Au Revoir, Le Creuset teakettle?
July 24, 2016 6:57 AM Subscribe
Alas! My beloved Le Creuset teakettle was sitting empty on a burner, and the burner was turned on and not noticed until damage occured. Is my teakettle a lost cause?
Warning: damaged le Creuset teakettle images within, get yer tissues handy before you view
This teakettle was a gift from dear friends about four years ago. I don't have the original box or instructions anymore, they were lost in the last move.
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I'm sorry that all of the pictures are not oriented correctly, I am too sad to edit them. One good thing: the interior does not seem to be damaged at all.
1. Can I continue to use this, sparingly, until we get a new one?
2. Should I throw it away posthaste?
3. I've heard that le Creuset has a very good warranty policy. What if I don't have any of the original packaging, and this whole situation was just a very sad mistake by a very apologetic husband?
This teakettle was a gift from dear friends about four years ago. I don't have the original box or instructions anymore, they were lost in the last move.
Picture #1
Picture #2
Picture #3
Picture #4
I'm sorry that all of the pictures are not oriented correctly, I am too sad to edit them. One good thing: the interior does not seem to be damaged at all.
1. Can I continue to use this, sparingly, until we get a new one?
2. Should I throw it away posthaste?
3. I've heard that le Creuset has a very good warranty policy. What if I don't have any of the original packaging, and this whole situation was just a very sad mistake by a very apologetic husband?
It looks like some enamel has chipped off? LeCreuset has a lifetime replacement warranty for "normal use" include enamel that fails. The question is whether they'd consider this normal use.
posted by beagle at 7:30 AM on July 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by beagle at 7:30 AM on July 24, 2016 [2 favorites]
If this were my teakettle and the interior looked normal and it didn't leak, I'd just carry on. For normal use, you're just using it to heat water, so it doesn't really matter if there are hot spots as it would if this were a sauce pan.
posted by Frowner at 7:59 AM on July 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 7:59 AM on July 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
It's enamel on steel, right? If so there isn't a lot of damage you could've done to it. Seconding the above attempt to get it replaced by Le Creuset, if the enamel is chipped. But that's purely cosmetic. If the interior looks normal, keep using it.
posted by dis_integration at 8:08 AM on July 24, 2016
posted by dis_integration at 8:08 AM on July 24, 2016
If you can't return it you could try using some barkeeper's friend on the enamel
posted by JPD at 8:15 AM on July 24, 2016
posted by JPD at 8:15 AM on July 24, 2016
FYI, tinypic pictures not working for me on Android mobile. Is that just me?
posted by maryr at 8:39 AM on July 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by maryr at 8:39 AM on July 24, 2016 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: The damage is on the exterior only, and it is mainly a charred bottom and a good deal of enamel has chipped off.
posted by Elly Vortex at 8:46 AM on July 24, 2016
posted by Elly Vortex at 8:46 AM on July 24, 2016
Best answer: This happened to my Le Creuset kettle a few years ago, which looks almost identical to yours now. I still use it every day! Mine, too, was a gift from a dear friend and I just can't bear the thought of losing it. It works absolutely fine and I consider those spots just spots of love and use. Something like a Le Creuset is bound to get scuffed up and marked by time - they last so long that this is the only way we can distinguish ours from others. At least that is what I tell myself. If you can reframe this as a mark of love, that might go a long way. The kettle itself should still work just fine.
posted by sockermom at 8:57 AM on July 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
posted by sockermom at 8:57 AM on July 24, 2016 [4 favorites]
I've heard that le Creuset has a very good warranty policy.
I think you could do a whole lot worse than contacting their customer service and seeing what they say. What have you got to lose? If they say no, you're no worse off.
Otherwise, I might buff the chipped edges with a mild abrasive to remove any damaged enamel that hasn't come off and to smooth out the sharp edges.
posted by bonehead at 9:04 AM on July 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
I think you could do a whole lot worse than contacting their customer service and seeing what they say. What have you got to lose? If they say no, you're no worse off.
Otherwise, I might buff the chipped edges with a mild abrasive to remove any damaged enamel that hasn't come off and to smooth out the sharp edges.
posted by bonehead at 9:04 AM on July 24, 2016 [3 favorites]
I came in here to say the same thing - contact their customer service! They're renowned for it.
FYI I found an old Le Creuset Dutch oven in the street a few weeks ago, the bottom is much more charred than yours (but... no enamel cracks). I wrote them to ask their thoughts on what year it was made, and they actually replied!
Those enamel cracks definitely look abnormal, I've never seen a Le Creuset chipped that badly by heat. I think there's a good chance they'll replace the enamel for you.
BTW that color is known as flamme, it's their traditional one. Meant to look like molten iron.
posted by fraula at 9:35 AM on July 24, 2016
FYI I found an old Le Creuset Dutch oven in the street a few weeks ago, the bottom is much more charred than yours (but... no enamel cracks). I wrote them to ask their thoughts on what year it was made, and they actually replied!
Those enamel cracks definitely look abnormal, I've never seen a Le Creuset chipped that badly by heat. I think there's a good chance they'll replace the enamel for you.
BTW that color is known as flamme, it's their traditional one. Meant to look like molten iron.
posted by fraula at 9:35 AM on July 24, 2016
The damage is purely cosmetic, so you can definitely continue to use it indefinitely. The only issue might be that you develop some rust, but even that is unlikely to be significant enough to cause issues.
posted by ssg at 9:38 AM on July 24, 2016
posted by ssg at 9:38 AM on July 24, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
I'd say let it cool down, then put some water in it and heat it up as usual. If it still works you're probably fine.
posted by DrumsIntheDeep at 7:19 AM on July 24, 2016 [1 favorite]