Restoring Enameled Cast Iron
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- Опубликовано: 24 авг 2024
- I have some pretty old enameled cast iron and I love it, but I hate it when it gets faded and old looking. This is how I keep my enameled cast iron shiny and bright, without buying any special cleaners.
What a nice video. I just got my first enameled cast iron pot a few months ago. A Lodge 3.5 qt Braiser. I have used it several times since I got it and it is still in good shape. If I have it long enough to where it's color starts to fade, I'll have to remember this video. I always keep a bottle of grapeseed oil on hand for seasoning my carbon steel pans and my plain cast iron skillets.
You remind me a lot of my folks back in Tennessee. Watching your video was like sitting at your kitchen table... so "right at home". And your explanation was easy to follow, not to mention encouraging. I have several faded pieces of Staub, and haven't found anything that brings back the clarity of the glass-powdered finish. I'll give your suggestion a try. Thanks Debbie, Dan
Let me know how it turns out. This week a friend was helping me and put mine in the dishwasher. I almost cried, but a good rub made it shine again.
I can't believe I just laid here, and watched a sweet ol' lady rub oil on her pots and pans for 9mins LOL
Thank you Miss Debbie for this. I'm gonna sleep like a baby! SUBSCRIBED!
Girl, same.
lol
I just laughed out loud at your comment 😂😂
What a beautiful person you are thanks for the wisdom and straight forward video. You've got loads of character and your grandchildren are lucky to have you. God bless
Thank you for your kind comment.
I’ve been a lazy bum with my staub cocotte cast iron pots and I stopped using them. They were beautiful when I got them but after about 5 years they looked dull and pretty awful. Did not believe the oil would work, if I’m honest. But I just fell back in love with my shiny beautiful deep green pots. I just can’t thank you enough!! It really does work!! 😮❤
I'm so happy that I stumbled onto your video! :-) ! I just bought an enameled dutch oven, and I'm trying to learn about it....it's only taken me 50 years of being married to try this, lol!! I'm following you, hope you give some recipes, I'll check out your page.
I have been cleaning the inside of my le creuset dutch oven with bleach for over 20 years and it still looks like new. The original packaging back then contained instruction advising to boil water with a bit of bleach to clean stains and burns. It always works.
Thanks for sharing!
Bleach also works well with Corning Wear cook wear. After bleach, Baking Soda neutralizes the bleach smell.
@@passportcs Baking soda always saving the day ;)
My housemate tried this hack but she unfortunately added baking soda to it and let it soak all afternoon. The enamel was stripped clean off the inside of the lid and pot! How do we fix it? Can it be re coated?
I appreciate this info so much. I had a chicken fryer that was a wedding gift to my grandmother in the 1870's. She used daily for everything until she gave it to my dad in 1950. It was used everyday in our house and washed daily with (dish soap and water!) Then dried over a medium flame. Once dried we would add a drop or 2 of oil the the hot pan and wipe it around with a paper towel. In all the yrs we had it the bottom was as slick as if it was covered in porcelain and never had to be re-seasoned. Unfortunately my daughter broke a chunk out of the side in 1997 when she dropped it. It was really heavy and took 2 hands to lift it. She bought me a Lodge cast iron pan to replace (lol) it. The bottom of the new pan felt like 180 grit sand paper. I cried. I exchanged it for a porcelain covered stew pot and love it. I still have the broken pan and hope at some point someone will come up with a way to repair it that will hold. I guess we should be happy we got 120 good yrs out of it!
Find a blacksmith or welder in your area. Some of the old guys are still around but the young whippersnappers can weld two pages of newspaper together. It can be done so don't give up : ) Just ask if they can weld cast iron and go
oldladytoofast Did you find a Blacksmith or Welder in your area to repair it? I’m sorry it got broken after 120 years! But glad you found a porcelain covered stew pot you love. I’ll bet your daughter feels just awful!
