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Don't let your Dutch Ovens go Rustic

Tags: camping stove , camping stoves , dutch oven , dutch ovens , dutch oven cooking , dutch oven recipes

I have had lots of experience cooking in a cast iron Dutch oven. First, I camp out a lot and use one every chance I get. Second, I also ran a small restaurant in the mountains for several summers. Every Friday and Saturday night we made Dutch oven dinners for lots of people. And Last, as part of our restaurant business we would cater Dutch oven dinners for groups such as family reunions, school reunions, and company parties.

There really aren't too many ways you can clean a dutch oven. Some people like to try and burn them out. others have been known to try salt. There are even those that just use some dish soap and H2O. I prefer scrubbing them like I would a regular pan, with soap and water.

Now, before you gasp and say, but water makes dutch ovens rust, and soap ruins the seasoning. Read this story if you still don't believe me that soap and water is the best way to clean your dutch oven: There once was an old cowboy that spent a lot of his time out herding cattle. He told about cattleman who brought along a dutch oven along to bake their meals. They didn't just use their dutch oven to make their food in, they also were able to clean up all their used dishes right in the oven itself. They would place it on the fire to heat up the water. Right after, they would clean up all their dirty dishes by washing them directly in the oven itself. And yes, they did use soap. Then they would grease it up so it would be ready for the next meal.

Now, let 's say you don't have any water and still are certain you are going to clean the dutch oven. What do you do? If it was me, I would probably try to burn it out, if not, you can always try to rub salt in it.

Now, if you ever let someone borrow your dutch oven, make sure you tell them how you want it cleaned! I learned the hard way with this one. In fact, my dutch oven was nearly ruined by the people I let borrow it. They tried to burn it out because they weren't sure if I would be okay with them using soap and water. What a horrible consequence! I nearly had to bury my dutch oven and never see it again. Nevertheless, I worked long and hard to get the yucky black charcoaled mess out of it. After a few hours of endless torment I was able to get it back to a fairly good condition. Well, at least it was good enough to cook in again.

I am familiar with another guy who says the only way to clean a dutch oven is by throwing salt in it and scrubbing it just with the salt. Little does he realize though, that his dutch ovens look horrible. This technique has made his dutch ovens very rusty. I really do feel bad for him, especially when I find out how long it takes him to get his dutch ovens ready for cooking. He has to find a way to get the rust out of them and uses fire to do so.

When I am done cleaning my dutch ovens they are beautiful to look at and store rust free, ready for whenever they are needed. I like to use the old cowboy method. I heat up the Dutch oven with some water in it. After you have completed heating the water into your dutch oven, add a little soap. Scrubbing out the food should be very easy. Rinse it and turn it over to allow for faster drying. When you're dutch oven is dry, take some oil and rub it into the oven and lid. This is vital to the condition of your dutch ovens.

To lightly oil the Dutch oven, I rub the inside, outside, and lid with a paper towel and some vegetable oil. I can now store it and it is ready to use the next time I need it.

It really helps if you take a paper towel and position it in the dutch oven to collect any excess moisture.

This method has worked every time for me. The cast iron has never become rusted and I continue to enjoy my dutch ovens today. This works no matter how I cook with my Dutch oven, over a gas camping stove, charcoal grill or campfire.

Now you don't have to worry. Now you know that just using water and dish soap is the best way to clean a dutch oven. It 's the most easiest and sanitary way. Always remember the most important step: the oiling. If you don't forget that, your dutch ovens will be safely stored away and ready for their next use every time.

