The Easiest Thing I Do to Keep My Le Creuset Looking Like New
Once I buy something and get it home, I do everything in my power to keep it looking like it just came out of the package — even months or years down the line. I have a strict no-shoe policy in my house (because of dirt and germs, but mostly because I like our area rugs and want them to stay perfectly stain-free). I’ve kept the protective sheet that came with my Macbook and every night, before I shut down the computer, I slide the sheet back between the keyboard and the screen. Totally normal, right? (Please say yes.)
My husband likes to joke that my things own me, and while he might not be totally wrong, I’m not willing to take risks! If I’m going to spend my hard-earned money on something that’s not exactly cheap, I’m going to make it last. (In case you are wondering, no, I do not have kids.) So when I got my first, never-used-before Dutch oven a few years ago, I was tempted to not even take it out of the box. I caved eventually, figuring it was more useful to me if I actually used it. But I did figure out one little trick to help me keep it looking like new.
I saved the little plastic clips that came with the original packaging. If you’ve never unboxed a brand new Le Creuset before (no judgments!), there are always four plastic clips that slide onto the lip of the Dutch oven and work to protect the pot and the lid from scratching up against each other. See, the pot’s rim isn’t exposed iron, it’s black matte enamel, so it also needs to be protected. (Even if it was iron, I wouldn’t want it scratching my lid!) The clips are clear, too, so I knew instantly that if I were to put them back on the pot while it sits on the shelf, they’d be relatively unnoticeable.
Each time I go to use my Dutch oven, I just pull the clips off and drop them in my handy ring dish on my kitchen’s windowsill. (This is an important step, as they will melt if you put them in the oven!) Then once the pot is used, washed and dried, I pop on the clips and set the lid back on (sometimes upside-down or right-side up, either way!).
I’m not exactly sure how much this is doing to save my Le Creuset, but I will tell you that the pot doesn’t have a scratch on it.
Do you do this too?