Wonderful getting enameled cast iron for my birthday and Christmas which is coming up real soon thanks for sharing God bless you
I will admit that it looks pretty nice, but for me, a huge part of the appeal of owning enamel cookware is that I don't have to season it with oil. To be honest, it's really the primary reason I purchased this kind of cookware. I don't think enamel cookware look as nice as traditional cast iron cookware, but the fact that I don't have to season it makes it worth buying! Still, I will try this because it came out really nice. I have this very same Lodge red dutch oven so I will try it on this one first. Great video! Thumbs up!
I feel the same way. I love my cast iron and have a lot of it. I don’t own any enameled cast iron but I’m looking for some. Some days I’m moving so fast seasoning it is a hassle.
Debbie, I am a subscriber and enjoy your channel. I am sorry to hear about your husband and dog. Try to keep busy to fight depression. Only time will cure your pain. In April we will be married 47 years and we know one of us will face loosing the other someday! Praying for you and take care!
Thank you, Linda.
💛
Wow, nice cleanup!
I have 2 blue ones and I must say the have held up very well. My daughter got her neighbor's old one and the inside is dark, but that pot was used for 50 years or more and still cooks great food 😊
Debbie,
You are wonderful, and I am grateful to have you my life, sharing all of your knowledge. You have been an inspiration to me and everyone else that watches you.
Personally I am sorry for your loss of your very dear Husband and the little dog. I miss them both, especially the breathing in the kitchen.
I am glad you are keeping on. You are in my heart and prayers. I know of others would have gone into depression.
I loves to love you.
Thank you for your kind words, Jody. Making these videos is one way I fought off depression, although it didn't work every day.
Great video! I was wondering if it would be beneficial to oil the outside of an enameled cast iron pan and glad to find your video. Since my dad passed away, Mom has been downsizing and gave me her circa 1980's Le Creuset. It originally had a matte finish and only got worse over the years. The interior was used hard (as mine of the same era has been) and probably should be sent in for re-enamelling but I wanted to give the exterior a facelift. Your technique worked a treat on it. Mine doesn't need this on the exterior, it is still glossy but I will certainly try this on the inside. Thanks again!
Thank you for making this video! Would never have thought to use oil on the enameled cast iron. Also, you have a lovely, soothing voice. So pleasant to listen to.
Thank you.
Well done ! I actually like the burnt old look of dutch ovens !
Shout out to the VIVA paper towels! They are THE BEST paper towels ever. :D Great video. TY!
Agree...all I use.
Just got a pot from my Aunt just like that one. And it is sitting with bleach water right now. Thanks for the oil tip.
Beautiful work! that’s such a great idea. It somehow so soothing to watch you work your magic on those pans. 😊
Fantastic tips on cleaning enamel pots and pans... I used a little bleach and your methods and have my 3 and 5 quart pots sparkling, thank you so much.Vinegar and bleach and baking soda, great old time cleaners that still can't be beat today.
I am so glad you found it helpful. Food tastes better in a shiny pot. Hahahaha.
Going to try the oil. For cleaning the interior a couple of inches of water and a generous splash of bleach bring to a simmer then down to a gentle steam and cover for as long as you wish occasionally checking the water level. This really works.
Excellent tips! We now plan to use these too. Thank you!
Thank you so much. I recently bought a an enameled cast iron skillet that had cakes on burnt mess. I used barkeepers help and the beautiful cobalt blue paint had a white cast and no shine. I was so sad. Now I see your video and I’m about to rub the olive oil I have and try this. 🤞🏽hoping it works.
Glad I could help!
I was so scared this was a vintage pot when I saw your thumbnail! The ones from the 70s were made red by using cadmium. I'm so glad it's a more modern piece
Hi Debbie I love your video and your voice I love the way you explained all !! Very nice I just recently received a Dutch oven as a gift and I was trying to make sure not to mess the beauty of it ! Tha k you so much for this video I will take care of my Dutch oven with your awesome advices !! Thank you !
Wonderful!
