Salvage damaged teflon lined dutch oven?

[damckenzie]

I have a 35 year old cast iron dutch oven (Club colorcast made in Waterford, Ireland) that is enameled on the outside and has a teflon coating inside. Unfortunately, I left a batch of beans on the stove top too long. They ran out of liquid, burned and stuck to the bottom and sides. Hunks of tefton came off with the beans leaving dozens of "pock" marks where the cast iron is exposed and rusting.

I sanded off the rough edges of teflon as best I can but am a little afraid to use the pot in case more flakes off. Plus I haven't been successful in seasoning the exposed cast iron. I have thought about finding someone to sandblast the inside. Does this sound logical? Safe? Reasonable? Any suggestions? I hate the thought of abandoning this wonderful pot. DMc

[oliveoyl]

whatever you decide to do PLEASE don't use it until you decide. If the teflon has flaked off then it will get into your food ... and yes, that's unsafe.
it might not be worth it $-wise to have it sandblasted unless you know someone who is a metal worker and have a connection.

[fourunder]

The first thing that came to my mind was to sand blast the interior of the pan. The mere fact you mentioned the vessels age suggests to me it has history for you, and worth salvaging. The price for sandblasting would be inconsequential to me to preserve family memories and all the excellent meals prepared with the dutch oven.

Once all the Teflon has been removed, there should not be any safety concerns.....and you could eventually pass it on to another generation of family.

[blondelle]

You really don't know what they used though to bond the enamel to the cast iron back then. I've read that some used a layer of tin. I still wouldn't risk it. You can still keep it around, but I wouldn't cook with it.

Also look for one on Ebay. There's one there now!

http://cgi.ebay.com/COLORCAST-WATERFO...

[fourunder]

I do not know about the effects or safety concerns when it comes to tin and or tin coatings on cookware, so I will defer to others more knowledgable......but let me say this, if you are truly concerned about the metals you cook with, find out everything you can about cooking with aluminum cookware which is far more prevalent in the home and in EVERY commercial kitchen.

There has been reports, studies and suggestions.......Parkinson's Disease may be caused by eating foods cooked with aluminum pots and pans over the years.

[Tay]

I agree with fourunder
If you love it and you can afford it, do it... If you love it and it's not feasible, take blondelle's advice and turn it into a planter, or fill it with something like your spare change and save up enough for the sandblasting...:-}

[embee]

Using damaged Teflon isn't a good idea and burned Teflon is a real no-no. It's had a good run. I'd say toss it. You can get a pre-seasoned Lodge cast iron pot for very little money. At least one company makes enameled cast iron for a fraction of the price of Le Creuset. (You'll need to search for this - it MIGHT be Tramontina, though I'm not sure.)

I have a Waterford colorcast Teflon lined skillet from that era. It is a fabulous pan and shows no signs of wear. I wonder whether they are still around?

[blondelle]

With the price of a new 5-6 qt. enameled cast iron oven at about $50 from Lodge and others I would definitely toss it. It's not worth the risk, or bother. If it has sentimental value then keep it as a planter, but I wouldn't cook in it, or try and fix it.