This is a demonstration of how not to clean a Le Creuset pan. I worked for Le Creuset for a decade. Never use a pitted enamel surface as you may be eating enamel (glass). Never use barkeepers and never use a scrubbing tool that is abrasive. You do not need oven cleaner just a high temperature oven will burn off whatever is on your pan. It’s ok to recycle pans like this one as they are not safe to cook with any longer. Go to your local Le Creuset outlet store and get a new and amazing pan for a great price and this time clean it properly, do not use metal tools or abrasive objects and it will last you a lifetime!

He said he wanted to be gentle with it and then cleaned it with a scratchy metal sponge. When I saw this I was screaming 😱

boil with baking soda not vinegar, and never use metal scrubbers on ceramic surfaces

Le Creuset does have a lifetime-of-the-pot guarantee that they will clean and re-enamel your pan. This sounds like the perfect time to use that benefit!

I have a fabulous turquoise LaCruset pot that I found in the garbage 40 yrs ago. Still using it today.

Le Creuset had a "forever" guarantee. For whatever reason, they will fix or replace. A cousin of mine had a Le Creuset given to her as a gift in the early 70's. She used and loved it for 50 plus years. It was stained and there was a small chip on the outside on the bottom of the pot near the edges. She called Le Creuset and they sent her a new one. Personally, I would re-purpose this dutch oven and contact Le Creuset for a new one. But, that's me.

Not that anyone asked, but this is my go-to: Make a wet paste of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide, smear it on the guilty pot, and let it dry overnight. Won't remove every stain, but it'll take off a surprising amount of crud with minimal effort.

I've always heard cracked enamel makes the pan unusable for cooking bc potentially glass bits getting into food, do you think the pitting could flake off bits more

I use a chain mail scrubber on my regular cast iron. Not on my enameled cast iron.

I wouldn’t use a metal scourer as that scratches the surface. Le Creuset do make a cleaner specifically for their cast iron pans, which cleans and conditions the enamel. I bought my pans in the early 80’s and they are still like new as I follow the care notes (cool, then wash with a brush after a brief soak, then condition every so often).

I would have used Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate) and boiled a strong mix in that pot and left it over night, before ever going near it with a metal scrubber, or oven cleaner, if I ever would. In the US Arm & Hammer makes a 'Super Washing Soda' that will cause no damage to the enamel, no matter how often it's used, or how long it's left soaking. This goes for any burnt carbon deposits.

Thanks for all the warnings, I have a 50 year old le creuset pot (it was a wedding gift) I only did mine with a weak bleach solution. It's a bit battered and a little stained and shows it's history, bur still usable, even though it's really too heavy for me now I'm 75.

Chain mail scrubber? NOOOO! I've had my pot for 30 years and I use it at least 4 times a week for everything! Soak, drain all the water to just drops, sprinkle liberally with baking soda and a few drops of Dawn. Scrub with a nylon scrubber or a nylon scrub brush will do it. Mine looks brand new every time. The bottom of the pot is still not perfectly clean but hey, I love it and look forward to another 30 years.

I have been cooking in my extensive Le Creuset collection since the 80’s. The instructions that came with my first piece said to treat pans with stains or burnt on food by boiling a “glass” of beach (I use about a half cup)in a full pan of water for 30 minutes and after cooling wipe it out with vinegar and rinse. It works every time. They no longer recommend this in their newer literature however it certainly can’t be any more harmful than that caustic oven cleaner.

I love my Le Cruset iron pot! I never use steel wool or any harsh scrubber on it to clean it.

I have le creuset pans with teak handles and casseroles that are almost 50 years old. The way this chap tried the clean this casserole was a master class in how not to do it. My pans are still like new the casseroles have dulled over the years. I’ve only ever used soapy water on mine and teak oil on the handles of the pans. I honestly nearly cried looking at this.

I am surprised at you using chainmail, as I have a couple of Le Crueset skillets (though I ruined one of them by leaving it on the eye to try and re-heat it to get some stubborn stuff cleaned off, and forgot about it for 2 hours), and I think the instructions said not to use metal utensils, so I figured chainmail would damage the enamel.

A boiling baking soda solution works well at stripping polymerized oil. Heat converts it to washing soda (sodium carbonate) which is more alkaline. Won't be as fast as lye, of course. Oven cleaners are usually lye or potassium carbonate in a spray can - check the published SDS.

