Clean-up and seasoning of Dutch Oven?

[Allan Gray]

My sure-fire meathod for cleaning a cast iron dutch oven...

While in camp, get drunk with your hunting buddies who like to build an over-zealous campfire.

Toss dutch oven in camp fire before passing out for the night.

After the next mornings hunt, retrieve dutch oven from smoldering fire. rinse off ashes, coat with oil, butter or lard, place back into fire until billowing smoke dies off...viola!

A more civilized approach:

Scrub your oven with what ever it takes to remove the crud. soap and hot water are O.K. at this stage.

Make sure your oven has completly dried and apply a thin coat of oil, butter, lard etc.

Place your oven in your bbq grill set at it's highest temp. until billowing smoke stops...monitor closely.

After seasoning, never let soap touch your D.O. I like to scrub mine down with rock salt. :thumbsup:

 

I disagree with Lodge regarding the use of any soap.

I think their point was, since you're RESEASONING the oven, it's okay to use soap to make sure you don't season dirt onto the surface - but hey, what do they know.

frying 'taters is a good way to re-season.

Cooking anything in the oven will not season it. Adding the starch from the potatoes to your method of 'seasoning' is not good either.

Seasoning cast iron involves "baking on" a hard layer of shortening. Why do people insist on trying to come up with all kinds of folksy new ideas? :shake:

WHATEVER - it's your pot. :haha:

 

[Muskeg Stomper]

Tell it like it is brother. I enjoy this forum for all the different points of view but gotta say, I read some of them with much amusement. I've tried all the folksy stuff myself and just came to the conclusion "When all else fails, follow the manufacturer's directions!"

 

[Blizzard of '93]

I stand by my statement, no soap ever in a DO and deep frying is a good way to re-season. been useing this method for 20 years or more. (likely more) :v

 

[omarick1948]

My manufactures instructions say to "wipe clean and lightly wipe with cooking oil, but never use soap and water for cleaning. If you do, you will have to re-season"!..... Guess that tells me if you want to get folksy, amused and tell it like it is. You can do what ever!

Have you ever been to one of those famous old cafes or diners and always wondered how come there grilled burgers etc. taste so darn good compared to alot of places? It's because they clean their cast or plate iron grill tops with a GRILL Brick and cooking oil! Never soap and water! They don't call it "seasoning" for nothing!

 

My manufactures instructions say to "wipe clean and lightly wipe with cooking oil, but never use soap and water for cleaning. If you do, you will have to re-season"!..... Guess that tells me if you want to get folksy, amused and tell it like it is. You can do what ever!

Correct. The only time you would use soap is when you want to remove the seasoning, to re-season it. :thumbsup:

FWIW, no manufacturer recommends "cooking food" in a dutch oven to season or reseason it. :youcrazy:

 

[Claude Mathis]

FWIW, no manufacturer recommends "cooking food" in a dutch oven to season or reseason it. :youcrazy:

I agree. "Seasoning" involves creating that hard coating that cannot be achieved by cooking in the pot. It's a baked on layer of oil. :thumbsup: