How to Clean Your Le Creuset
This is one of the questions I get asked the most from readers. If you have followed me on Instagram over the past year, I have done a LOT of cooking. I rarely do takeaway and I haven’t dined into a restaurant since March 2020. My Le Creuset Dutch Oven is used pretty much daily. A few months ago, I made Brussels sprouts via Half Baked Harvest and I thought I ruined the pan.
After some quick research, I figured out the easiest solution! BAKING SODA. It costs under $1.00 and it is a miracle worker.
It is pretty simple. After you are done cooking, do not freak out!
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Clear the food out as you normally would and fill the pot halfway with warm water from the tap.
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Add a drop of Dawn dishwashing detergent
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Put the pot back on the stovetop and turn to medium heat. You want the water to get to a boil but since there is soap in there you have to be careful it doesn’t boil over.
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Add a shake of your baking soda. There is no magic amount, I just put 1 -2 tablespoons in.
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Turn the water down low and let it move around with the soap.
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The whole process takes about 15-20 minutes. This is when I clean up the rest of dinner, fill the dishwasher and once everything is finished, my pot is the last thing that is rinsed in the sink.
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This should clear up any residue on the pan! If there are some tough spots, repeat the process. I have never had to do it more than twice
Here are some of my other favorite Le Creuset pans that I use often include:
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Will definitely have to try this! The employees at Crate and Barrel recommended Bar Keeper’s Friend (the powdered version) and a dish scrubber instead of a sponge to clean our Dutch oven and it works like magic. I use Bar Keeper’s to clean everything in the house now.
I use both methods and they are equally efficient, although the baking soda approach takes longer. A few things to remember when cooking with Le Creuset: never put a Le Creuset pan on high heat immediately; heat the pan up slowly starting with low heat, and don’t add any ingredients until it has been warmed – this will eliminate the hard cleaning requirement and allow for more even cooking. On a related note, although they are technically dishwasher-safe, the colors can fade over time so take the time to clean them manually to preserve their beautiful colors for years to come. I have a number of Le Creuset beauties and they are a treasure. Hope this helps!
Thank you, Alex! I will try Bar Keeper’s Friend too to see the difference. I have some on hand to clean the sink 🙂