I love Le Creuset cookware and their customer service is amazing. I had a large Dutch oven and it developed a pit. Le Creuset replaced it immediately, no charge. I will buy more of their cookware in the future. Good stuff!

You should try CARBON OFF. Not available in Utah or CA. as a professional chef i used it many times. Make the pans like new. You paint it on because it is a gel, let it work overnite and the next day you rinse it off. Perfect for aluminium pans as well!

This guy is more of a talker than anything else. He's the epitome of those who can do, those who can't teach.

A pan in that shape is not usable for direct contact with food, you DO NOT want to accidentally swallow enamel shards. Line it with parchment and cook bread or use the warranty to replace it.

I liberally spray Easy-Off oven cleaner on the inside, put the lid back on so the Easy-Off doesn't dry out, and then tie up the whole pot in a plastic bag for 24 hours. The next day I use a non-abrasive Dobie sponge to remove the baked on grease.

I was able to get a Dutch oven oval that I use to bake bread in. It makes a lovely rustic bread crust. The lid is entirely made of enameled cast iron that’s all completely oven safe. This Dutch oven might be resigned to repurpose🤷🏼‍♀️

i often burn my enamel pots to black carbon level. I boil them with some vinegar for more than an hour (only 20 minutes does nothing), give then a very light pass with a Japanese stainless steel bun (thin strips of stainless steel wrapped like a dinner roll bun). After all this I use a hard nylon sponge with some creamy Jif cleanser and gently scrub away the residue. It takes time but I get it all off without scratching. A tip that many of you already probably know is that if your enamel pot is stained from cooking, say curry or tomato sauce and not black carbon stains, a bit of bleach and hot water for a few hours gets my pots gleaming white.

Have cleaned several "hopeless" Le Creuset and other enameled cast iron pans by putting them in the oven during the clean cycle (roughly 800 degrees; no worries; the pans were fired at much higher temps than that). No crud--and few stains--survived. Reuse is preferable to recycling.

This pan was cooked dry to the point where the enamel came loose. Don’t use it anymore: it’s a health hazard.

The enamel on the bottom is ruined. I can tell by the color. It's supposed to be creamy, not white or grey. Likely this damage happened years ago.

To further clean that pan, you could try boiling water in that pan and add a dishwasher tablet to it. Then just let it boil for a while. 20 Or 30 minutes should be enough, but feel free to keep it going as long as you like. I'm not saying you'll get it completely clean, but it should get some more staining off of it...

I’ve always used ammonium bath for things like this. I put the item in a big plastic bag and add the ammonia tie it shut to keep anything from leaking and leave it set over night. This is really great for oven racks

I have never tried this on a pan but I know this works great on my DIL ceramic sink that I clean for her: Toilet bowl cleaner with bleach. Works better than Bar Keepers or other abrasives - just wipe it on all over and let it sit a few minutes and works so beautifully with no danger of scratching anything. Rinse out well, of course.

Despite all the suggestions in the comments I dont think anything will clean that dutch oven after decades of abuse.

It's a lovely French flower pot.

As I stated elsewhere here, I have no experience with enamel-cast iron. Years ago, I worked as a dishwasher in a large restaurant. One day I found a stainless steel saucepan that one of the cooks had badly burnt something in. There was a thick layer of black carbon covering the bottom of the pot. It was a nice pan, so I tried my best to clean it. I ran it through the dishwasher several times to hopefully loosen it up. Tried scrubbing. Tried vinegar, tried baking soda. Spent several days soaking and washing it. Could not get it clean. I showed it to my boss and asked her if I could have it. She agreed that I could take it home. They would just buy a new one. After I got it home, I dug out the strongest industrial drain cleaner I could find. This is the sort of stuff they won't sell to housewives. When you pour it into a drain, it smokes! I took the pan out on the balcony and poured about an inch into the pan. Next day, I brought it inside and literally poured the carbon down the drain. No scrubbing! After that, I washed it out to get rid of any chemical traces and ran it through the dishwasher for good measure. I used that pan for years, until it got lost while moving. Best saucepan I ever had.

Trying not to be negative, but the pan does not appear to have a seal coat anymore. Whether it's from this cleaning, a cleaning done before, or just poor cleaning strategies over time. Are you sure you want to recommend that folks keep using it? What would the manufacturer recommend about continued use?

