Strange Stain on my LC frying pan

17 years ago

I just bought a new 10.25" frying pan from LC. I made eggs on it about 4-5 times. The first 2 times it was perfect. Nothing stuck and cleaned up easily. On the third time after the pan cooled down and I washed it, there was a strange stain. It looks kind of oily and feels sticky to the touch. I tried some barkeepers friend and it wasn't sticky or oily anymore, but now it had a white tint to it. The next time I cooked eggs the same thing happened. The stain came back. What could this be? Is there a way of getting rid of this? The interior of the pan is black, but the stain is still visible.

Thank you for any advice and help.

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Comments (7)

blondelle
17 years ago
Was the stain under where you cooked the eggs? Was there oil all over the pan, or just under the eggs? The black matte interior is porous until it's seasoned. You might have seasoned it just in the area under the eggs with the oil or butter you used. Try scrubbing out the pan well, and then use a thin coat of oil all over and heat the pan with a low to medium flame until it stops smoking. You can do that a few times. This will season the interior of the pan all over, and give you a nice, shiny, nearly nonstick even surface.
anna1029
Original Author
17 years ago
The stain was under where I cooked the eggs. I didn't use a lot of oil, so I can't say 100% that the entire surface of the pan was covered with oil.

I wasn't aware that I'm supposed to season this pan. The sales person told me that it's enameled cast iron and I just assumed no seasoning is required. It did puzzle me though that the interior is black as compared to my other LC pot.

I've read that seasoned pans should not be washed is soap. If I season this pan, should I just wash it plain water?

Thank you
Anna
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anna1029
Original Author
17 years ago
I tried to season the pan. I rubbed a small amount of oil and heated it up. The interior is nice and shiny but the spot now looks like its burnt. Any ideas how to get rid of it and what could it be?

Thank you.
blondelle
17 years ago
I honestly don't know what it is, but as you use the pan more and it develops a patina, it should all blend into a uniform finish.
kitchendetective
17 years ago
I was told when I purchased Le Creuset in a hardware store in France that the pieces with black interiors just have black enamel instead of white enamel and do not need to be seasoned. They should be treated like other Le Creuset pieces. I have a few of these, but they are 32 years old and I am not sure today's black interiors are the same. I have indeed always treated my black ones just like my cream-colored ones. I just went and looked at a couple of them and there is no variation in the black surfaces. I am wondering if the problem you note is due to a defect in the enamel. Do you have your original packing? I would contact Le Creuset and see what they say about this.
blondelle
17 years ago
Seasoning is optional on these pans, but if you want to hurry along the nonstick patina that comes with use, you have the option of seasoning them. The new interiors aren't the same as before. They also made another dark interior called Glismail, or something like that that was shiny too. The new ones are high temp, and are matte black, and can take a seasoning as the enamel is a bit rough and porous.
jeffnette
17 years ago
Do you use the non stick sprays like pam? I used to use it on my non-stick cookware until it ruined the nonstick abilities of the pan....it felt like what you described. I don't know if it makes a difference on the enamel cookware, but I would check into it.

Strange Stain on my LC frying pan

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blondelle

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Strange Stain on my LC frying pan

Comments (7)

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