWell the beet chips look fabulous! We are all keeping your poor pot in our thoughts :-)
I'll keep watching. Sometimes it takes another treatment as the H202 gives up it's power pretty quickly, and it needs heat to start the reaction and keep it going. Otherwise it just sits there doing nothing.
Hope everything works fine you.
Peter - did you try commercial spray on oven cleaner? The inside of ovens is often enameled, and that stuff is designed to break down carbon. Spray it, cover it, and let it rest overnight.
While Peter no longer works for Food52 he still thinks up ways to make the website better.
added about 2 years agoAll, so sorry for the lack of updates on the state of my pot -- I've been BUSY for the last 2 weeks wrapping up the Whole Foods site we launched yesterday. (In case you missed it, here's the announcement: http://bit.ly/eowFxx and here's the site: http://bit.ly/fhVW3c )
Anyway, the pot is doing a lot better. Not perfect -- and my impatience may have damaged the pot to some degree -- but better.
First I tried simmering vinegar and baking soda. No real help. Then I tried simmering hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Not much better. Then I went soaking it overnight with an inch of water and a pile of powdered cascade covering the spot. I'd then scrub it with a green nylon scrubbing pad. (The white mesh covered, yellow Dobie-brand sponge that's so good on my stainless steel was useless.)
After two successive 24 hour long rounds of this Cascade treatment the spot is 95% better. No black. No raised areas. Just some light brown.
Unfortunately I think the green nylon scrubber did a number on the enamel. While the walls of the pot are glossy smooth to the touch, the affected area feel... not rough, but not glossy. More like running your finger over a piece of paper instead of a piece of glass. :-/
Let's hope that the newly "rough" area doesn't become a regular trouble spot and I'll try the oven cleaner next to see if I can return it to a shiny white.
Finally, thanks for all the suggestions and the patience in waiting for the round-up.
You should still try Barkeepers Friend... It has removed all my stubborn stains, plus it's great for removing those annoying grey scuff marks that appear on your sink!
Thanks for the update peter! The H2O2 method, only removes high carbon crusts. As a first line 'save' . It doesn't to anything for stains on enamel.
As for your Pot. Don't worry too much. I have a LC that's 20, (probably closer to 25 years old now). The bottom is stained and a bit brown. I would think scrubbing more with more harsh things might cause more harm to the finish than good..just to remove stains. Only for surface 'bumps' of burned on carbon.
Oh, it looks pretty when new. But with use, even the most diligent cook will have some stains after years of use. For the LC it, IMHO, it's just visual. Doesn't effect the performance. (unless there's something bumpy in there). Stains are just visual problems. You should see my 25 year old wok.
But for the LC. You do run the risk of removing the stain..and removing the coating with harsh scrubbing chemicals etc. The stain is a 'character mark' of used and love pan.
thank you thank you! I just tried the hydrogen peroxide and baking soda and it worked like a charm. I can't believe it worked so well! I just used a wooden spoon to 'scrub' the gook out and it's stained, but as good as ever.
I found this thread when searching google for help with the exact same problem. I'm a newlywed with my brand new beautiful mustard yellow Le Creuset stockpot. I went apple picking and just couldn't wait to make applesauce for the first time in my new kitchen with all my new stuff. Same big black scary char. I have made applesauce so many times in my moms old pot but this demon char, mine eyes had never beheld.
Before doing any reading on the matter, I just let it soak in plain h2o overnight. Then in the morning I did my research and found this. So after haring all your responses and a couple from my mom too, first I dumped the water out of my soaked pot, then poured about a cup of baking soda on it and let it sit for a couple minutes. Then I put in some water filled about a third of the pot, and put it on the stove to boil for about an hour and a half. Mad myself some French toast, found out there is tons of other fun stuff to read on this website, and then drained the water. Most of the char had bubbled off the bottom. I used the little brown square that comes with pampered chef baking stones to scrape off the parts that didn't pop off and they came up with no elbow grease to speak of. I'm glad your pot is okay now, and so is mine, thanks to your research! New readers try my method. No damage and very little effort!
