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Reseasoning a Dutch oven

shadows4
Explorer III
Explorer III
Ok campers, I am guilty of being a slacker. I haven't used my Dutch oven in a couple of years. Opened it up and I still looked good and smelled ok. But, should I clean off the old seasoning or just go ahead and use it? And if I am to clean it off, how do I do that?

I want to get back into cooking with it so I bought a new 10 inch one, the old one is a 12 inch. Just Momma and I so I thought the smaller one might be a better fit. Thanks, John

Also can any one recommend any good Dutch oven cooking recipe books?
2016 4X4 F350,CC,SB,Lariat,6.7L diesel,
2015 Coachmen Chapparal 324 TSRK
B&W Patriot 16K hitch.
15 REPLIES 15

NYCgrrl
Explorer
Explorer
magnusfide wrote:
NYCgrrl wrote:
An article in today's NYTimes' about cast iron maintenance; get in there and school em' in the comments section:D ;).

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/17/dining/cast-iron-skillet-seasoning-cleaning.html?action=click&cont...
the same NYT that had scandals over faking sources and article facts? Not worth my time.

There's plenty of false info and myths on the Internet; even Snopes has been caught with false information. Life's too short to "fact check" everybody.:B

Ohhh the Blair scandal!?! I understand he's an author now but don't think he's ever made the NYT non fiction book list, LOL.

DeanRIowa
Explorer
Explorer
Here is how I Clean & Season Cast Iron, which works well.

I wish I could remember where I read it to give them credit.


Set Oven to 325

Clean:
  • Scrub with soap and water
  • Rinse well
  • Put in oven 5 minutes to dry
  • Scrub with mixture of salt and water
  • Rinse with Water
  • Rinse and scrub with vinegar and water, 1 cup vinegar and 1 quart water
  • Rinse well with water
  • Put in oven, dry 5 minutes


Season:
  • Wipe with canola, or olive oil(shortening or bacon grease good), corn oil(sticky though)
  • Put in oven upside down & line underneath with foil
  • Bake 1 hour, let rest & cool down in oven if possible
2015 Summerland 2820 BHGS
2016 Silverado
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magnusfide
Explorer II
Explorer II
NYCgrrl wrote:
An article in today's NYTimes' about cast iron maintenance; get in there and school em' in the comments section:D ;).

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/17/dining/cast-iron-skillet-seasoning-cleaning.html?action=click&cont...
the same NYT that had scandals over faking sources and article facts? Not worth my time.

There's plenty of false info and myths on the Internet; even Snopes has been caught with false information. Life's too short to "fact check" everybody.:B
"The only time you should fear cast iron is if your wife is fixin' to hit you with it."-Kent Rollins
First law of science: don't spit into the wind.

Magnus

NYCgrrl
Explorer
Explorer
An article in today's NYTimes' about cast iron maintenance; get in there and school em' in the comments section:D ;).

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/17/dining/cast-iron-skillet-seasoning-cleaning.html?action=click&cont...

shadows4
Explorer III
Explorer III
Thanks all. So much information to digest.
2016 4X4 F350,CC,SB,Lariat,6.7L diesel,
2015 Coachmen Chapparal 324 TSRK
B&W Patriot 16K hitch.

magnusfide
Explorer II
Explorer II
NYCgrrl wrote:


I would never advocate washing CI on a regular basis however I do initially wash any pot that's been in storage for a long time or newly purchased.

Yesss a thousand times yes to your posting of how to season. Using a similar seasoning method to your's during the summer when I don't want the heat of the oven, I season it atop the stove on low; takes longer but gets the job done.


Double ditto. I'm an old DO cast iron chef. A wipe over with a very mild soap and water solution and rinse is recommended for an item that's been in storage. I promise: a one-off mild soap and water wipe down doesn't hurt the seasoning. The oil does become rancid after time in storage, plus bug and rodent tracks don't make "good eats."

After the wipe down and rinse, simply put the pot on your stove top and heat. Wipe with a thin film of fresh oil or lard then turn of the heat and let cool. The pot will be fine.

A reliable DO Cookbook standard is The Lodge Book of Dutch Oven Cooking

Here are some free pdfs of recipes to get you back into it. The Macscouter site is especially simple and helpful.
DO Cookbook http://macscouter.com/Cooking/docs/DOCookbk.pdf
The Geezer Cookbook http://macscouter.com/Cooking/docs/GEEZERCB.pdf
Foil Cooking Recipes http://macscouter.com/Cooking/FoilCooking.asp

Another great resource is your local dutch oven gathering. Old timers and newbies go, swap recipes and have a great time. It's also an opportunity to get in more RV camping time.
Here's a link to the FB page of the Ozarks Dutch Oven group who are active.
https://www.facebook.com/OzarksDutchOvenGroup.

Here are the results of a search for "Camp Dutch Oven Recipes". https://www.bing.com/search?q=camp+dutch+oven+recipes&PC=U316&FORM=CHROMN
"The only time you should fear cast iron is if your wife is fixin' to hit you with it."-Kent Rollins
First law of science: don't spit into the wind.