Thank you, Miss Debbie, for this amazing information
I think you or one of your subscribers might be able to help me. The other day I was working remotely and completely forgot I'd left my enamel red cast iron liter pan on the stove---on high!!---with water in it (I was planning to boil an egg) until all the water was gone, and well beyond that point. A nasty smell (doubtless toxic ) reached me in the other room and I rushed in and pulled that thing off the stove. It was so hot it burned my cutting board. I took it outside, and it took hours for those noxious fumes to go away. I figured it was a lost cause, blackened dark grey on the inside, even a little bit of something stuck to the bottom that I can't identify (probably something that was stuck on the top of the burner. Amazingly it didn't destroy the burner! Today I decided to just see what happens attempting to clean it w/a green scrubber and Bon Ami, and surprisingly a lot of the discoloration appears to be coming off. Since it gave off that awful smell though when it was so overheated, does it men that the enamel burned off and that it would be dangerous to go back to using?
I would hugely appreciate it if anyone can advise me on this.
[I can't quite figure out the logo on the bottom, to see what the brand is though it does say SPAIN, 1.0 L, and the logo looks a bit like G/\C maybe--a roof line-like structure between, tho up above, the two letters---and haven't been able to find a company that might correspond to these letters]
Thank you for this video! I just purchased a 6-qt, 3-qt, and 1.5-qt Lodge Enamel Cast Iron pots and lids, as well as 11" enameled cast iron skillet. Like you, I'm hard on my cookware and not interested in babying my pots. But this was a considerable investment and hopefully my last. Since I invest so much into buying only organic food, I thought this was a justifiable investment, especially since Lodge enameled cast iron cookware are compliant with California Prop 65 standards, which are reportedly the most stringent in the industry.
Thank you for making this video! I just bought cookware that looks like yours but is made by a company called "Le creuset". Good Lord! They cost me a small fortune to obtain. So I dove in and made a soup that had petite diced tomatoes in it. 1st time of use, there is a faint ring around the top where the level was. Will be leaving shortly to buy viva towels, grapeseed oil, and of course bleach spray. Gotta keep these babies lookin new like yours! Cant thank you enough, liked, subscribed, hit the bell, ~Eric, Minnesota 😉👍👍
Le Creuset pans should last a lifetime. For everyday clean up I often use a Magic Eraser and Soft Scrub. Both are very gentle.
thanks for this. really helped. stupidly i popped pots in dishwasher with end of dishwasher cleaning cycle and it seemed to dull the enamel no end.
Excellent presentation!
I just bought a Le Creuset stock pot with cracked enamel for $1.00 . Thought I hit the jackpot only to find out that it can't be safely repaired according to Le Creuset. 😢
Nice video. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏼
Is the black dirt on the bottom of the pot cannot be cleaned?
Thats just how it was painted, kinda ombre effect. It's not dirt or burn stained.
For my new enamel cast iron pieces I made the decision to only use them in the oven and on an induction cooktop. Every cleaning after use is much easier and they look brand new. No oiling required.
Debbie, I am new to the enamel cast iron pan world, I have many health issues and wanted to find a healthy choice for me. Lately, I have been buying enamel cast iron pans, I think they are so much better then other pots and pans. . . . Growing up in the 50's and 60's I remember my mother and grandmother using heavy Aluminum pans, Aluminum gets in the food and can cause Alzheimer's, I heard that 30+ years ago and have been looking for a good affordable solution ever since. . . . I have allot of stainless steel pans (found out that the nickel in them can also be a hidden cause of health problems) and later I got tons of cast iron pans, and then learned they can carry allergens from one meal to the next, in the seasoning, which became a concern. . . . I couldn't bring myself to trust useing Pyrex glass pans, for fear eating a chip. . . . Now to me, Enamel seems to be far safer then all of them . . . . Soon I found some in a thrift store some new yellow Enameled Dutch ovens from Denmark, a beautiful small white enameled cast iron decorated with grape vines (new), and a red with white interior Starllar cast iron fry pan (like new). . . . I came across your video, when looking for how to care for their finishs. . . . I love good cook ware. You take excellent care of yours. I see it's similar to caring for cast iron pans with the oil. . . . I have a 2 questions for you: What is the ratio of bleach to water for cleaning the insides? . . And, how do you clean the outside? . . . . . Thank You!!!!!
10 percent. Hot soapy water in the sink Non-abrasive cleaner . If something sticks, you can let it soak, unlike regular cast iron.
