Why Food Sticks To Enameled Cast Iron

Picture this. It’s Sunday night, and you’ve been pottering around the kitchen for hours. The house smells amazing, and you’re about to serve a slow-cooked pot of stew straight from the oven for supper. You lift the lid on your large, enamel Dutch oven, give the pot a stir, and—you almost want to cry. Half the meat is glued to the bottom like it’s signed a long-term rental agreement. Dinner has become one big caramelized crime scene.

Been there? Me too. Too many times! In fact, most of my pans have had disasters in them at one point or another (and they’re all still going strong!). In fact, I once forgot I had a small batch of tomato sauce on the stove and went outside to garden for four hours. Now that was a disaster! Mainly because it’s a miracle I didn’t burn the house down. And yes, I still have that pan in use today!

Food sticking to enameled cast iron is one of those things that happens to everyone at some point. Most of the time, it’s not the disaster that it appears to be. And once you understand why it happens, you’ll know exactly how to fix it, and stop it from happening again. Except for accidentally leaving the stove on for four hours while you garden – I can’t help you with that!

Why enamel cast iron cookware is the BEST!

Here’s the thing. Unlike raw cast iron, which builds a layer of seasoning by cooking and oiling it, enameled cast iron has a smooth, glazed, glass-like surface. It’s tough, beautiful, and cleans up easily, but it doesn’t come with that same non-stick finish that seasoned cast iron does (Like Lodge Cast Iron). That doesn’t mean it’s not as good (as far as I’m concerned, it’s the BEST!)- it just means that it’s different. And while it would be lovely to automatically cook perfectly from every piece of cookware you buy, in real life, it’s not that simple. No matter what type of cookware you buy, they’re all different, and each comes with a learning process to get the best out of it.

Enameled cast iron cookware loves low and slow cooking. It’s in its element with gentle preheating, a splash of fat, and food that’s not stone-cold from the fridge.

So, if your food is sticking, it’s rarely because your pot’s broken. It’s usually down to how you are cooking in it.

Why Food Sticks 

Ok, let’s talk about the usual suspects. Here are the main reasons why food sticks in enamel cast iron…

1. The Cold Pot

You haven’t warmed up your pot before adding food. Enamel cookware needs to be warmed up first. If you add your food into a cold pot, it grabs, and sticks. Like GLUE!  Always preheat your enamel Dutch oven with a thin layer of oil in the pot on low heat for a few minutes before adding food. Hint… The oil here is the super important bit. You should always add fat to the base of the pot before it’s heated to stop it from getting thermal shock. Think of it like moisturizer, without it, your pot will crack!

2. Using The Correct Piece Of Cookware For the Job

In the case of good quality enameled cookware like Le Creuset, it has a cream enamel coating in their Dutch ovens and a black enamel in their skillets. It really is a case of using the right piece for the job. Quite simply, the cream-colored enamel is for “wet” cooking. Think soups, stews, risottos, pasta sauces, etc. Anything that has liquid in it. While the black enamel is for “dry” cooking, like steaks, chicken, grilled vegetables, you get the drift. It can also tolerate a higher heat than the cream enamel. While there are loopholes to this rule, it’s a great place to start so you don’t damage your cookware the first time you use it! 

3. Your Heat Is Too High

Enameled cast iron just hates high heat. So please don’t treat it like your trusty carbon steel wok! Crank up your heat too high, and your food will burn and stick. Low-Medium heat is the sweet spot for most things. Want to sear a steak?  You totally can do it, just be sure to use a skillet (and not a Dutch oven) and let it heat up before adding your meat to the pan. Tip: When cooking a steak in an enamel cast iron skillet, oil the meat, not the pan for the best result!

4. Cold Food Meets Hot Pan

Cold meat from the fridge will literally weld itself to the pan. That’s because cold contracts and the enamel surface grabs it. We want to avoid this at all costs, so always be sure to let meat rest on the bench at room temperature for 10–15 minutes before popping it in the pan. Tip: To check if your Dutch oven is ready to cook in, throw a tiny pinch of flour onto the pot or watch into your skillet. If it sizzles, you’re good to go!

5. Way Too Much in the Dutch oven

Crowding your food when you’re cooking creates steam, which leads to boiled food that doesn’t cook properly and sticks! Yick! Take your time, and give everything space to breath, and brown properly. Yes, this means cooking in batches. Tip: If time isn’t on your side when browning meat, instead of cutting the meat into chunks, cut it into larger steak-like pieces. They take less time to brown and then remove from the pot and cut into chunks before slow cooking. It’s a game-changer!

