How to care for cast iron enamel casserole? Simple cleaning tips for you!

Alright, so today I wanna tell you about my little adventure cleaning my super grimy cast iron enamel casserole. Yeah, the one I scorched spaghetti sauce in last week. Big oops. Thing looked like a crime scene.

The Uh-Oh Moment

Dumped the leftovers out, right? Just gave it a quick rinse like I usually do. Stuck my finger in, felt… crusty. Like, really stuck-on crusty. Big patches of that tomato stuff welded onto the bottom and sides. Seriously, nasty.

Figured my usual soap-and-water method wasn’t cutting it. Needed muscle.

First Try: The Scrubbing Showdown

Grabbed my green scrubby sponge thingy – the rough side – and went to town with hot water and dish soap. Pushed hard. Scraped like my life depended on it.

• Result? Total fail.
• Managed to scrape off like… maybe 5%?
• The rest laughed at me. Actually heard mocking noises. Okay, maybe not, but it felt like it.
• Problem? Using plastic bristles or soft scrubbers? Useless against this kinda burn-on gunk. And I didn’t wanna scratch the enamel with metal.

The Baking Soda Surprise

Stood there sulking, staring at the dirty beast. Remembered my mom using baking soda on her old pots back in the day. Thought, “Eh, what’s the worst that can happen? Already looks wrecked.”

Here’s exactly what I did next:

1. Covered the Mess: Dumped a thick layer of cheap baking soda right onto the burnt areas. Like covering mud with snow. Poured in just enough warm water to make a runny paste – wet sand consistency.
2. Set It & Forget It (Mostly): Left that ugly paste sitting in the pot overnight. Went to bed. Dreamt of clean pots (weird, I know).
3. Morning Scrub – Round 2: Came back next morning. Water looked kinda grey and gross. Took my sponge again (same rough green side) and just… gently started rubbing the paste around. Pushed down this time, not sideways.
4. The Magic Happened: Started wiping the paste away slowly. And… holy cow. Burnt junk just lifted off! Like wiping mud off a windshield after rain. Big brown gooey chunks came free!
5. Final Touch: Gave it a seriously thorough rinse with tons of hot water. Checked for slippery residue. Ran my hand over the bottom. Smooth! Like butter! Did one quick wipe with a regular sponge and soap. Nothing stuck at all.

Did It Work? Heck Yeah

Honestly? I was shook. That crust I couldn’t touch yesterday? Gone. Disappeared overnight. The enamel underneath looked perfectly fine. No scratches, just clean.

Best part? It’s dirt cheap (seriously, box of baking soda costs pennies), easy (stir paste, walk away), and no-scratch safe. Way better than trying to chisel it off or ruining my pans. Total game-changer for lazy cooks like me who sometimes… uh… “overcook” things.