Thank you! I bleached out some old stubborn stains from some of my Corning coffee percolators. They look like new!
Thanks for sharing 😊💕💕💕👍👍👍👍
Tried this - works great! Thanks!
Glad it helped!
Looks great👍🏻
Very helpful. Would this work for enamelware metal plates and cups, too?
Thank you i need to try this!!
I bought the enameled fry pan asI have a smooth top stove. I was afraid to use one on ir as they can get scratched.
I'm going to subscribe. You're the cutest.
Thank you.
Thank you Debbie for Your helpful device. Mine Le Creuset is white inside and orange on the outside, but is very black/burned inside and outside and been like that for years. Got it from my grandma. I have tried bleach, soda, vinegar etc. it’s soooo hard to get off 😩 Any devices?
Unfortunately, they will get eventually get beyond help. The only other suggestion I can offer beyond what you have already done is Soft Scrub and Magic Erasers.
Debbie - Thank you 🥰
Thank You very much cheers !!!
I was hoping to get some tips on restoring a pot that has scratches on the inside. My pot is enameled with a few hairline scratches where you can see a little of the black iron underneath. Is there a way to correct that?
I don't think so. It is probably a goner.
What brand is the Dutch oven? It’s pretty nice
It is a Lodge.
Does putting cast iron in the dishwasher hurt the finish after years of use, although it says it is safe? Have you only hand washed this pot? I just got a pot and I want to make sure I keep it looking new. Thanks.
The main problem with using the dishwasher on enameled cast iron is the same as with a good knife. It is not the heat, water and soap. It is the possibility of nicks, bumps and scratches. Yes, that pot has been in the dishwasher, but only a couple times on the top rack, totally separated from any other dishes. it is really best to hand wash imho.
I have a 40 year old, yellow Belgique, oval cast iron, Dutch oven that I love. Same brand that Marilyn Monroe used (yes, she cooked). The inside of mine looks great; not stained. My go to for great roasts, soups and stews, and chicken & dumplings over the years!
After this treatment what happens to the bottom of the Dutch Oven when you put on a glass top range and braise a pot roast? Does it smoke? Does it affect the glass cook top at all - make it hard to clean! Sure does look good after your treatment
I have never used a glass top stove so I cannot say for sure. There is no smoking on my gas stove.
We have more than 25 pieces of enameled cast iron, and in spite of using certain favorites regularly for years, none have ever looked like the pot at the beginning of the video. Is it possible adding the oil to the outside creates the condition of the hazy finish? How about a gas range being part of it? We have a sealed top electric range, and we also bake a lot with them in the oven.. Not being critical, just curious. Thanks for a great, informative video!
I own about 40 pieces of cast iron. About 50% are enamel. I would say 95% of those are staub and Le Creuset. A few vintage pieces, pre-staub and Le Creuset, aka nomar and cousances. I Spray them with clorox cleanup after each use if there is a stain.
The ONLY time I’ve ever had an oven look like that was lodge enamel. I don’t know why, it was a lovely green, but it was just not pretty with weekly use. I’ve occasionally oiled an older piece of Le Creuset, but not to the extent lodge required. It might just be something with their enamel process.
I have a lodge off white braiser that I’ve been using weekly for a few years, still as shiny as it was the day I bought it.
So who knows.
I have the same exact Dutch oven and it’s also about 6 years old but it’s dark and scratched on the inside. I use it almost daily. Should I get a new one or is there a way to remove all the scratches or dark stains? Bleach?
Bleach will take care of the stains. The scratches are there to stay. A light oiling may make them less obvious. A hint on the bleach. Apply it liberally from a spray bottle on the pan when it is dry. Let it set for an hour or so. Then wash.
Thank you! I did it and it looks 90% better. Appreciate it.
Do you wash in sink or dishwasher.? I hand wash mine.
Yes. Hot soapy water in the sink.
I never thought of bleaching them clean 🙋
It works almost instantly.
I wish that I could say that the inside of my pans looked that good. It is way beyond oiling. I had not thought about this before, I just thought I had to accept as it was. I started thinking, I wonder how an oxiclean soak would do.