I am sooo excited to see this! I have one from the 80's and use it so often. I wondered how I am gonna clean the inside to make it look new again. Cross my fingers to see the ending of this segment.

I’ve just purchased those Lodge pan scrapers and am frankly impressed at how well it works on a lot of surfaces, highly recommend 🎉great video ❤

With the remaining staining and the dulling of the finish on the inside will this greatly affect the non-stick of the enamel? If so could you use your method of waxing the interior to give it a non-stick surface? Thanks

I just burned mine....I had ham and water in mine and while doing other things, burned it to a crisp.....I boiled some water in the kettle, added just enough to cover the bottom good along with the burned food....I did scrape with a plastic spatula the bits of ham that were not burned so bad off of top after I added the boiling water....put the lid on and allowed it to boil for about 45 mins...adding boiling water from the kettle if it got low.....evry so often, I would just barely scrape the top of the burned part with the plastic spatula....came out like new !!!

You might try simmering a washing soda solution in the pan for a couple of hours may work.

I've been cleaning my Le creusset pots & pans by soaking them in boiling water & oxyclean powder for 1/2 to 1 hour usually the first time. the only thing I found that works to bring the original color shining & bright! No scrubbing neeeded.....Ever

I use this product from Hestan. It’s the stainless steel cleaner. Smells like mint and is the best on the glass stove too and pretty much anything. I don’t even have to scrub. It’s magic.

Use a scotchbrite pad instead of the chain mail. Maybe a magic eraser.

Are there any concerns with the enamel chipping off? I've read that when that happens it's best to throw out the pan which goes against the idea of having heritage cookware. The idea being that more pieces of enamel will chip off and go into your food when cooking. I ask because i asked my wife if she goes to a thrift store to pick up any interesting cast iron pieces. 6 months later she came home with a Le Creuset 11" fry pan enameled for $20 (she had no idea what the brand was or that it was even enameled, so an awesome find by her!). The enamel LOOKS fine, but it is all black, so it's hard to be sure of its condition... I've used it a lot and loved it, but how concerned should i be stays in the back of my mind... Thank you.

Someone please call the Enamel Abuse Protection Agency on this guy

James Hoffmann in the background had me cackling! I've been on a tear through all his content lately and had just watched that video about the decaf coffee.

How do you let a pot get that burnt? I have enamel cast iron that is 30 years old (the teal pot is 50 years old) but mine has just a couple of stains. If burnts on crud doesn't just come clean with simple washing, I'll soak it overnight with plain water or boil it with baking soda, vinegar and water which removes the crud and leaves the enamel intact. I also have a regular cast iron dutch oven that is about 30 years old which I use more often. That one is pretty well-seasoned now so it is rare for stuff to bake on, but if it does, I save the plastic mesh that onions are packed and use that, or a rubber scraper, or a barbecue brush. As a last resort, I'll use steel wool, but I don't think I've ever had to do so.

Perfect video! My dad just gave me his 50 year old Le Creuset in yellow, not as bad in the interior, but it does need a "tune up" too! I already simmered mine with vinegar - it actually smelled food still -- ewww. Thank you for this video!

I've been so afraid to use Chain mail on my enameled cast iron. Thanks for showing that. It seems to really work great

I wonder what putting it upside down on a oven rack and using self clean for 4 hours then letting it cool before you open the oven door. Also soaking in boiling water with dishwasher soap overnight sometimes works.

thanks for explaining

Nice! What is the brand of sink you are working in? We are loking for one with round corners.

A lye bath is for bare cast iron, not enameled. I have only used oven cleaner for bare, traditional, non-enameled cast iron. It works well, is pretty easy to do, and then one can go on to season your cast iron. I have never used oven cleaner on enameled cast iron, and never heard of it. IMO there is one use for this handed-down Le Creuset: baking bread on parchment paper in the oven. The parchment will cover whatever pitting is going on inside the pan and keep away from the bread.

My LC dutch oven has 25 years old, enamel interior is dull but i have not nothing to comprobe that i bought the piece, would LC make the exchange.

I wish I was more into chemistry. Seems like alkalines and acids work well according to folks, I wonder if ramping up the acidity with like a muriatic acid or something from Home Depot/ anywhere easy to find would work. They aren’t full strength like a chemist would have but they’re stronger than vinegar yet still somewhat safe.

