Le Creuset casserole dish - help needed!

[Happydaze2]

Please see pic - is this beyond rescuing? We mostly use it for slow-cook curries and casseroles and however long I soak and scrub it, it’s impossible to get properly clean - have tried all sorts of things in recent months and still it looks like this…horrible! If any of you have managed to restore a similar cast iron dish I’d really appreciate your tips 😊

Simmer on hob with biological washing powder and water

I’ve done it!

Put it on the hob with an inch of water and a dishwasher tablet then boil it for half an hour

you should then be able to clean it with a wire pad. You’ll lose the shine on the enamel and some of the nonstickness with it but it’ll be ok to use

I soaked mine with dishwasher powder and then used a nylon scouring pad. It's better...

You can email Le Creuset for help...they are responsive apparently.

Agree with above, or if you fill to the dirt line with boiling water and boil for a bit then you should be able to wipe it clean, it might take a couple of goes. Do not whatever you do put vinegar in as this will discolour the inside enamel (bitter experience).

I bought one in a similar state from a car book. I simmered it with a dishwasher tablet in, then used a dishwasher tablet to scrub the bottom of the pan with a very shallow layer of water in.

Have you tried the metal scourers? I wouldn't want to use them once you get through the built up layer but I don't see what harm they would do to try given the state it's currently in.

I would consider trying the biological detergent above but the enzymes which eat the dirt would usually be denatured at about 40-45 degrees so you wouldn't want it much warmer than your hand.

Ceramic hob cleaner keeps my Le Creuset casseroles pristine

I have always kept mine in good condition BUT when I wasn't doing the cooking for a period, my two casseroles were ruined. They became impossible to clean and the surface didn't feel right. I emailed Le Creuset and sent photos. In the end they collected them and replaced them. I can't remember if they asked about how they'd been treated, but I couldn't have told them because everyone insisted they'd not done anything to damage them. I think you're supposed to be able to put them in the dishwasher, but I always, leave to soak and then wash up by hand. Bio washing power on the hob has worked when something has burned on.

OP I appreciate that looks unsightly but it's still perfectly functional. I'm afraid I boil things dry in ours quite a bit (usually while steaming vegetables with a small amount of water in the pot under the steamer). It's a PITA and I shouldn't really be allowed to leave the kitchen once I start cooking but a good soak and then a gentle simmer with just water in will often loosen it. You don't want to use harsh metal scourers because of the enamel but a really tough synthetic pad will help shift it.

Interestingly, I've never had much luck with the dishwasher tablet solutions but I know a lot of people swear by that.

If all else fails, just cook normally in it and the cooking action will eventually lift it off.

Our Le Creuset is pretty old - 25 years? so it's getting quite knackered and there are spots where enamel has come off the base, but they're really still functional.

What I'd like is to know how to get the wooden handle on our Le Creuset frying pan replaced!

Boil it gently with water and bicarb for half an hour.

Be warned, I managed to break one, once! Straight out of a hot oven into a cold sink of water. It shattered. I was um... surprised at my own ineptness.

Have you contacted them?

Until reading this thread, I didn't know they even offered after sales service! Do you think they'll consider it still their problem after a good 25 years? (They were given to my husband before I met him.)

They might do - might be good publicity for them.

Most of my Le Creuset pots look like this. Doesn't do any harm, it's just discolouration

And when you have cleaned it rub good quality salt crystals in with cheap olive oil using butter paper and it won't stick as badly as before.
Also when frying onions in it for casseroles etc start it from cold and don't have the heat on too high ever again ! If what you are cooking starts to stick remove from heat for a minute or so, stir it well and then continue cooking

Try the dishwasher/washing powder thing.

But, I'd get a metal scourer and some pink paste and attack it. Brillo pads too.

Le Creuset customer service is fantastic. They do a enamel cleaning product which might be worth a try. I've always soaked overnight in laundry powder. The enamel cracked after 11 years in one, and they sent a replacement. They did say that it showed signs of overheating... so I think if the next one goes the same way they'll probably tell me where to go 😂

Same! I looked at the pic and just thought that’s how they look after a long time. I’ve never seen one that doesn’t!

I'm not sure about using brillo pads and the like on enamel!!!!

I find the plastic nets, that (eg) oranges come in, make effective but non-damaging scourers. Remember to take off the metal bits.

Yeah, don't use a brillo bad....

the customer service is great

A combination of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda could be worth a go. It certainly works well on the outside if something has bubbled over and glued fast.

I use Brillo pads on mine and they're fine!

You can buy some super expensive cream to get rid of stains on Le Creuset cookware. Definitely worth it

My set is nearly 40 years old.

back then, Le Creuset came with instructions for dealing with this - fill with water, add egg cup of bleach, boil for about 10 mins and leave to cool.

wash with soapy water

if very dirty, might need another bleach treatment.

give a light oil.

it works.
mine are still pristine

Contact them, they are really helpful. The enamel on our casserole chipped and they sent a new one! They said it was from overheating( which is probably because we have a dreadful ancient electric hob in our new house that only does on or off. Eek. ) The new one is only being used in the oven until we have a new hob.