I treat my Staub better than I treat my cat. I treat both well—don't worry—but my Staub lets me cradle it and wash it and fuss over it in a way that my cat does not tolerate.
That's why I was alarmed (ashamed, even) to find discoloration—brownish, coppery mottling—on the sides and bottom of my graphite-colored cocotte. Where had I gone wrong? Had I had not cared for it properly? I had used it to sauté Suzanne Goin's Genius Slow-Cooked Kale (...five times) and to bake no-knead bread—but I certainly had not pushed it to its limits.
I scrubbed with dishwashing liquid and a sponge—but no dice. I figured that I was stuck with the stains for life.
But the Staub gods smiled upon me and my precious pot. It just so happened that Director of Marketing for Staub, Joanna Rosenberg, told Kristen Miglore that this kind of marking was what happened when fats like oils and butters aren't fully cleaned off and then burn onto the sides of the pan.
The solution—which won't come as a surprise to you if you're up to date on all of our enamel care news—is good old Bar Keeper's Friend. And what a friend indeed!
I put my pot in the sink, dampened it with water, sprinkled Bar Keeper's Friend over the problem areas, and scrubbed—rather firmly—with a paper towel. In a few minutes, the stains were gone and my love for my Staub was renewed. (And the BKF worked to clean up my other scorch-bottomed pot, too.)
Some of our finest enameled cast iron pots:
Looking for more happy-ending transformation stories?
We first ran this post last spring, but are bringing it back in case you missed the memo and want to get your cocottes shining like new. Read how our favorite enameled cast iron is made, and shop for it, here.
What are your best kitchen cleaning tricks? Tell us in the comments.
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Written by: Sarah Jampel
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14 Comments
Would these pots be OK subjected to a few hours of ~600º heat? All else equal, I'd rather not create a lot of fine scratches in the beautiful enamel finishes.
I had a similar problem, and found that the Mr. Clean eraser sponge did a fabulous job as well and did not take long. I like to take very good care of my kitchen ware too, as gunk on a beautiful pan or pot detracks from its beauty. and I believe it doesn't work as well when I use them. 😉
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