Steel wool is worth a try.

I've always had good luck with Barkeepers Friend on both the inside and outside. Both the powder or liquid are fine but I prefer the liquid. I don't think steel wool is a good idea though, it might scratch up the surface. Use a non abrasive scrubbing pad.

Try the Dawn Powerwash in the spray bottle, which is not the normal Dawn Platinum dish washing soap.

Bon Ami. It sounds well used and well loved. If the stains don't come off embrace the patina of many well cooked meals. It sounds like a gem of a casserole dish.

Aww, Kendrah! That's it, exactly! I am a confirmed sentimentalist, and altho my mum has been gone for 30 years, her meals are still fondly remembered. She was what I call a "plain" cook for our family of seven, yet I still dream about her pot roast (have yet to really duplicate it -- has the quality of beef changed over the past 70 years??).

But after I left home for college, she discovered Julia Child... hoo, boy! =)

Le Creuset makes a cleaner: Le Creuset Cast Iron Cookware Cleaner | Sur La Table

They do but I’ve not found it useful. BFK does a far better job for me, but in the end I’ve just accepted that the interior stains are here to stay.

Steel wool may leave a lot of dark scratch marks on enamel - I learned that the hard way - so be wary. Barkeepers friend and a good scrub with a non-metal scrub pad is the best thing I've found for getting baked on gunk and scratch marks off enameled cookware. You can also make a paste and let it sit on the stubborn stains.

I agree that some might just never come out, tho.

Before resorting to anything abrasive, do try things like peroxide and baking soda, or just hot water and a plant based, nonscratch scrubbie. I would never ever use steel wool or BKF or the like on my enamel!

ETA: Okay. I'm prejudiced because BKF dissolves my skin, but I'll concede on that for the enamel, given the further testimonials in addition to the entusiasm above. .

Agree with BKF. I’ve used it on my Le Creuset for years. However, I’ve used it often enough that it’s kept stains away.

I have used BKF powder on my enamel for years with no problem. I use a damp paper towel and wash with dish soap after it is clean.

I use one of those Swedish dish cloths and Barkeepers Friend. The dish cloths have just enough grit to scrub off most baked on grease. The dish cloths do not scratch the enamel surface, you can toss in the dishwasher, and they are supposed to be biodegradable. You can try BkF with a paper towel for some of the cleaning, but it sounds like you need more for the tough gunk.

I would wet the surface and sprinkle with dishwasher detergent and let it sit for quite awhile to dissolve the discoloration, then clean up with BKF or similar.

That reminds me, you might want to run it through the dishwasher first, then tackle the remaining stains - save yourself some effort, if possible.

" I’ve just accepted that the interior stains are here to stay. "

I think that's the right attitude. I note that even on America's Test Kitchen (an activity of Cooks Illustrated), even though it likely has access to as many free units as it wishes, the interior of its pieces are sometimes other than pristine.

I have a stained Le Creuset and also a Staub. I probably like the Staub better but its advantage in this regard is that the inside of its pieces are black. No problem with interior stains.

Oh, the INSIDE of my casserole is fine -- it is the EXterior that is stained (NOT baked-on food particles).

My thanks for all the replies! 'Tis appreciated. =)

If the stains are polymerized oil, like seasoning, you might be able--carefully--to get it hot in the oven, then put it in a vessel or sink full of boiling hot water, and, with gloves, clean it from there--like removing seasoning from a pan, or coeaning an oven rack.

But that's also wher the peroxide and naking soda come in. Fresh packages of both to be at full strength. Spray or douse the spots with hydrogen peroxide, sprinkle thickly with baking soda, an either cover with a dark bag and leave all day in the direct sun, or heat gently (under 200F) in the oven. Scrub off and repeat as necessary.

I learned that here.

Stains exterior? Piece of cake w a bit of Greased Lightning or Easy Off spray while its in the sink.

I might have to do a demonstration ;)

" it is the EXterior that is stained"

Yeah, I know. My comment was a follow up to food's about the interior, which can be distressing to some based on how expensive these pots are.