I've had my set for 45 years. Bleach does wonders.

Mine is still super smooth but stained brown. A Le Creuset agent told me to 'burn it off' which exploded the PLASTIC knob on top(!), spalled the inside enamel and did nothing for the stain

I may have stumbled upon something. I had a severely stained Dutch oven - not Creuset- from making a lot of bread and I used it one time to boil sourdough pretzel bites with the water and baking soda solution (1/3 cup) and I’ll be damned if that thing didn’t come out looking like brand new.

do you think if bleach were used on the inside ,that it would remove any more of the discoloration? I was thinking of that really strong bleach spay used to clean whitewall tires, it is strong. the manufacturer recommends that you wear rubber gloves and safety goggles when you use it. I think the one we used to use on our classic car wide whites was Westleys Bleach White Tire Cleaner.

Sodium percarbonate might work on that - heat water to boiling, turn off water, and then add a tablespoon of sodium percarbonate. This is just to dissolve the sodium percarbonate. Let soak overnight. It should clean most of that off without damage. It's not abrasive, it works by bubbling under the crud. It's basically hydrogen peroxide powder. This pot would likely need multiple treatments.

What about the oven cleaner, does it leave poisonous substansies later dissolution to the food?

Sometimes an overnight soak in household ammonia will dissolve carbon (actually this is a highly polymerized tar, and the nitrogen in the ammonia breaks it down). Or, a half and half mixture of household ammonia and pine oil cleaner will do it. It's best of course to avoid ever burning anything that badly in the enamel pan in the first place. I've had good success with nonstick pan sprays like PAM when I'm intending to fry something in the pan, including an enameled cast aluminum dutch oven. If the way you cook is liable to burn something on, might as well go with stainless steel, which can be scrubbed like mad without harming it.

Is there a reason you don't use a baking soda bath for the stains? Does it wreck the enamel or something? Oven cleaner and lye seem way harsher.

Once mine started to pit and became more so, I stopped using it thinking the enamel was coming off and chipping into my food. I take care with my new one not to bring it up to temp too fast or overheat without enough liquid and also never use metal utensils with it.

Can you still use it if the enamel is damaged? My oil got too hot (didn’t pay attention). Seems to have cracks in the enamel.

If you had to do this again, would you just start with the oven cleaner? Or, would you first use bar keepers friend &/or vinegar bath to take off a few layers of dirt, and then move on to the over cleaner?

I used awesome orange from the dollar tree, it's kind of like 409. I let it alone for days and slowly picked the black off in flake's with my finger nail, it took forever but the bottom is still glossy.

Do you know how I can remove stains from rim of oven door from cooking turkey ? It’s like a brownest color on the top of door when you open it. Thanks for any thing you can suggest.

Boil with automatic dish soap . . . what I used for all my burned pots and pans (not that it happens that often.). Then use Bon Ami or probably better some other rubbing compound that is less abrasive. I would NOT use Bar Keepers Friend because of the acid involved that is supposed to help put the shine on copper and brass would be harsh on the enamel coated to iron that may have cracks.

Impressive reduction of the decades old buildup - thank you for this, Jed. Sadly, the bottom of the cooking surface was pitted and that’s why this pot is beyond redemption, unless you can redo the email surface or completely remove it to replace it through a seasoning. Or you repurpose it for bread baking only (and use parchment paper or maybe silicone between the food and the pot). I don’t want to let it come so far so I know now how to prevent buildup with the time. So far, my Le Creuset oven is soon to be one year old, still pristine. My oven cleaner won’t be far away, in case anything goes south. 😎 Dumb question- what would happen if you put lye in the oven (but not on the outside) - would you get every bit of carbon out and would it seriously damage the enamel so it’s harder to clean later?

The chain cloth is too abrasive (I found mine in Europe and love it) as is Bar Keeper's Helper...which I love and use to clean my sink. These pans are so expensive they have to be treated like a prized possession. You did a good job cleaning it and appreciate your effort. Our family battled over my mother's cast iron "hog pail" that she used to cook amazing meals.

When I have discoloration after a while, I soak it over night with water and bleach. Is there a reason I shouldn't do it that way, tell me please. It works well... 8:14

Boiled water and added some Clorox bleach. I let it sit and it took the stains out!