It’s Stuck. What Do I do?

Firstly, don’t cry. We’ve got this! Here are my top four ways to release stuck-on food…

• Deglaze your pot. Simply add a splash of wine, stock, or even water to your enameled cast-iron pans. It will sizzle, reduce, and lift those stuck-on bits beautifully. Bonus flavor, too, if you’re making a sauce later on! Just make sure it’s at room temperature before adding. Sudden temperature changes, like adding cold water (or other cold liquids) to a hot pot, can shock and damage your enamel coating.
  
• Be patient and wait it out. Many foods, like meat, will release naturally once it has been properly seared and a barrier has been created between the food and the pan. A little patience and you’ll be good.
  
• Use the right utensils. I’ll say it again… Metal utensils are for stainless steel cookware and BBQ’s!!!  A wooden spatula, spoon or silicone spatula works wonders. Metal is a one-way ticket to scratch city.
  
• While this isn’t a quick fix… you’ll be amazed at what some warm soapy water can do to an enamel pot left overnight to soak. Simmering a couple of cups of water in your cast iron skillet or Dutch oven can also help lift stuck on bits too. Here’s a little more on how to clean your enamel Dutch oven in more detail.

Be gentle, consistent, treat it well, and you’ll have your enamel cast-iron cookware for a lifetime.

There are some foods that take time to perfect in a new enameled cast-iron pan. But give it time, and soon enough you’ll be using your pan for everything!

• Eggs are the No 1. reason why people say that they don’t like their cast iron skillet in our store. I will be the first to say, that for perfect, slip-sliding eggs that slide out of the pan, then you need good quality non-stick pans, (ceramic  or traditional non-stick). If you would prefer to cook your eggs in cast iron, I normally suggest that it’s not the first thing that you cook in your brand new pan. I have a Chasseur cast iron skillet that cooks eggs perfectly, however it is about five years old, so it’s well worn in. Use a high heat oil, like avocado, don’t have your pan too high, and once you have a seal on the base of your egg, I turn my pan off and pop on a lid for a minute. They come out perfect every time!
  
• Delicate fish, like eggs are another one that needs a good bit of oil and some tender loving care. More robust fish types like salmon, are rarely a problem. 
  
• Caramel & sugar and burn quickly so keep the heat steady and low – sugar burns fast and loves to stick on with a vengeance.

When It’s Not You, It’s the Pot

• It’s not me, it’s you 😉 Sometimes the issue isn’t your cooking, it’s the enamel itself. Older pots that have been used on a high heat for a long period of time will eventually not get a lovely barrier seal when you’re browning. I am at this stage with my oldest large Dutch oven. It’s 20 years old and hand on heart, I probably did all the damage on high heat in the first five years when I had no idea how to cook in it. It has been well loved, and this is a perfect example of when it’s time to say goodbye. 
  
• Cheaper enamel can feel rougher. It’s not unsafe, but you may need a touch more fat to help things along.
  
• Don’t panic over a chip (unless it’s on the inside) or a stain. Nine times out of ten, it’s purely cosmetic and your pot will keep on cooking for decades. As far as I’m concerned, food stains in my enamel (red wine, curry, etc) are nothing but love and flavor. It’s something to be proud of! You love your pot and it’s clearly being used to cook beautiful food.
  
• So if food’s been sticking in your enameled cast iron, don’t worry—you haven’t ruined anything. It’s not a design flaw, it’s just a quirk. A little patience, a splash of oil, and the right heat will have your pot playing nicely again.
  
• It took me a while to get used to my first Dutch oven (pictured above). When I first met the Irishman, I could cook a five course degustation meal in a restaurant, but I’d never made an Irish Stew. Since then I’ve learnt a lot! It’s fed us countless Sunday roasts, soups, and stews, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. In fact, I need to be stopped (never!!!) from buying more.

Want to learn more about cast iron cooking? Check out these…

• How To Care For Enamel Cast Iron Cookware
• This Slow-Cook’s Cast Iron Collection
• What is the Best Dutch Oven size to buy?

So tell me, what’s been your stickiest enamel disaster? Let me know in the comments. I’ll bet I’ve been there too.

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