Fondue Pot (caquelon) smells disgusting

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1
Greetings,

Some water got inside of the caquelon while cleaning (apparently there's a tiny hole on the handle for reasons unbeknownst to me). It seems like bacteria started forming there and it retches.

I am not sure how to remove the water and clean the inside the caquelon, since there is only this tiny hole on the handle. I would really appreciate some tips.

2
The hole in the handle is to stop pressure build up from hot air, possibly resulting in a cracked handle.

For cleaning, can you syringe some bleach in there?

3
Lacking the syringe and the bleach. Also, that's seems like a bit of a safety hazard, since the bleach would still drip out when the pot is tilted.

I placed the pot in the oven with some water in it. Will leave it at 150oC for about 30-45 minutes. Will update if it worked with removing the stench.

4
I would try rinsing it with vinegar, if the hole is really small you could try using a funnel and a stray.

I don't think my fondue pot handle has a hole in it....maybe post a picture of yours?

5
In my experience heating at that temperature might make the problem worse. The self cleaning feature in an oven burns off residue at a much higher temperature but I fear that the pot won't withstand this heat.

6
Where is the hole exactly? I don't recommend leaving whatever cleaning chemical in there forever.

Vinegar sounds like a much better idea than my head going straight for bleach.

7
He did say 150°C, not the self cleaning (which is typically 300+).

Bleach should be fine as it's quite volatile, but I'd use hydrogen peroxide which is even more volatile.

8
I would soak it it a product for disinfecting babies bottles etc. Milton is the UK product but I don't know what the Swiss equivalent is

9
I wouldn't use bleach if the OP cannot rinse it properly afterwards and certainly I wouldn't heat it as already with bacteria/organic substances it will create toxic fumes, and even more if heated.

10
Buy a new solid cast iron caquelon from Migros or Landi and bin the old one