Strange stains on Le Creuset after lye application

[LeslieG]

After doing some Easy Off lye stripping of some cast iron skillets, I thought I might apply some to the baked on stains inside my Le Creuset DO that I use for bread baking. Even though I use a piece of parchment between the dough and enamel surface, some little bits seem to make their way onto the inside of the pot and bake on at the 450-500 degree temperatures. Instructions say its safe to use on enamel so I thought I would do a spot treatment inside the pot, which was room temperature. I left the foam on there for no more than 45 minutes. What resulted were these weird grey-brown streaks that no scrubbing of green scrubby, baking soda, more easy off or Bar Keepers Friend would remove. Any one ever experienced this? These blotchy marks were never there! I will still use the pot but now it's cosmetically worse than ever. Makes me sad......

 

[SeanD]

Vinegar and water mixed 50/50 might work. Worth a shot. Thats too bad tho,,,,feel for ya as I have a few that got messed up.

 

[Doug D.]

The recommendation here has always been against the use of lye (active ingredient in yellow cap Easy Off) on enameled ware. I don't see any mention of its use on the Le Creuset website's article on cleaning. Its proponents seem to maintain that if it's OK to use on the enameled interior of an oven, it should be OK on enameled CI. Le Creuset also recommends low to medium temperatures as a rule, with high temps reserved for things like boiling or reducing sauces, and never preheating an empty pan to high temps before reducing to cooking temp.

Looking at your pan, I'm guessing from the shape of the stain that it's related to the parchment paper. Perhaps the Easy Off has reacted to residue of the silicone which with parchment paper is treated. I would not proceed further with any other chemical extreme or vinegar, which we here use for rust or the residual of rust on bare cast iron, and for no other reason. Bar Keeper's Friend might be worth a try.

 

[Scott J.]

Good Luck cleaning your Le Creuset DO. I have one I bought for reactive things like Corned Beef and Cabbage after I ruined the seasoning on a regular cast iron DO that I thought was sufficiently seasoned. As Doug noted, "Le Creuset also recommends low to medium temperatures as a rule, with high temps reserved for things like boiling or reducing sauces, and never preheating an empty pan to high temps before reducing to cooking temp."

I am a beginning bread baker. My brother recommended a Challenger Bread Pan. It's expensive at $300 but I got one and it works great. Of course, Le Creuset is not inexpensive either. I have no connection to Challenger other than being a one time customer. A less expensive option might be one of the Lodge Double Dutch Ovens or Combo Cookers which have a lid that can be used as a base with the pot used as a lid. That would give a low walled base and maybe keep you from burning your fingers. No connection to Lodge either.

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[Doug D.]

The Lodge Double Dutch is what I purchased years ago for a foray into bread baking. You can use parchment paper in the pot, or as noted, invert and use the lid as the pan and cover with the pot. No worries about high temps or stains.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000LEXR0K

 

[LeslieG]

As much as "Santa Claus" would love to bring me a Challenger pan, I've turned the concept down as I have such limited space for storage. I actually have 3 LC DOs that I bake with, and can fit 2 in my oven simultaneously so I really have no need for more baking vessels. Not that I wouldn't love one, LOL. More scrubbing with vinegar did nothing. I have put some warm water with a 1/2c of bleach in the pot, and already the stains look much improved after an hour or so. Probably won't pursue additional cleaning after this. I can just accept that after over 35 years of use, my LC look pretty darn good and all the dings and stains are the result of great things to eat.

 

[Scott J.]

I'm running out of space too. Stuff is stored under beds in original boxes etc. But.... I don't let that stop me.

 

[Doug D.]

Find a corner, think vertical.

 

[Scott J.]

Good thought.. out of empty corners. :-(