The baking soda acts as a gentle abrasive to lift the food without harming the enameled finish. Wet-scrub with baking soda. Add 2 cups water and ¼ cup baking soda to the pan, place it on the stovetop, and then heat until boiling. Allow the water to cool, and then use a plastic scraper to remove the food.
If your enameled pan burns, cleaning it with baking soda can help. By filling a pot of water with baking soda and bringing it to a boil, carbon dioxide is produced, which helps to bring out all the charred and dirty bits. You can drop the pot without damaging it, so give it a try.
The only way you're going to damage the enamel is by percussion... hitting it with something hard that will chip it away from the cast iron (or drastic temperature changes, of course).
Baking soda, alone or with vinegar, is a safe and effective way to remove rust from cast iron pans. It's a non-toxic option that won't harm the pan if used properly. After removing rust, remember to season your pan with oil and bake it to restore its non-stick surface.
Le Creuset also suggests adding a couple of tablespoons of baking soda to the water when you soak your Dutch oven to help break up even more stubborn spots.
Baking soda with intensive and prolonged use can completely destroy the tooth enamel, as well as cause gum disease. With this product, you can actually get rid of plaque and pollution, but at a very high price. The price that you give when whitening with baking soda includes your healthy tooth enamel.
Thanks to its high sodium content, it's also possible to consume too much baking soda. An overload of sodium can cause vomiting and diarrhea, as well as more serious problems like seizures and kidney failure.
If cast iron is left in the sink to soak, put in the dishwasher, or allowed to air dry, it will rust. It can also happen when you store your cookware in moisture-prone environments, such as a cabinet near a dishwasher, an open cabinet in a humid location, or stored outside.
In a study of nine healthy people, sodium bicarbonate administered with 10 mg of iron led to lower iron levels compared to iron administered alone. This interaction may be avoided by taking sodium bicarbonate-containing products two hours before or after iron-containing supplements.
One is to simmer warm water and a few tablespoons of baking soda in the pot for 8 to 10 minutes. Another option is to combine a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water, and bring it to a boil. After it cools, clean it with water, dish soap, and a non-abrasive sponge or cloth.
Cast iron is quite heavy in nature so a small knock can chip the enamel. Avoid using your oven as storage. Should you forget it's in there and turn your oven on a high heat, you will damage the enamel coating. After washing up your Dutch oven, dry it with either a tea towel or a paper towel.
The good news is that enameled cast iron is generally considered safe for cooking. The enamel coating is made from glass and does not contain harmful chemicals like PFOA or PTFE , which are found in some non-stick coatings.
Don't use metal utensils.
And you definitely don't want to cut food within the cookware—save that for the cutting board. (It's also a good idea to not stack other pans on the enameled surface or it could damage the coating.)
My favorite items for cleaning my Le Creuset is the “scrub daddy” sponge and even better for stains or grease is the “Mr. Clean magic eraser.” It works wonders with hot soapy water! You can also persevere the integrity of your Le Creuset by hand washing and drying immediately.
Baking soda and bicarb soda refer to the same thing. Australia, New Zealand and the UK use the term bicarb soda, while the US refers to it as baking soda.
Recommended cleaning products for enameled cast iron
For stubborn stains or stuck-on food, a paste made from baking soda and water can be applied with a soft sponge in a circular motion, acting as a mild abrasive without damaging the enamel.
Baking soda and glass don't go together. Don't use this compound near any glass surfaces, including windows, glassware, or glass stovetops, or there is a risk of damaging them.
The baking soda is a mild abrasive to help remove stubborn burnt on food and the alkalinity helps neutralize odors or flavors that can be cooked into the pan. Rinse and repeat if necessary to remove any remaining burnt food.
Eggs fall into the category of sticky foods that are not ideal for cast iron skillets that haven't built up their seasoning yet. While cast iron can become non-stick with sufficient use over time, a newer skillet will almost certainly cause your eggs to stick to its porous surface.
They are most likely carbon deposits. This happens due to overheating of fats and oils.
Turns out cooking food with baking soda (a.k.a. sodium bicarbonate) can indeed damage a number of nutrients, such as vitamin C, vitamin D, riboflavin, thiamin, and one essential amino acid. Yet it doesn't hurt others, including vitamin A, vitamin B12, niacin, and folic acid.
Sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, is also used in the treatment of kidney disease. The National Kidney Foundation's Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI) recommends the use of sodium bicarbonate to treat metabolic acidosis. This condition occurs when there is an excessive buildup of acid in the blood.
Too much baking soda may cause diarrhea, stomach disturbances, gas, headaches, nausea, swelling, or vomiting. The body will eliminate the excess sodium consumed in a tablespoon of baking soda so there is no need to worry about anything dangerous occurring.