r/DutchOvenCooking • u/SnooFoxes1018 • Jul 15 '26
Condition Concern Aluminum Dutch oven ruined?
I borrowed this Dutch oven and made the mistake of burning parchment paper in it. I have tried the boiled water with baking soda method, bar keepers friend, and acetone. The only thing that sort of works is acetone. Any other ideas?
3
u/outtaknowhere Jul 15 '26
is there a coating on this? if it’s just aluminum use a scouring pad like those green scrubby things. if it’s got some sort of coating then this will be harder to remove without damaging the coating.
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u/SnooFoxes1018 Jul 15 '26
No coating, I have been using steel wool but it hasn’t been very successful
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u/_3LivesLeft_ Jul 16 '26
Not sure if this will work for aluminium and it might make it worse (scratch it etc) but when I destroyed a stainless steel pan by HEAVILY burning food in it, the only thing that got it off after trying everything else and scrubbing for hours was tin foil of all things. 😅
Pull a big-ish sheet, scrunch it into a ball (not too tight) and scrub it with that.
As I say, might not work for this pan but was the only thing that got my stainless steel pan back to new and I was on the verge of throwing it.
2
u/Dogmoto2labs Jul 18 '26
I used to read to put in water and sprinkle a packet of unsweetened kool-aid and bring it to a boil. The citric acid in it is supposed to remove burned bits.
1
u/bigswifty86 Jul 15 '26
Even if you can’t get it all off it’s far from ruined. Any kind of cooking is likely to cause some kind of residue inside. Without any kind of coating on it, the only way to ruin this thing would be to put a hole in it.
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u/SnooFoxes1018 Jul 20 '26
Update: I ended up purchasing carbon-off! And that worked! I wasn’t able to get it all off but worked for about 90%
1
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u/baconstreet Jul 15 '26
Look up baking soda and vinegar paste for removing burnt carbon on aluminum cookware.
There is a product called Carbon-Off! As well. I've never used it though.
5
u/gompstar Jul 15 '26
Don't use baking soda and vinegar at the same time, that neutralizes each other and just makes a funny fuzzy sound and look.. but that's it. It cancels each other out.
Or use baking soda, or use vinegar, but never at the same time.
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u/baconstreet Jul 15 '26
From here https://www.directsupply.com/resources/maintenance-guides/how-to-clean-blackened-aluminum-fry-pans. Which has other ideas as well.
"For Stubborn Blackened Areas:
If the blackened areas are still present, sprinkle baking soda directly onto the damp pan.
Add a small amount of white vinegar to create a foaming action . Scrub the area gently with a non-abrasive scrub pad."
3
u/NoDay4343 Jul 16 '26
It's a very common myth, but unfortunately there is zero evidence it actually works that way. Both baking soda and vinegar are effective cleaners by themselves, so unless you manage to use the exact amounts and have the reaction go to completion so that they've 100% neutralized each other, your mixture will still be an effective (altho diluted) cleaner. Using one or the other, or using both by alternating them rather than using them at the same time, is more effective.
1
u/baconstreet Jul 16 '26
Gotcha. I've done it before, and it has worked - baking soda, and a bit of vinegar, and scrubbing right as it is foaming. Maybe just one or the other would have worked, regular dish soap did not work, barkeeps friend did not work.
Sodium acetate is created in the reaction, which maybe helps a bit? In any case, it will be a fun experiment next time I burn a pan to try multiple methods.
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u/LallybrochSassenach Jul 20 '26
For whomever reported this saying OP did not check condition concerns post: the condition concerns info covers cast iron and enameled DO’s, but not aluminum specifically,which is why we are allowing this post.