I left you a message in the Julia Child Bread video, please take a look at that and let me know if you are interested. I am in the process of making one to gift to Katzcradul now as she also has been an inspiration and video mentor to me.
Blessings,
Jo Ann
Sorry, Jo Ann. I have not been well for a couple days. Will check it tomorrow.
A bit late to the party, Jo Ann Somers, but in the research I have done laundry products with enzymes (including Oxiclean) is one of the successful ways to rid some of the hard to remove stains in enameled cast irons. This is coming from many sources, including European sources, but there, they refer to their enzyme laundry cleaners as biological laundry detergents.
To anyone wanting to know the correct way to clean these an fully restore them. You have to buff them just like you would a car.
How often do you need to perform this treatment on the pot?
Just whenever it begins to look dull again. I usually do it once every couple weeks, but I use the red pot a lot. Some others I only do a couple times a year.
Whenever I have rubbed oil into enameled cast iron, the next time it cooks the oil turns into brown burned streaks on the top of the enamel surface. Your process does not have this happen? Maybe you are removing enough of the oil by washing it first that it cannot pool anywhere to burn?
No, I do not have that happen.
Debbie: My enamel cast iron pot is burning and sticking at every use. Is there a way to re-season the enamel to make it non-stick again? It's super clean on the inside and it has no stains or stuck on residue, but it burns every time. Help I don't want to throw it away.
Oh, no! I am not sure, but have you tried cooking at a lower heat? I had an enamel pan once that did that, it wasn't cast iron, though. I used it for cooking beans and soups because you could use a really low heat for those and there was lots of liquid.
Is the faded colouring caused by bleach or old age? I worry that bleaching it may erode the enamel finish.
It is my understanding that pitting and fading of enamel are caused by acidity. Chlorine bleach is an alkaline solution of sodium hypochlorite dissolved in water.
Mine is like yours. the enamel on the bottom chipped on the stove eye. Is it safe to use? TFS
As long as the chip is outside, not inside, but it will probably continue to chip.
Thanks.
@@DebbiesBackPorch - Hi. Thank you for your video. I am just now starting to use my enameled cast iron pans. I'd always been afraid of them in the past. Could you please tell us why it is not good to use a pan who has a chip on the inside? It's cast iron underneath the enamel, and cast iron is safe to cook on. I know that you wouldn't want to cook acid based stuff, like tomatoes, buy couldn't you still cook eggs and stuff like that in your chipped enameled cast iron pan? I'm not meaning to be disrespectful in questioning you. I just want to understand. Thank you.
lori grass i also have the same question in mind. ... Hi @Debbie’s Back Porch. Trust thia finds you well. Will wait for your response. God bless!
hi how did you keep the inside of your enameled pot white..... thank you
I bleach it after each use.
bleach has chlor, it's toxic, there is alternative safe method to make enameled pot white
Then you should use what works for you. I don't think you even watched the video. Bleach is not toxic for use on cooking equipment. It washes right away and dissolves. it is approved for use in organic food preparation facilities but if you don't want to use it, don't.
My poor pots are black inside...i don't know if they'll every come back
Debbie just watched video on cleaning enamel cookware do you have any recommendations for small chip on rim of lid. Just keep it oiled? Noticed it when saw a little rust on it. Is there anything I can put on it. Afraid it might rust further under the enamel and chip more.
I do rub it with a little oil, yes.
Could you link to the lint free Viva towels?
smile.amazon.com/Viva-Choose-Sheet-Paper-Towels/dp/B07KTJJLSM/ref=sr_1_2?crid=1QDC7FVY11RCM&keywords=viva%2Bpaper%2Btowels&qid=1551595693&s=gateway&sprefix=viva%2B%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-2&th=1
I not using nothing I cant eat to clean any cast iron. Same with oil type used.
everyone please be careful with the bleach and vinegar. use separately.
Debbie can I just come hang out with you?
Sure
@@DebbiesBackPorch you remind me of my nonna 😀
No shit Grama! We do this in the Antique industry using old motor oil for Chinese enameled furniture.