I scored a pricey pan for free at a garage sale – my cleaning technique made it shine like new, all I used was a $5 buy
A THRIFTER lucked out when they scored a high-end pan for free at a local garage sale.
Although it was heavily used, their cheap and quick cleaning hack made it shine like it was new.
Redditor RandomNumberHere could not contain their excitement when they secured an expensive kitchen item for free.
The luxury buy was far from new, but they shared how they stumbled across a red Le Creuset pan and gave it new life in a post.
It all started when they hit some garage sales a while back and noticed there was a house giving away things for free.
“Spotted this crusty pan and immediately snatched it up and snapped a pic of the ‘FREE’ sign for good measure,” they explained.
They also shared before and after photos of the inside and outside so others could see the progress.
“Wow amazing find in a color of my dreams,” a Redditor said.
The Le Creuset pan typically retails for around $150.
The French cookware brand is popular among many cooks and bakers.
All the kitchen items are made with high-quality enameled cast iron, which is why they have a high price tag.
RandomNumberHere decided to try to bring the thrifted pan back to its former glory.
They soaked the pan with Easy Off Heavy Duty Oven Cleaner for almost a day.
“Nice. I would have been worried about damaging the enamel, but I guess not. I have a couple of pans I might try this technique on,” another Reddit user wrote.
The poster replied that the Easy Off is perfect for this exact reason.
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It is intended for cleaning enamel, which is found on the inside of your oven.
“As long as you don’t overdo it, you can clean enameled pans with it too,” they recommended.
They warned not to leave it on the pan for multiple days because it may lose its effectiveness.
Overall, they said their “experiment certainly worked out ok” and “came out looking great.”
Many Redditors agreed and couldn’t wait to try their cleaning method.
“The pan was a good find for you, your cleaning technique is a good find for me,” one commented.
“I’ll try this on a small LC pot I found the other day!” another said.
Why is Le Creuset so expensive?
Le Creuset cookware is on the wishlists of many home cooks and bakers.
But the French brand’s Dutch ovens can cost between $260 and $750, and even a bread loaf pan will set you back $180.
So what warrants such hefty price tags?
Le Creuset’s Dutch ovens are among its most popular items, and they — along with several other pieces of their cookware — are made with high-quality enameled cast iron.
They’re meant to last a long time and even carry a lifetime warranty “to be free from defects in material and workmanship.”
“It’s like, do you really wanna buy a $50 piece of something over and over again, or do you wanna invest in something and know that you’re gonna have it for a long time?” Nate Collier, Le Creuset’s director of marketing and communications, said to Eater.
According to Cookware Insider, 15 quality control officers inspect each of the brand’s items before they’re sold.
Of course, they’re pretty, too, and quite the status symbol.
“You think of it as a simple piece of cookware, but even the silhouette of our Dutch oven is recognizable,” Collier said.
“You could show someone a line drawing without any color, and most people that are familiar with cookware would be able to tell you that it’s specifically a Le Creuset Dutch oven.”
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