- Give it a quick rinse. Once you’ve removed all the food from your pot, rinse it with warm, soapy water to remove any remaining debris.
- Fill the pot with water. Add about 4 cups of water. If you’re working with a particularly large Dutch oven (larger than 5 quarts) or you have stains on the sides, add 8 cups of water. Don’t worry too much about precision; just make sure the stains are covered.
- Turn up the heat. Place the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. (You can cover the pot with a lid to help it boil faster.)
- Add the magic ingredient. Pour two tablespoons of baking soda into the water. You should immediately see the baking soda’s stain-fighting power get to work. Reduce the heat to medium and let the water simmer for 5 minutes.
- Cool it down. After the simmering is done, let the pot sit at room temperature until the water is cool enough to touch.
- Scrub the stains away. Grab a non-abrasive sponge and gently scrub away those hideous stains. The baking soda should loosen the gunk enough for the stains to lift away easily.
- Stubborn stains? Repeat the baking soda soaking process again to help encourage pesky lingering stains to lift.
That’s it! Your enameled cast iron Dutch oven should be gleaming and pretty close to what it looked like the day you brought it home. The most low-cost and effective solution to protecting your investment is already in your pantry.