This post has been a LONG time coming. Last winter, I can’t remember what we cooked, but our Le Creuset made it’s way into the oven and came out ruined. Oil had burned onto the outside and it looked as crusty as could be. A few people had warned me that our white Le Creuset would be a nightmare to keep clean, but this was really the first time where it wasn’t cleaning easily. I went deep on the internet and was coming up with some very basic cleaning remedies like baking soda (works on the inside but did nothing for the outside) and Bar Keeper’s Friend (a staple in our kitchen, but did nothing this time around). I finally found one website that claimed oven cleaner worked…. I figured it was worth a shot because the Le Creuset was so far ruined that it couldn’t hurt.
Lo and behold! It was like magic!!!
Of course, I didn’t take before/after photos but I couldn’t wait to get a blog post for this. It’s been on my idea list since last January! I let the dutch oven get as dirty as possible, but it took 13 months to get back to this point. I wanted the before/after to be as dramatic as possible 🤣 I promise we usually do not let it get this bad on a normal basis. This was for demonstration purposes only. But rest assured, if your dutch oven does get this bad, the oven cleaner will fix it right up.
Can we talk about this before?!?!
HOW I CLEAN MY LE CREUSET:
INSIDE: First, cleaning the inside should be pretty straightforward. It’s recommended to boil water and then add baking soda, but I just put the dutch oven into the sink and fill it with water from the tap as hot as it will go and then add baking soda. It usually does the trick immediately, and it’s so much easier to pour out since it’s already in the sink.
OUTSIDE: For the outside, I use this oven cleaner. It’s strong. So I recommend wearing a mask, and open the windows, and wear gloves. It may even be worth doing outside. Spray a layer of the oven cleaner all over. Make sure it’s evenly and fully coated. Let sit for at least 15 minutes, and then rinse in the sink. It may take a little bit of scrubbing too…. and you may have to repeat this (spray, wait, scrub, rinse) a few times until it’s gone.*
* A few people said you can leave the oven cleaner on overnight so you don’t have to scrub or repeat. But I haven’t tried it personally!
Voilà good as new!!!!
SHOP THE POST
What an incredible transformation!!! Thank you for the tips!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Thanks for the tip Carly! My LeCreuset is dark gray and hasn’t gotten that bad on the outside yet but it’s good to know ahead of time. For the inside I usually use Bar Keepers Friend also but I’m happy to know baking soda works as well. You probably just saved someone’s $400 pot!
Thanks for the tip! Loves the containers next to your stove. Where are they from?
They’re both from Tory Burch!
Okay, this is pretty cool. I never knew I needed a post on how to clean my Le Creuset. Turns out I did!
A little trick. It also works magic on old porcelain bathtubs.
Omg, so excited to try this! I have a white Le Creuset that looks even worse than yours. 20 years old, use multiple times a week and had just resigned myself to it looking bad. Hope I have similar results.
Brilliant! I also use Bar Keepers Friend for my stainless steel Salad Master pots and pans works like a charm.
All of my Le Creuset is matte white and I just use bar keepers friend and they all look pretty much new after 5+ years of heavy use. Seems less toxic than oven cleaner!
You missed her point! She acknowledged that BKF works….but her pot was way beyond what BKF would clean!! I don’t think she is endorsing toxic products for daily use! : )
Hi. I came across this post and have a similar issue with my own Le Creuset pot having tried to clean it with BKF with no success. I wanted to check whether you found that the Easy-Off Oven Cleaner made the pan more vulnerable in subsequent use (eg. Lost a layer of protection?) Thanks so much!