Re: dutch oven prep
Ted Burton (scouter@VALINT.NET)
Sun, 2 May 1999 06:54:09 -0700
At 22:58 -0500 on 4/29/1999, Keith Wood mailed Re: dutch oven prep:
>Those new Dutch ovens can be seasoned easily. First, wash thoroughly
>with soapy water and dry.
With Lodge brand ovens, at least, I find that the factory coating
that prevents rust does not come off without actual scouring with
steel wool. I have considered the effort worth the result!
>Heat in a hot oven, maybe 400 degrees, then coat with a thin layer
>of vegetable oil inside and out. Repeat a couple of times, recoating
>the inside.
I use olive oil when (melted) bacon grease is not available, although
I think bacon grease is still the absolute best.
>The outside just needs a little coating to help prevent rust. The
>idea is to coat the metal with a cooked in oil coating so that food
>has a slick surface rather than a rough surface that it can cling
>to. Season both the pot and the lid.
There is in my neighborhood an "Old Scouter's Tale," if you will, to
the effect that cooking something with onion in it in a new oven,
like a well-onioned hash-brown potato dish, for some reason assists
with seasoning.
>After using for cooking, don't use lots of soapy water for cleanup.
>... Use tiny bit of soap if you must.
ANATHEMA! Never, ever allow even one teensy-tiny droplet of soap
touch the purity of your Dutch oven. If your oven did in fact get
seasoned, anything you need to get out will come out with a hot water
and paper towels, and a lick or two with a nylon scrubber. Try to
wipe it out while still warm from the cooking. Once it has gotten
cold it will clean take more effort. Occasionally when I have cooked
a cobbler or some such on Saturday night, and there are leftovers or
it was very dark and past my bedtime when the last morsel was licked
out of the oven, I grow lazy and clean it up at home the next day
with the sray hose doo-hickey on my kitchen sink.
> Don't use steel wool or metal scrubbies that will break the
>seasoned surface. Rinse thoroughly, dry, reheat on the fire and
>apply a new thin coat of oil and let cool. Once ina while, recoat
>the outside to prevent rust.
I carry olive oil in my kit for that use, inside and out.
>When preparing to cook, I always preheat and wipe out any oily
>residue with paper towels before adding food. A heated surface
>minimizes sticking of most foods.
I will usually wipe the inside lightly with olive oil before cooking.
My devotion to olive oil arises both from the fact that the stuff
works, and from the fact that it among all oils is good for our
arteries.
Thanks for listening.
Ted
========================
Asst Scoutmaster, District Committee, District Commissioner,
Lewis-Clark Trail District, Inland Northwest Council 611, & 'a good
ol' Fox too'; Es Kaielgu Lodge 311, Tseminicum Chapter, Vigil,
mailto:scouter@valint.net ; and Macintosh fan. Take a look at
http://www.valint.net/attorney/scouter.html