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<h1>Don't let your Dutch Ovens go Rustic</h1><br />by ioarticles<br /><p>I have had lots of experience cooking in a cast iron Dutch oven. First, I camp out a lot and use one every chance I get. Second, I also ran a small restaurant in the mountains for several summers. Every Friday and Saturday night we made Dutch oven dinners for lots of people. And Last, as part of our restaurant business we would cater Dutch oven dinners for groups such as family reunions, school reunions, and company parties.</p> <p>There really aren't too many ways you can clean a dutch oven. Some people like to try and burn them out. others have been known to try salt. There are even those that just use some dish soap and H2O. I prefer scrubbing them like I would a regular pan, with soap and water. </p> <p>Now, before you gasp and say, but water makes dutch ovens rust, and soap ruins the seasoning. Read this story if you still don't believe me that soap and water is the best way to clean your dutch oven: There once was an old cowboy that spent a lot of his time out herding cattle. He told about cattleman who brought along a dutch oven along to bake their meals. They didn't just use their dutch oven to make their food in, they also were able to clean up all their used dishes right in the oven itself. They would place it on the fire to heat up the water. Right after, they would clean up all their dirty dishes by washing them directly in the oven itself. And yes, they did use soap. Then they would grease it up so it would be ready for the next meal. </p> <p>Now, let 's say you don't have any water and still are certain you are going to clean the dutch oven. What do you do? If it was me, I would probably try to burn it out, if not, you can always try to rub salt in it. </p> <p>Now, if you ever let someone borrow your dutch oven, make sure you tell them how you want it cleaned! I learned the hard way with this one. In fact, my dutch oven was nearly ruined by the people I let borrow it. They tried to burn it out because they weren't sure if I would be okay with them using soap and water. What a horrible consequence! I nearly had to bury my dutch oven and never see it again. Nevertheless, I worked long and hard to get the yucky black charcoaled mess out of it. After a few hours of endless torment I was able to get it back to a fairly good condition. Well, at least it was good enough to cook in again.</p> <p>I am familiar with another guy who says the only way to clean a dutch oven is by throwing salt in it and scrubbing it just with the salt. Little does he realize though, that his dutch ovens look horrible. This technique has made his dutch ovens very rusty. I really do feel bad for him, especially when I find out how long it takes him to get his dutch ovens ready for cooking. He has to find a way to get the rust out of them and uses fire to do so.</p> <p>When I am done cleaning my dutch ovens they are beautiful to look at and store rust free, ready for whenever they are needed. I like to use the old cowboy method. I heat up the Dutch oven with some water in it. After you have completed heating the water into your dutch oven, add a little soap. Scrubbing out the food should be very easy. Rinse it and turn it over to allow for faster drying. When you're dutch oven is dry, take some oil and rub it into the oven and lid. This is vital to the condition of your dutch ovens.</p> <p>To lightly oil the Dutch oven, I rub the inside, outside, and lid with a paper towel and some vegetable oil. I can now store it and it is ready to use the next time I need it. </p> <p>It really helps if you take a paper towel and position it in the dutch oven to collect any excess moisture.</p> <p>This method has worked every time for me. The cast iron has never become rusted and I continue to enjoy my dutch ovens today. This works no matter how I cook with my Dutch oven, over a gas camping stove, charcoal grill or campfire. </p> <p>Now you don't have to worry. Now you know that just using water and dish soap is the best way to clean a dutch oven. It 's the most easiest and sanitary way. Always remember the most important step: the oiling. If you don't forget that, your dutch ovens will be safely stored away and ready for their next use every time.</p> <br /><h2>About the Author</h2><p>M.A. Luke is a freelance writer for ioVentures, Inc. To improve your <a href="http://www.dutchovenpro.com/dutch-ovens" target="_blank">dutch oven cooking</a> go now to dutchovenpro.com. A properly cleaned <a href="http://www.dutchovenpro.com" target="_blank">dutch oven</a> will last you a lifetime. Find new camping stoves today.</p> <br /><h3><a href="http://www.content4reprint.com/recreation-and-leisure/outdoors/camping/dont-let-your-dutch-ovens-go-rustic.htm" title="Don't let your Dutch Ovens go Rustic">Article Source:</a> <a href="http://www.content4reprint.com" title="Free high quality articles">Content for Reprint</a></h3>