Barkeepers Friend: Warning for Using it On Enameled Cast Iron

[Panhead John]

I know I’m late jumping on the Bar Keepers Friend bandwagon but I just bought some yesterday for the first time, wanted to try it on some fairly new Stainless Steel pots I bought. I had some slight discoloration and stains inside the pots which didn’t come off with regular cleaning. I bought the powdered BKF which is made for pots and pans, it even had “Ceramic” on the label. It worked great inside my SS pots, made em look new again! I have a 6 qt. Lodge Ceramic Dutch Oven which had some black stains on the bottom. Just to be sure it was safe for it, I Googled …..BKF safe for enameled Dutch ovens. Here’s what it said……



What I bought…….


Here’s what I was trying to remove from the bottom of the Lodge Ceramic…..


It really didn’t work that well. After 3-4 minutes of scrubbing with the rough side of my sponge I gave up. It did remove some of the black stains but it looked like the bottom was “lightening up” in the depth of color so I stopped…..the stains weren’t that big of a deal to me. I rinsed the DO off several times to make sure it was all gone. While I was cleaning the DO, upside down on my cabinet, some of the water mixture dripped down the sides of my pot in several places. After rinsing and drying it off, this is what I noticed!


All around the sides of the pot were white streaks!




I thought at first maybe I just didn’t rinse well enough. I rinsed it again and again using the sponge also. They won’t come off, it’s permanent! While this won’t affect me using it of course, I sure wasn’t prepared for these white streaks. Anyway, I just wanted to post this as a warning for anyone considering using BKF for their ceramic pots.

[cruiseplanner1]

Yes it uses acid as part of the ingredients. Works wonders on my SS as you mentioned. Just last weekend I cleaned the bottom of some of my cookward that had some burn marks on it. Does great job. I use the paste one in the plastic bottle to clean my brass door handles. Makes them look like new. Just have to be sure to rinse it off after you use it.

[Panhead John]

Yeah, it worked fantastic on my SS, and it didn’t even require any hard scrubbing.

[Carolyn]

Liquid BKF removes the graphite stains from around door hinges like magic.

[RonB]

I have never used it on anything but SS. It does a great job on ss wireless probes.

[cruiseplanner1]

Good idea never thought of that one

[Hulagn1971]

I use it on my Made In ss saucier. Works great on getting any film off the inside. I've used it on a similar color Dutch oven but only cleaned the inside. Outside just gets soap and water. Thanks for the heads up so I don't make that mistake.

[Panhead John]

I had no idea just the water/BarKeepers Friend mixture would do that! All it did was just drip down the sides…😡 This is directly from BKF about cleaning ceramic. There’s no mention of it discoloring your ceramic.

https://barkeepersfriend.com/cleaning-enameled-cast-iron/

[Richard Chrz]

I learned similar in trashing my 1 st lodge enameled, and i did not use bar keeper's, but at somepoint you just accept time and patina on enamel with grace.

since they have it on the label, either they’re bad, or some manufactures (lodge or others) have cheapened the process of their enameling?

[Panhead John]

Thanks Richard, you just gave me something to think about. I’m gonna email Lodge along with pics and see what they say. Maybe they’ll give me another one? All they can say is no. 🤷♂️

[dpearce]

Never used their pans product. Didn't even know it existed. I use the normal stuff all around the house, kitchen countertops, sinks, stovetop (which is enameled), bathroom tubs/showers/sinks, the SS grill (when I still had it), but not on any pans except our SS FarberWare pans. Made our boat (24ft Cuddy Cruiser) look great when I used that and a power scrubber on it.

If I ever get an enameled pan, I'll steer clear of it.

Maybe soak the whole pan in a mixture of that and hot water to even out the color?

[Panhead John]

It would probably just dull the rest of the pot, would be my guess. I rubbed a little olive oil on the streaks and they went away about 90%.

[Panhead John]

I emailed Lodge, very nicely and w/pics. I wanted to see if they would replace my DO because of the streaking. I wasn’t really expecting a free replacement, but damn they were quick to respond! Less than an hour after sending my email I got this response. No big deal, I still like Lodge stuff.

John,

Thank you for reaching out and for being a long-time fan of our products! We appreciate you sharing those photos and the details regarding your 6 qt. Red Enameled Dutch Oven.

We are sorry to hear about the streaking on your pot. Unfortunately, once this type of damage is done, there is no way to repair it.

Cleaning Recommendations: While Bar Keepers Friend is a popular cleaner, we actually do not recommend using it on our enameled products. The abrasive nature of certain powdered cleaners can react with or dull the exterior glaze of the enamel, leading to the permanent streaking you're seeing.

Warranty Coverage: Because this finish change was caused by an external cleaning agent rather than a flaw in the materials or craftsmanship, this is not considered a manufacturing defect. As a result, it is not covered under our limited warranty.

Cooking Performance: The good news is that this damage is entirely cosmetic. Since the streaking is on the exterior and has not compromised the structural integrity of the cast iron or the interior cooking surface, it will not affect the cooking performance of your Dutch oven. It will still cook and bake just as it did before!

