Community Chat

[haddon9]

I have mentioned on another thread that I have a few Le Crueset pieces.  I have a large stock pot or dutch oven that is in good condition because I don't use it very much.  I also have a few other pieces that look good when they aren't used either.

However I have a small frying pan that got so black on the bottom of it that I gave it to my son to use when he goes camping. 

I bought a new one.  It was great for a while but started to get black too.  It go so black and I found it impossible to clean off.  I tried almost everything!  Even leaving oven cleaner on all night which took some of the black off but only about half.  It's too much work to try to maintain.  I have a gas cooktop so maybe the gas was making it black?  I don't know.

I've gotten to the point where I have turned to using stainless steel. It may not be nonstick but it's not hard to get clean and it looks beautiful!

Does anyone else have this problem?  ....any tips?

[riley1]

@haddon9 - I now have an electric rangetop (hate it) and find that I really can't use a high heat to cook - I mostly use med or med high for most things.

However, I had gas for years when I lived in NJ. Are you cooking with too high a heat setting? I never had that happen to any of my pots with gas. 

Have you tried Bar Keepers or even a paste of baking soda with a dobie scrubbing pad? I've never seen that before.

Sorry I could not be more helpful.

[Icegoddess]

I have neither gas nor Le Creuset and all my pans have black on the bottoms.  Even my stainless steel pan although I can at least use an SOS pad on it and get some, but not all, of it off.  The inside of the SS pan is pristine. 

[RedTop]

I think this is related to cooking with gas.  None of my cookware has ever scorched like this on an electric stove.  

[haddon9]

@riley1 I try to keep the gas down to a medium flame at most.  I know high flame isn't good for some pots. 

Yes I have tried Barkeeper's friend and a few other pastes which did almost nothing.  I just don't understand why the underside of my two frying pans got so blackened.  I feel that the only thing that will get the black off is an electric sander!  LOL!  I give up!

I have been happy with my stainless and have been using that most of the time now.  They look great each time I use them.

I was just wondering if others have had the problem that I have with Le Crueset.

[haddon9]

@Icegoddess @RedTop I think it really has to do with the gas but I don't know if others who have gas have experienced this as well with cast iron enamel.

My stainless has not gotten black on the bottom and still looks great.

[MezzieStarr]

On the Le Creuset YouTube channel they say to use baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.

Probably won't get it back to 100% but might take some off.

I've had success on other pans using Bar Keepers Friend.

Screen shot from Le Creuset:

[RNbynite]

@haddon9 …Try easy off oven cleaner…..I’ve read that I works without dulling the enamel.

[Carmie]

I have had this happen to quite a few pieces of my different types of cookware, including LeCrueset.

I found a product that will restore it to like new.  You might have to use a little grease at first, but after that it only takes a few minutes to maintain a clean button and sides of the pan.

This product is also great for cleaning the stove and other items around the house.  I have had my container for a few years and use it often.  It seems to last forever.

I think I bought it from HSN a few years ago.

[Sooner]

It's a matter of not letting any pan get like this.  If you scrub them after cooking while there are tiny spots, they won't get this way.  

You might have to use a scouring powder or pink stuff, maybe baking soda on not so bad spots, but you have to get it off before it gets cooked on again.

Also, it is a symptom of using really high heat and grease spattering and burning.