But another 2 points to my Staub, I bought a dark blue color so that exterior stains, if there are any, aren't very visible. I know, dark blue exterior with a black interior isn't real colorful to display. But I don't display them, I cook with them, and learned my lesson about buying lighter colors and how to avoid difficult cleanup of the unavoidable spots.

Yeah sorry I did switch to talking about interior though realizing the question was about the exterior. BKF is my product of choice for both.

I was going to say what Carol said. Start with a run through the dishwasher and then deal with what is left with any of the methods above. Baking soda is a good one that is also good for degreasing your drains at the same time. Interior or exterior same ole. My cast iron is not enameled so I dont have this problem. My other dutch ovens are stainless with an extra thick laminated bottom and copper lined with stainless. My one really heavy one is an old Griswold cast iron and I only use it for frying. I find my heavy Correll baking dishes suffer this same problem and I clean them like the enameled pots.

patriciae

" Baking soda is a good one that is also good for degreasing your drains "

How is that done?

I remember something about baking soda, vinegar and hot water helping with small clogs. Key word being small.

The interior of your sink drains can become coated with a slime of soap scum and fats. The BS is a mild alkaline and vinegar a mild acid and the two foam and loosen and the boiling water helps dissolve and rinse. done on a regular basis helps prevent clogs.

patriciae

Except that vinegar and baking soda neutralize in each in their chemical reaction, so other than the foaming, the chemicals themselves are not going to do much, I understand.

Pouring a strong detergent and boiling water down the drain can be more effective at breaking up grease, I believe

Other than in the trap, there isn't any standing water in drain lines unless they're clogged. Whatever is poured in passes through without lingering. The foam is simply a result of the chemical reaction and doesn't of itself do anything.

I can see where perhaps the hot and detergent filled outflow from a dishwasher that goes through the trap and down the drain line might have some effect. In many homes, that happens a once a day or more. Most homes are subject to periodic clogs no matter how careful one is - that's why plumbing codes require easily accessible drain cleanouts.

" Except that vinegar and baking soda neutralize in each in their chemical reaction, so other than the foaming, the chemicals themselves are not going to do much, I understand. "

Exactly.

The fizzing chemical reaction that will produce sodium acetate and CO2 helps loosen the goo. It is safe for septic systems. For a detergent to work it has to combine with water and the goo which is a hard sell in affecting the goo on the walls. My mother once was told by a plumber to use coffee grounds they being abrasive and acidic and it worked but you cant do that on a septic system. I used to use a long brush but my sink, which is actually a surgeon's plaster sink, has a second set of cross bars in the specialty tail piece. Koehler eventually made a domestic model of this sink which had a standard opening and took standard connections. You cant imagine the grief of trying to adapt fittings so you can connect a dishwasher to my sink but I love my enormous porcelain sink with the faucet on the back.

patriciae

Putting coffee grounds into a drain, whether deliberately or accidentally, is an equally bad idea.

Kitchen drain lines really don't need "cleaning" if used properly.

Elmer, you frequently tell us you do not do maintenance jobs yourself.

patriciae

You are correct. I've always preferred to hire people to do work that needs to be done. Some have to do their own work - money is tight and hiring someone isn't affordable. Some people like DIY activity and doing their own tasks and repairs. I don't and can afford to have whatever's needed done by pros. I like knowing something about it and after that, I'm done.

I can't imagine how someone could seek out or decide who to engage, and for what to ask be done as a starting point, if completely in the dark and ignorant of at least basics of what may be at issue. I know many people do that, I don't.

I'm not a helicopter customer. I don't hover when someone comes to work, we talk to kick off the project then I leave them alone.

I can't tell you how many contractors and other workers I've had over the decades who've told me they enjoy and prefer dealing with customers like me who have at least a basic understanding of their work or of the problem. I don't solicit such comments, they happen. I learn from what I've experienced and enjoy the learning. But not doing.

Oh, PS -

As far as I know, kitchen drains don't need regular maintenance. Just thoughtful use. When there's a problem, a snake is usually all that's required to get it back to normal.

Snakes are for clogs.

patriciae

Yes, snakes are for clogs. If that’s not your concern with your made up concoction, what is it about the “cleanliness” of your drains that you’re focused on?

