An easy way to remove staining from an enameled cast iron pot is to add a small amount of bleach (about 1/4 cup), dilute with tap water and (optionally) squirt in a little dishwashing liquid. Let the pot sit out over night. Discard water and rinse really well to get rid of bleach odor. This even works if you've scorched the bottom and have some baked on food residue. The Wolfgang line of enameled cast iron pots are nowhere near the quality of Le Creuset or other high end brands. Preheating an empty enameled cast iron pot in the oven for bread baking can weaken the enamel, making it more prone to chipping (and crazing). Since the enamel on the pot you have is already crazed, you might as well use it to bake bread. I've been using non-enameled cast iron dutch ovens for bread baking long before it was popularized by Bittman's article in the New York Times. One thing that bothers me is that it seems as though your risen dough, when ready to bake, still had some oil on it. Even with the no-knead recipe, bread dough has 2 rises - the bulk rise and then, after shaping, the final rise prior to baking. For the final fermentation, the dough is not put in an oiled bowl so there should be no oil on the risen dough when you place it in your preheated pot. A thin layer of any coarse meal (coarse corn grits, wheat bran, semolina, etc.) on the bottom of the pot prevents sticking. In fact, even for the first rise (the bulk fermentation) there is really no need to oil the bowl. Misting the bowl (or whatever rising container you're using) *lightly* with water (use a plant mister for this) is just as effective. Happy baking. Enjoy your pot.

"I'm assuming this is from a build up of oil in the pan and never washing the pan with soap." Not really - what happens is that oil penetrates the microscopic pores in the cast iron during the seasoning process and gets baked in (chemically it makes a polymer of the oil on the surface of the pan). This keeps the food particles out of the pores, hence the non-stick tendencies. All you have to do to maintain that layer of polymerized stuff is wipe the pan with oil after use. Cleaning with soapy water doesn't affect my pans, because I wipe them with oil and dry them on a warm burner before storing them. That rebuilds the polymer layer a bit. "I bought a cornstick pan this week and don't anticipate using it more than once a month at most. I would like to coat it with hot bacon grease before each batch but seems like I've read somewhere that it would taste old/rancid if I did that." Season it with a vegetable oilbefore you use it, use the bacon grease, scrub it with soapy water after the muffins, wipe it dry and oil it lightly with any vegetable oil (except soybean oil, which oxidizes into a fishy taste). Same with the skillets and dutch oven: soapy water to remove the food residue, then a wiping with fresh oil and dry it on a warm burner.

I baked this Upside Down Pineapple cake in a cast iron skillet. This cake is made using fresh pineapple. Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Source: Thomas Keller Pan Schmear 8 Tbsp (1 Stick; 4 oz) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature 1 ½ Tbsp Honey ½ tsp Dark Rum 1 Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar ¼ tsp Vanilla Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract Sea Salt 1 Gold (Extra-Sweet) Pineapple Cake 1 1/3 Cups Cake Flour 2 tsp Baking Powder 8 Tbsp (1 Stick; 4 oz) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature ½ Cup Plus 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar ½ tsp Vanilla Paste or Pure Vanilla Extract 2 Large Eggs 1 Tbsp Plus 1 tsp Milk Method Preheat the oven to 350˚F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, combine the butter, honey, rum, brown sugar, and vanilla and beat until smooth and well blended. Spread 1/3 cup of the schmear over the bottom of a 9-inch silicone cake pan. Sprinkle lightly with salt. (The remaining schmear can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 1 month; bring to room temperature before using.) Cut the top and bottom from the pineapple and cut away the peel. Cut the pineapple lengthwise into quarters, and cut off the core from each section. Cut each piece crosswise into ¼-inch thick slices. Beginning at the perimeter of the pan, make an overlapping ring of pineapple slices with the curved side facing out. Make a second ring inside the first one, overlapping the slices in the opposite direction, working toward the center of the pan. Sift the flour and baking powder together; set aside. Put the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle and mix on low speed to combine, then beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until light and creamy, stopping to scrape down the sides as necessary. Mix in the vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until the first one is incorporated before adding the second and scraping down the sides as necessary. Beat in the milk. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, beating until combined. Pour the batter into the pan and spread over the pineapple. Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate the pan for even browning and bake for another 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester or wooden skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan on a cooling rack for 20 to 40 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the cake, invert onto a serving platter, and serve warm. (Leftover can be stored at room temperature for up to 2 days.) ----------------------------------------------------------- This is my favourite Corn bread recipe. Corn Bread 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal 1 cup all purpose flour 1/3 cup sugar 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 eggs 6 tablespoons melted and cooled butter 8 tablespoons melted and cooled vegetable shortening 1 1/2 cups milk Preheat the oven to 400°. sift into a mixing bowl the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Beat the eggs lightly, add the melted butter and shortening, and stir in the 1 1/2 cups of milk. Pour into the bowl of dry ingredients and beat together for about a minute, or until smooth. Do not over beat. Lightly butter an 8 x 12 inch shallow baking pan and pour in the batter. Bake in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the bread comes slightly away from the edge of the pan and is golden brown. If you wish you make bake the cornbread in a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan or in muffin tins. Increase the baking time to 45 minutes if using a loaf pan. Also great baked in a cast iron skillet.

Just as a cast iron pan can be handed down through the generations, so could this chain mail scrubber. It would make sense though, to test one before buying, or to have the word of a trusted friend that it is really worth the money. If you are used to paying $1.98 for a scrubber and throwing it away to buy a fresh one, the $20 might seem too steep.