We know it’s disappointing when a favorite piece of cookware loses its "out-of-the-box" shine, but your Dutch oven still has many years of great meals left in it. For future cleaning, we recommend using warm soapy water and a nylon scrub pad, or a specialized enameled cast iron cleaner to keep the finish protected.

Thank you for your understanding and for your continued support of our brand.

Best regards,


Thank you,
Kelly
Lodge Customer Care
Lodge Cast Iron
Ph: 833.LODGEUSA
833.563.4387

[Panhead John]

I was thinking the same thing about if premium brands could be affected. Also, Lodge makes 2 different sets of CI ceramic, one is Made in America which is more expensive, and the cheaper one is Made in China….which is the one I have. I’d be curious to know if that could happen with the American made version.

[Carolyn]

Uncle Bob I use BKF on my Staub, and it hasn't etched the surfaces. I am removing small areas of cooked on grease on the exterior and removing protein stains from the interior, and I rinse immediately.
BKF recommends that you don't leave it on for more than a minute, especially on metals and not to use it dry.
Staub says not to use scouring powders on their enamel, so I am careful using the BKF. I make sure I am not using dry powder on the pot and 🤞I don't dull the surface by scrubbing.

[Uncle Bob]

Thank you Carolyn

[fzxdoc]

Oh darn, Panhead John , I hate to see that kind of damage done to your cookware. Getting used to wear and tear is one thing, but streaks like that are just plain upsetting to see. I guess you just have to take a live and learn attitude and move on. Thanks for warning us.

Kathryn

[Hulagn1971]

Spray it with stove paint and call it a day.

[Panhead John]

Thanks Fritz but I’m good……🥸

[mrteddyprincess]

I did a little research and found a Lodge Enamel Dutch Oven Repair kit, John. Always here to help. B

[Panhead John]

😂😂 uh, I’ll pass.

[Panhead John]

After doing a little online research, I found that other people have had the same problem with BKF on enameled DO’s. One user on Reddit had the same problem with streaks after using it and someone suggested rubbing a little bit of Olive Oil on the streaks. I did it and about 90% of each streak disappeared. I couldn’t even see the streaks unless I picked it up and tilted it toward the light. This is probably temporary until I cook with it again, but oh well. I also saw several people suggest this cleaner from Le Creuset specially made for cast iron enamel, gets great reviews. I just ordered a bottle of it, kinda pricey but it’s supposed to work well.

https://a.co/d/0aPnsUnI

[Panhead John]

Thanks for the suggestion Bob. I’ll give it a shot tomorrow and let you know how it goes. Think I’ll do it in the oven, any ideas on time and temps? Uncle Bob

[Uncle Bob]

Probably lower and slower than typical seasoning process otherwise the "dots" would probably give you black marks which would likely mess even more with your OCD.

[Skinsfan1311]

It is pricey but it works very well. You will be pleased with the results.

[fzxdoc]

I can't wait to hear how Uncle Bob 's plan pans out for you, Panhead John .

K.

[TomfromtheSoo]

Panhead John

The exterior surface of the enamel has probably been slightly etched by oxalic acid as Uncle Bob mentioned.

But the enamel has thickness to it and the surface etching could possibly be “polished out”. The olive oil will just mask the etching.

If I were to grab something from my tool box to polish the enamel, I would grab my bottle of Flitz Metal Polish and try that. I’ve used it on guns and other metal objects and it works well on those.

https://www.flitz.com/flitz-polish-liquid/

OR,

I would grab Meguire’s M9 Swirl Remover which is a mild polish and give that a go. I’ve used it to buff and even out varnished surfaces and it is gentle and works well.

https://www.meguiars.com/professional/products/m9-mirror-glazer-swirl-remover-16-oz

BUT,

If you go that route please read up on the products before you try as I haven’t used either on enamel.

YMMV as they say.

[Panhead John]

Thanks Tom!

[WI Bubba]

There are two types of BKF powder. If I'm reading this all correctly, you used the SS version of BKF and not the regular powder?

The screenshot you posted clearly says to use the regular powder not the SS powder. I'm not pointing any fingers here, but...

On the plus side Uncle Bob has a shopping trip planned to the Le Creuset Outlet next week. You don't want any more of that cheap a$$ Lodge stuff in your kitchen anyway. We can hold hands if you get scared, or if you just want to.

[Panhead John]

Nothing would please me more than walking hand in hand with you at the mall. 😍

[Panhead John]

WI Bubba I am taking great delight in shooting down your response as to the choice of BKF that I used. 🤓

1. The screenshot says….”use BKF powder cleanser” No mention of regular powder or SS powder.
2. I chose this because it said “Superior Cookware Cleanser and Polish” on the label. I figured that enameled CI Dutch ovens are considered cookware.
3. Labeled all across the top of the BKF container they list the different types of materials this powder is good for…..

Stainless Steel…Porcelain…Ceramic…Copper…Brass…Chrome..Alumi num

[WI Bubba]

Gleefully ignorant? We wouldn't expect anything else from you.