Gad Elmer, my made up concoction? I know you make fun of people looking things up on the internet but here you are looking less than because I can assure you that you will find pages on using this chemical reaction to keep your drains clean so you dont need to use a snake. I do have a minor in chemistry but surely even you remember using the combination to make a volcano.

patriciae

I didn't see a need to look up something you described as being useful, for a task I've never heard of before as being necessary.

With pipe sections that are either vertical or sloping to drain and so don't hold water (but for a cup or so in the trap), I've never heard of "drain cleaning" as being necessary. Nor is it clear to me that in those positions what any solution could do when quickly passing through anyway.

I looked back in my Quicken records - we last had a kitchen drain snaking done about 10 years ago, it cost less than a car oil change. Is "preventive maintenance", whether real or not real, necessary to prevent that infrequency?

I had two years (not classes) of chemistry in university, physical and organic . I don't remember any volcano demonstrations. In fact, I don't really remember having ANY demonstrations. Maybe there were some, I just don't remember any. Does showing a reaction like that mean it's of any use for drainpipes?

Well, back to the stained pot question>>>I would use the oven cleaner method or put some ammonia in a water tight bag and put the pot in there and close the bag up and leave it over night or even for a couple of days. After that, that staining should come off pretty easily with a non-abrasive scrubby pad. I do this with my electric stove top burner bibs. You know how nothing will get that baked on stuff off of them? Well I have used both of these methods and I think they both do the same thing. If I use oven cleaner, I will also put them in something air tight and close it up and leave it. Only difference is that for those, I will use an SOS/Brillo pad because I'm not afraid to scratch it up.

Off subject: I have tried the baking soda and vinegar idea in my bathroom drain that gets that slimy goo in it, it didn't seem to have done anything to get rid of that goop in the drain. I usually just use the cheap drain cleaner from Dollar Tree, this will clear the goo out and usually lasts for about 6 months. I have no idea why that orange goo forms in the drain just in the bathroom sink. It must be the soap we use in only that sink?

Residential plumbing system can be very complicated. You have the sink, toilets, bathtubs, dish washer, cloth washer, water filter, waste disposal, etc. all go to traps, vents, --- some houses have septic system, ---- everything eventually ends up in groundwater or municipal water treatment systems, some towns can turn waste water into tap water.

Do not fool around with strange chemicals, unless you know what you are doing.

dcarch

I don't think that baking soda and vinegar would be an issue?

Making a volcano with baking soda and vinegar is one thing but in general it isn't the best cleaning agent.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/baking-soda-vinegar-cleaning-tips/

But baking soda and peroxide works pretty well for something that benign.

I am concerned by someone with two years of Chemistry not remembering the major role that labs play. Organic in particular with it's mad scientist set ups of condenser tubes, pouring water, suction filtrations, fractional distillations, oddly shaped flasks, sep funnels and so forth. The guy next to me who was intended for a doctor by his wishful thinking family routinely flooded the bench, set MY lab book on fire and stuck a piece of glass tubbing he was bending right through the palm of his hand. Fun days.

Er's and plumbers view the caustic chemicals with their sometimes volcanic eruptions from drains that home owners are trying to clear with skepticism. The benign concoction of baking soda, hot vinegar and boiling water is more of a preventative. It does loosen the goo but is best used to prevent it. It is true it ends up neutral and that is it's charm. I think the bathroom goo is partly toothpaste but then there are hair products to washed off hands and so forth.

My original comment was intended as a light hearted sort of thing. I do not understand the veiled hostility over something so trivial.

patriciae

Rozanna, I hope you have used the LEAST of the methods. You have not been back, and I do not wonder with the troll posting.

Please do not use an sos pad. I do not like oven cleaner, so I do not use, but it will not scratch. I really like Bar Keeper’s Friend. I have use the powder with a wet paper towel a lot. It does not scratch. You can message me if you have it turned on.

That orange colored goo in sinks/drains/etc. is algae, I think. We sometimes get it too - I use a bathroom cleaner with bleach and a scrub brush or pad to remove it.

Further to sherry's comment, we've long used a product called Kleen King. I think it works better and with less effort than Barkeepers Friend but we all have our preferences. It used to be easier to find in stores than it is now - I think we usually get it from Amazon.