I agree with the dishwasher detergent suggestions, but I do it differently, with excellent results: Put a generous scoop of detergent into pot, along with a squirt of dishwashing liquid. Fill pot with water, and boil for 15 minutes. Cover and leave overnight. Next morning, if not all gone, and it often is, use BKF as a touch up. If super-bad, repeat. This works on any kind of burned pan or casserole dish.
I work at a kitchen store, and asked our Le Creuset rep the same question last week to help with my burnt pot:
"Use a laundry detergent (like Tide or another brand with enzymes) mixed as one part detergent to three parts water in order to fill the vessel. Boil for 5-7 minutes. Allow the vessel to cool, then use a nylon or plastic scrubby as needed.
After cleaning, coat the interior lightly with white vinegar on a soft cloth or paper towel. This helps return some of the sheen back to the glaze. The longer the vinegar stays on the enamel, the more of the sheen it will return. Your vessel can be stored with the vinegar on it until next time. Wash and dry before using."
I just tried the laundry detergent method offered up here and Voila! It's taking all the cooked on, stuck and yucky and burnt sweet potato casserole off the bottom of my gorgeous red casserole! Used about 3 tablespoons (heaping) of Gain powdered detergent, boiled for about 5 minutes. Tested it by scraping with a wooden spatula...bits on hard, black cooked on disgusting mess are boiling to the surface or the little bit of water I added to cover the bottom completely. I scraped a bit more now letting it soak. Looks like success at last! And just in time for Thanksgiving, which is the last time I used this particular dish
Ugh, lots of typos above...next I'll coat with vinegar as suggested by frausimon , and move on to my dutch oven. Yes, I did the same thing to that one as well. ;-)
Hi Arety, pedagogue typographist cooking journalist Mick here. Just taking a look at your last post there, the one raising the issue of "typos" in other peoples posts - let's see... OK, no space between three full stops and the word "next" then only one space after the full stop (what Americans call "period") and then a rogue space after "frausimon" before the comma. Suffice to say, there are three "typos" in your own text. Not entirely sure about ending the passage with the unusual juxtaposition of a semicolon / en dash / singular parenthesis. Maybe you might want to take a look at your own work, before making rash, and somewhat misjudged comments about others.
By the popularity of this question and answers it sounds like a lot of us have forgotten a pot on the stove and burned a really bad. When all else fails, I spray a little oven cleaner on the spot and that usually works. Be careful and use it where there is really good ventilation and be sure and wear rubber gloves.
Loved re-reading this and remembering similar adventures with my own Le Creuset. I like to put a lot of hot water, really hot, even boiling, into the pot to cover the stain, then a tablespoon or two of chlorine bleach. Let it sit for an hour or two. The blackened areas just float away and stains disappear. Be sure to rinse well and let others know that there is BLEACH in the pot and not just water during the soak!
Mick - She was commenting on her own post that she wrote previously. No need to be so harsh. Please review all the information before spouting off on a soap box. We are all supposed to be here to help each other, not berate them.
Actually, I have a secret weapon for cleaning the most burned on food...my Portuguese Water Dog, Floozy(named by my husband) who has some kind of talent for scraping pots clean. She diligently works until it looks like new. Just a little follow up soap and water and the enamel sparkles once again!
a friend told me to try soft scrub and it works really well on dark stains on he enameled cookware. I don't know how it will do on a tough burn. (the squeeze bottle soft scrub works better than the spray.). my Le Crueset is now creamy white again. good luck! the magic eraser suggestion is a good one, but it may take off some of the enamel so be careful.
I love it when people recommend using vinegar and baking soda. Vinegar is an acid, and baking soda is a base, but the bubbles, ooh the bubbles! are so impressive when you mix the two, you forget that you are trying to clean a product with salt water.
I would suggest using industrial-strength lye. Reacts with carbon in a lovely way. Keep out of the reach of children. And when you're done, you can neutralize it with some vinegar -- see the pretty bubbles!
This solution isn't open to everyone, but.... If you have a pyrolytic self-cleaning oven (heats itself up to around 500 degrees....) then put the encrusted Le Crueset cookware in before running the cleaning cycle. The burnt on crud will be reduced to ash and the pan will be left gleaming. Ask around to see if you know someone who has one.
Hmmm...years ago I put some Caphalon in my self cleaning oven and yes, indeed, it came out looking like new. But...I had actually annealed the metal and it became very pitted and ugly with use.