Beautiful

Could you use lye just on the inside?

So, this is what I would have done: boil water with a bit of dish soap and baking soda. Let it soak over night. Use a non abrasive scrubber and get everything out that you can. If there is still burnt on mess, Spray only the inside with over cleaner and leave for a few hours. Scrub again with non abrasive cleaner. Wash. Anything else remaining can be scrubbed with baking soda. As you cook in the future keep scrubbing with baking soda.

Boil water on this pan half way full then remove and add 1 cup 1/2 of vinegar and 3/4 cup of baking soda. It will bubble up and then you could leave it for the rest of the day then next morning you can carefully clean with a non-abrasive sponge or cloth. Repeat process if needed. On the bottom you can put hot water, baking soda then add a little of vinegar section by section. It will bubble then you can clean with a sponge or cloth.

What would you do before you cook in it?

Have you tried boiling water and cream of tartar?

I use powdered dish washer detergent with water simmer on the stove use a flat wooden spatula and non scratch scrubber works for me.

tsp trisodium phospate mixed strong boil in the pan works good It is used for cleaning wall and Greese on buildings before painting . Silit co also sell a product for cleaning their pots the same way

Bar Keeper's Friend is meant to be used with water, to make a paste, which is allowed to sit on the surface for a few minutes for the acid to work. If you don't follow the product's directions, don't be surprised when it doesn't work.

I love how you carefully went hog wild scratching the crap out of it with chain mail. Have you considered giving it a gentle scrub with an angle grinder?

I think one of the little mistakes you might be making is after using the oven off product, which is what I would’ve thought from the beginning as well. Is you immediately rinse it out and dump it. You heated it up which was good but you should’ve put a little really hot water into it while it was still hot not screaming hot but hot, and then scrubbed it for a while with the oven off still in it instead of just pouring it out.

A final clean with baking soda?

Okay this sounds odd.. Someone gave me a glass ashtray with black spots on it. It was VERY old and had been worked on by them repeatedly to try and remove the ?tar? Without success. I tried, too. Nope. THEN I read some random article with a 'try this' and it OMG worked. Like a charm! Dampen a dryer sheet. Yup a dryer sheet. Place it over the black and let it sit overnight. NOW clean it.

What does your fridge look like with open doors?

The best luck I've had is filling it with hot water and sprinkling in baking soda. Then let it sit overnight.

Boiling on a low temperature with powdered dishwasher detergent in water works miracles on most burned on foods.

Try using a Finish dishwasher tablet - works for me.

I would put it in a big BIG pot with water and detergent and cook/boil it for half-one hour. May need to repeat once or twice and rinse it really well.

I have a Le Cruset that's probably 25+ years old and there is some serious staining, but no carbon build up. Looks like BBF would take care of a lot of that staining.

Is there some way to remove enamel completky and have a bare cast iron?

Oven clean will that etch it?

As others have suggested, I understand a baking soda solution could be useful. Is a bleach solution on the inside safe to use? A long peroxide soak? These may be silly comments but just asking about some other thoughts. I do love James Hoffman...

"I could have gone straight to a lye bath....but I think that could have damaged the exterior." NO. What you DID do by using that chainmail scrub is damage the interior, rendering that wonderful vintage - now pitted - DO useless. The interior and exterior enamels are just that- enamel. It's essentially glass, and lye does not react with glass. This is a perfect case of what you don't know will hurt you, and you just ruined someone's heirloom piece because you seem to not understand that there's a difference in care standards between enameled and non-enameled cast iron. Holy moly.

Enamel gets damaged by soda. Soft drink consumption is one of several leading causes of tooth decay. Carbonation, sugar and acids in soft drinks weaken tooth enamel and encourage the growth of bacteria that contribute to tooth decay. So, clean it after every use, and avoid damaging the enamel.

This is the best example of everything not to do with Enamel cast Iron and the condition of the oven (both initial and final) that is 100% NOT usable. Please change the title to "LC that has died and gone to Heaven"

I burned some soup on the bottom of a cooking channel enamel cast iron pot. I used vinegar and scrubbed but there are stll black spots etc. Im affraid itvwill affect the food taste if I use it? What do you think a out tge effect on the food taste?

An excellent example of exactly what NOT TO DO.