Magnus

NYCgrrl
Explorer
Explorer
Little Kopit wrote:
Ok, here we go again.

The seasoning on a Dutch oven is OIL! Do not use soap on a seasoned oven.

However, if you want to make sure about how well seasoned an oven is, re. season it. You know, very thin coat of oil, plant oil like olive oil or safflower oil...., lightly gone over with a light rag to make sure it's a thin coat. Put in oven for 2 hours at high temperature, I use 410'F. Turn oven off and leave oven there until cool. Then on to step 2.

Do that 3 times. and it will be well and truly seasoned.

Enjoy. Post some photos of your cookings, s.v.p.

:C

:E I would never advocate washing CI on a regular basis however I do initially wash any pot that's been in storage for a long time or newly purchased.

Yesss a thousand times yes to your posting of how to season. Using a similar seasoning method to your's during the summer when I don't want the heat of the oven, I season it atop the stove on low; takes longer but gets the job done.

I maintain and regularly use CI that originally was given to my great grandmother using either bacon fat or grapeseed oil. The grapeseed oil is now ridiculously expensive but has a high burn point and no taste.

Little_Kopit
Explorer
Explorer
GaryKH wrote:
If you were reseasoning (or newly seasoning) use the method Little Kopit mentioned. The only change i would add is to heat it up on your BBQ. That way you don't get the smoke (if any) in the house.
This is a good site for recipes, there are tons on the net, just Google. Warning though...it can eat up your time searching for recipes!!
Camp-cook recipes


410' F in house oven with plant oil gives NO SMOKE, no smell to my nose.

Animal fat @ 500'F does give smoke and smell up the house.

:C
& I, I took the road less travelled by.

My Photo Album, featuring Labrador 2006

GaryKH
Explorer
Explorer
If you were reseasoning (or newly seasoning) use the method Little Kopit mentioned. The only change i would add is to heat it up on your BBQ. That way you don't get the smoke (if any) in the house.
This is a good site for recipes, there are tons on the net, just Google. Warning though...it can eat up your time searching for recipes!!
Camp-cook recipes

Ski_Pro_3
Explorer
Explorer
I simply put my dutch oven on a stove and heat it up real good. Burn out anything that decided to grow or molder on the original seasoning. Then I put in a little oil and just as it starts to smoke, pull it from the burner and let it sit. After it's cooled, wipe it down and it's done. I don't think I've ever used water or scrub brush on any of my cast iron. I use a scraper and heat is all, then oil and store until the next use.

nineoaks2004
Explorer
Explorer
Never use soap on a D.O., as stated above rinse with water, dry and lightly oil.
I have some cast iron that belonged to my Great Grandparents and I still use them. My newer ones are made of cast aluminum and need no break in, I use these for canoe camping as they are lighter to carry.
By the time you learn the rules of life
You're to old to play the game

brirene
Explorer
Explorer
Agreed; don't use soap unless you want to re-season it. Sounds like you may be OK just rinsing and lightly scrubbing with a brush in hot water. Here is a great site for DO care and much more information, including recipes. Happy cooking!
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“Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living." Miriam Beard

Little_Kopit
Explorer
Explorer
Ok, here we go again.

The seasoning on a Dutch oven is OIL! Do not use soap on a seasoned oven.

However, if you want to make sure about how well seasoned an oven is, re. season it. You know, very thin coat of oil, plant oil like olive oil or safflower oil...., lightly gone over with a light rag to make sure it's a thin coat. Put in oven for 2 hours at high temperature, I use 410'F. Turn oven off and leave oven there until cool. Then on to step 2.

Do that 3 times. and it will be well and truly seasoned.

Enjoy. Post some photos of your cookings, s.v.p.

:C
& I, I took the road less travelled by.

My Photo Album, featuring Labrador 2006

NYCgrrl
Explorer
Explorer
shadows4 wrote:
Ok campers, I am guilty of being a slacker. I haven't used my Dutch oven in a couple of years. Opened it up and I still looked good and smelled ok. But, should I clean off the old seasoning or just go ahead and use it? And if I am to clean it off, how do I do that?

I want to get back into cooking with it so I bought a new 10 inch one, the old one is a 12 inch. Just Momma and I so I thought the smaller one might be a better fit. Thanks, John

Also can any one recommend any good Dutch oven cooking recipe books?

A 10" sounds like a good size for 2 people and could prolly accommodate a few more if need be:).

Guessing you have a pre-seasoned cast iron D.O. so I'd just wipe it out to remove the surface dirt, wash with warm to hot water with liquid dish soap and then allow it to dry on a low flame before using it for the first time. No need to remove the existing finish IMO. As for recipes, like others, I no longer acquire cookbooks since the internet is readily available. Another good Google search is "low and slow". Currently, my favorite sites and shows are Epicurious, Fine Cooking, Cooks' Illustrated, Martha Stewart, S. Raichlen and BBQ Brethren.