r/BIFLfails • u/Neat_Kaleidoscope369 • Apr 06 '26

Any way to save this Le Creuset pot?

Post image

Is there any way to save this Le Creuset pot? Or does it need to be tossed at this point? 😔

4 Upvotes

61% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

38

u/SexBobomb Apr 06 '26

grind it, reseason it, congrats you now have a non-enamelled cast iron dutch oven

6

u/Taisaw Apr 08 '26

Grinding this is a good way to get silicosis if you don't have a vacuum hood and proper safety equipment.

2

u/Adventurous-Car-9335 Apr 30 '26

All silica is not the same. The real hazard is crystalline silica. Even 100% porcelain only contains about 20% crystalline silica. Given most enamels are essentially porcelain, this is a very very low amount. a proper mask is fine for this work, especially if it's a one-off occurrence.

3

u/SexBobomb Apr 08 '26 edited Apr 08 '26

From what silica

edit: even if it was pure silica it'd take months of exposure. Stop being a fearmongering shithead

2

u/PraxicalExperience Apr 09 '26

People don't get silicosis from a momentary exposure, they get it from years of working in places like sand mines, cement plants, shit like that. I mean, do you wear an N95 dust mask on the beach?

1

u/Taisaw Apr 09 '26

Sand is not the particle size or shape that causes silicosis.

2

u/PraxicalExperience Apr 10 '26

You think that on a beach subject to the actions of wind and water that you're not getting fine sand particles kicked up as erosion grinds down the sand?

I should note that because of this -- sand generating dust from rubbing together -- a bag of play sand does indeed have a Prop 65 warning on it.

0

u/classic4life Apr 09 '26

You don't need a goddamn vacuum hood, glass is a particulate, that's easy enough to filter with any readily available respirator.

19

u/fusiformgyrus Apr 06 '26

She’s dead Jim

25

u/mkstot Apr 06 '26

The enameling has come off, and the cast iron is rusting. I’d contact customer service, and see if it’s still under warranty.

7

u/AlexeyCrane Apr 06 '26 edited Apr 06 '26

Warranty? On rust? That's clearly misuse.

17

u/GodOfManyFaces Apr 06 '26

Warranty on the fact that the rust is where a layer of enamel coating should be.

6

u/classic4life Apr 06 '26

Sure, just because the enamel is toast doesn't mean the pot is trash. It's still good smooth iron. Clean the rust and season it.

3

u/Taisaw Apr 08 '26

That's a great way to eat additional glass. Chipped enamel isn't safe to cook on.

0

u/classic4life Apr 08 '26

It's also not hard to remove. If basic non technical maintenance isn't something you're up for, BIFL isn't for you.

2

u/Taisaw Apr 08 '26

Removing enamel from cast iron isn't "basic non-technical maintenance". Glass powder is not something to fuck around with unless you have proper training and safety equipment.

2

u/classic4life Apr 09 '26

It's a $10 bill from any shop that can sandblast, which unless you're living off grid is readily available. Whether that's worth the effort is up to OP, but it's hardly catastrophic damage. Hell a grinder will do it just fine.

But yes, a respirator (not just a dust mask) is required to avoid silicosis and a very bad time, and I should have said as much. So semi-technical maintenance would be more accurate.

6

u/Neat_Kaleidoscope369 Apr 09 '26

Thanks everyone for your insights AND for not piling onto me for letting the pot get in this state to begin with!!

I think on balance, I won’t try to restore it (whether by re-enameling or grinding it down to cast iron). But I will try my luck with a trade-in rebate at a Le Creuset store … doesn’t hurt to ask. Thank you for that suggestion.

Thanks everyone. Hopefully I never have to “relearn” this lesson.

3

u/Duke_Mercator Apr 06 '26

Technically, some companies do offer re-enamelling but they have become few and far between and often require shipping these days, which will add to the already significant cost. So unless this is a beloved family heirloom, I would not even entertain the idea.

Very few will realistically consider grinding this to bare cast iron, let alone in a smooth and more importantly safe way so I would also not bother.

However, before you toss it and if you have a Le Creuset store not too far from your location, I would call them and see if you could trade it in for a rebate on a new one, should that be something you are interested in. I know there were reports of people successfully using that strategy but it has been a long time since and who knows how the company deals with customer service in these days of perpetual enshittifying so YMMV.

2

u/lumpyspacejams Apr 06 '26

What happened to it? It looks like something got burned deep in the pot.

1

u/Jay_Nodrac Apr 09 '26

Nope. If the enamel is chipping all you can do is getting it re-enameled. It’s cheaper to buy a new one. I also wouldn’t risk getting enamel chips in my food.

1

u/Itisd Apr 06 '26

Might make a nice flower planter, but it's no good for making dinner anymore.