Hi All,

I was at the Goodwill store today for half price day, and, I bought a dutch oven. It is a newer one, but, it seems to have some rust-like spots on the inside. It was pretty dirty and sticky, so, I washed it up, and, then greased it up good with bacon grease. Did I do the right thing? Do you put anything on the lid as well to "cure" it?

I really don't know much about these things, but, I do want to learn, so, please tell me what you know. I only paid $4.99 for the dutch oven, so, I was pleased!!!

Mars

-- Marsha (Thankful4Jesus@excite.com), February 14, 2001

Answers

Why can't I run across those kind of deals!!? If it had rust and a real sticky feeling to it I suggest washing it in hot soapy water, drying thoroughly and then go over it with steel wool. Then season it by oiling it and heating it gently or use it as a deep fryer for a while....gives a beautiful finish! Yes you should treat the lid too. Some folks put em in a fire when they are badly out of shape to burn off any kind of residue so they can start fresh with bare metal. I haven't run across any I had to use the fire method on yet and I have reconditioned a lot of cast iron. Most of my cast iron is now just about nonstick from being frequently used and oiled after use.

-- Amanda in Mo (aseley@townsqr.com), February 14, 2001.

I got really lucky at yard sales this past summer. I got 3 different size fry pans (all at different places) for a total of $4.75. Yeah, they were yucky!! I soaked them, scrubbed them, scraped and, finally steel wool. It took a long time, but I got them clean. Then I used Crisco-type stuff, thin layer, and put in 250 degree oven for a few hours. They came out great. I'd love a dutch oven. Amazing the stuff other folks get rid of.

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), February 14, 2001.

Hey, Willy Allen - someone else wants to know how to season a cast iron pot! (Sorry, this is an inside joke to all who have read the above posting on Complaints striking a Nerve....I couldn't resist!)

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), February 14, 2001.

Darn Soni, you beat me to it!!!! :>)

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), February 14, 2001.

Marsha I'm not sure if some would agree with how I cleam my old cast iron pots, skillets, dutchovens. If you have a self cleaning oven or know someone that does, place it in self cleaning oven and it will clean all the rust and build up off. Trust me it works I've being doing this for years, my Dad would buy old cast iron work bring it home clean it and turn around and sell it it will bring more when it looks clean. Also never use soap, and I always leave oil in my. Good Luck, God Bless.

-- tracy emily in TN (emilyfarms@tsixroads.com), February 14, 2001.

After greasing with your preferred grease (I have used olive oil as well as vegetable shortening, lard, etc.) be sure to 'cook' it for several hours and repeat until the finish is as you like it. I like to grease mine after washing, before putting away. This prevents the humid environment from having its way with my favorite pans.

-- Anne (HealthyTouch101@wildmail.com), February 15, 2001.

I have several dutch ovens and really enjoy cooking in them. You can cook anything in them and receipes abound. Take the rust off with Cooking oil, steel wool and elbow grease combined . Wash good with soap and water and rinse and dry and then use cooking oil rubbed all over inside lid and all and heat in oven 250 degrees for 45-60 min. Always keep lightly oiled and never use soap again. Just rinse and oil after use. Dutch Oven info is all over internet. You will need a handle hook and I use metal topped table so I don't have to bend over to cook with mine. Good Luck. Dan

-- Dan Walker (flyingwranch@sktc.net), March 19, 2001.

Marsha, I like your e-mail name! My inlaws had an old dutch oven sitting outside by their pool for 4 or 5 years before my wife talked them out of it. We took it to work, and a fellow in the aircraft hangar sandblasted every last piece of rust and crust off of that thing, until we were looking at clean bare iron. Then we criscoed or corn oiled the entire thing and let it slow bake in the oven as mentioned above. We repeated the oiling and baking a couple more times. Water is the enemy of these things. Once you're done cooking with it, just wash/rinse it sufficiently to clean out the food. Dry well, and re oil and heat it again. After you are done baking bread or something, and the oven is shut off but still warm, stick it back in there to get the oil into all the little pores of the metal. When we're camping with only an open cook fire, that'll have to suffice. (it was good enough for the pioneers). Interesting story, we were camping in Ocala Florida, and DW put chicken and stewing tomatoes in the dutch oven. 4 hot charcoal briquets underneath, and 6 briquets on top. My honey didn't have a top lip on the edge of the lid on that first dutch oven, so she made a little aluminum foil raised edge around the top to hold the top charcoals in place. Then we left it to cook, and went for a little nature walk in the National Forest. Little??? Oops! We got lost down the wrong trail as it was getting dark, and it was an hour and ten minutes before we got back to the campsite. Took off the lid, and that stuff was boiling/bubbling/percolatin' like you wouldn't believe! And darned tasty, too! That woman has 3 or 4 of 'em, now, and bakes corn bread, brownies, etc, just as easy as rolling off a log. We were talking to one of the neighbors in a campground in PA, a few years back and invited them over for fresh baked cake. It really blows people away, when you show 'em that you can BAKE or BROIL in the woods. Most people eat too much fried foods when they're camping. This is your solution. My sweetie uses a regular cake-pan INSIDE OF the ten inch or larger ovens. Also saves on cleanup, that way, and you can oil it and just let it cool down from it's OWN heat, that way. Yep, keep 'em seasoned with oil, they'll last forever. You don't HAVE to have a buddy with a sandblaster; a good wirebrush, or steel wool with lots of elbow grease should suffice for cleaning 'em. LL Bean sold us a good usage, recipe book for dutch ovens, when we first started. Written by some guy named Woody Somethingorother. (You'll have to ask around) but I DID see his name on some other thread, talking about this same book. If my wife has it handy, when I talk to her, I'll try and get you the name of the book. Experiment with the thing. You'll have fun, I'm sure. I remember when we were building our house, DW was cooking up some meatballs and sause for the workers and the fire dept. guy pulled up to see if we wanted to make a donation to the local company. Because of the wet weather, DW had the dutch oven with 5 or 10 coals going, only about 4 feet from the foundation, just a'bubbling away. I could imagine the fireman thinking to himself, yep, we'll be visiting this place again !!! Chuckle.

-- Action Dude (theactiondude@yahoo.com), March 19, 2001.