Seasoning the New Dutch oven and other cast iron.

 

Well, you just bought your first Dutch oven and the clerk at the store told you to remember and season it before you use it.  And the clerk is right.

I am sure that if you asked 100 Dutch oven cooks how to season an oven you will probably get 122 different answers.

When you are seasoning a new oven, Lodge Manufacturing Co. recommends the following procedure:

1. Warm the Dutch oven and peel off the label.

2. Wash, rinse and dry thoroughly.  Use mild, soapy water (NEVER an abrasive detergent) and a stiff brush.

3.  Grease the Dutch oven with a thin coating of vegetable oil or fat.  Do not use salad fat (margarine or butter).  Warm the oven and then spread oil or fat over the entire surface with cloth or paper towel.  Be certain that the entire surface of the oven has been coated thoroughly.

4. Place the oven in your home oven and heat to 300-350 degrees for 30-60 minutes.  Allow the cast iron  to remain in the oven until it cools to room temperature.  This completes the seasoning process.

Remember that the most important thing is that you do season it.  It is the seasoning on the oven that protects it from rusting while not in use and it is also the feature that gives your oven a stick-free surface.

If you haven’t used your oven for some time, and it smells ‘that’ way (rancid), you can re-season your oven and bring it back into service.  Just start over again with the seasoning process. Wipe out your oven, heat it up again and oil it good.  Then enjoy the good cooking.

 

Cleaning Your Dutch oven

I like to clean my ovens right after I use them whenever possible.  You can clean your oven by first scraping out any leftover residue from your cooking, then put it back on the heat.  Let it go until all of the food that was left is burnt free, and then scrape it clean.  After you have the oven clean, oil it and store it for your next use.  This is the same idea as a self-cleaning oven.

One tip is to not put too heavy of a coat of oil at any one time.  It will just get sticky.  Keep it thin.

You will have to try some of the various ways of cleaning your ovens to find out which way you prefer to do it, just like you will have to try a few different ways of seasoning your ovens before you decide on a way that is right for you.

If your Dutch oven gets rusty, just clean off all the rust you can and then rub with oil, heat it and rub with oil some more, re-seasoning it as before.

Storing your Dutch oven

After you finish a meal and the ovens are cool and ready for storage, you want to take some precautions in storing them.

Store you ovens with the lids a-jar.  This will let the air circulate and you should try to keep them in a warm dry place.  You can also put a piece of newspaper wadded up inside which will help absorb any moisture that builds up.

Always be careful with your Dutch ovens.  They are breakable, so don’t drop them or bang them into other hard surfaces.  Treat them like glass and you will be safe.

When your oven is hot, never add cold water to it or it might break just like a glass bowl would.

Take care of your ovens and they will last your lifetime and most likely your grand kids lifetimes as well.