Teach me.. dutch ovens and cast iron skillets

[ApexBunk]

While camping I've always had an electric skillet, and the grill so I've never used a dutch oven or a cast iron skillet. Teach me what I need to know. What are they used best for, what purpose do each serve... everything. I love cooking, so anything to up my game.

Welcoming recipes for a brisk fall trip to the mountains in 2 weeks (breakfast, lunch or dinner)

[Bama Rambler]

They can be used for any and everything, Baking, frying, boiling, broiling, soups, etc..

The first thing to learn is proper seasoning. I've been using cast iron cookware for decades and most of the info on the internet is wrong.

1. Get some oil, and it really doesn't matter what kind. I use vegetable oil.

2. Clean the piece well with soap and water and dry it well over heat.

3. Then I take a paper towel and wipe a thin coat of oil all over it. Make sure you get everywhere. Make the coating as thin as you can get it.

4. Then put it in the oven or bbq grill and heat it to 500ºF for and hour. Turn off the heat source and let it cool.

For new pieces you'll want to do steps 3 & 4 two or three times.

From then on just repeat the seasoning steps whenever it needs it.

Don't be afraid to wash it with soap and water, and don't be afraid to cook whatever you want to in it.

Frying is good for them and the more you fry in it the better the coating gets. However, it's not imperative that you fry in it.

[BamaBob]

You can't go wrong here!
Dutch Oven Recipes

I can personaly vouch for teh Cola Chicken, Chuck Wagon Casserole, and the Beef Stew!

[deebarjay]

are you planning outdoor cooking or just using your stove's oven ?
cast iron dutch ovens need outdoor know how with bbq charcoal bricks or campfire coals...its all there in the google ....
if you are truly keen...buy colleen sloan's cook books.."log cabin dutch oven"
and "log cabin campfire cookn"
if you have trouble finding them in bookstores call 801 571 0789..thats her #.
i've watched her cooking out of 5 dutch ovens with coals at the same time feeding a group of us...man o man...never had anything so tasty in my whole life.

[elchilero53]

We always used cast iron when younger. I seasoned it with peanut oil by heating it until a drop of water would skitter around the inside surface, then add some oil (about a tablespoon) and run it around the inside then coat missed areas with paper towel. Then heat it until it starts to smoke then take it off the burner and let it cool. Then wipe out the excess and put away. Never wash with soap and water (removes the oil). Rub and scrub after cooking with hot water, rinse, dry with a paper towel the put on the stove burner and heat, oil and cool as before. Put it away. After three rounds with this, it will perform like Teflon. Eggs, hashbrowns, pancakes, burgers will not stick.

The Dutch Oven is an entirely different beast. The number of coals underneath and on top control the temperature. Find a book that describes this. It isn't hard but you would be very surprised how few coals it really takes to do a good job. Season in the oven and have fun.

[indybp57]

The tendency on a Dutch oven is to put too many coals on the bottom which usually burns your dish. Use about a 3-1 ratio top to bottom on the coals, with about a dozen on top for a medium size oven. The bottom coals I space them out pretty far to avoid having one really hot spot. Anything you can cook in an oven at home you can cook in a DO. I started using the parchment paper liners you can get in the camping section at Walmart to save a lot of cleanup, but some purists will poo -poo that I'm sure. Its not difficult, it just takes experience to learn to judge the amount of coals and cooking time.

[stevejahr]

No soap, ever, unless you like the taste of soap (it get into the pores of the cast iron).

Wanna bake? Put 2x coals on top as under. Wanna boil? Put 2x coals under as on top.

You almost cannot kill cast iron and I love to do Jambalaya in mine over a full heat 30,000 BTU burner.

Already good suggestions about oil wipe down as part of each cleanup.

[Jim34RL]

Originally Posted by stevejahr

No soap, ever, unless you like the taste of soap (it get into the pores of the cast iron).

Wanna bake? Put 2x coals on top as under. Wanna boil? Put 2x coals under as on top.

You almost cannot kill cast iron and I love to do Jambalaya in mine over a full heat 30,000 BTU burner.

Already good suggestions about oil wipe down as part of each cleanup.

I agree.

I use table salt to clean my Dutch Oven and cast iron pans over a low heat. Wipe away the salt after cleaning this may take several paper towels. Then re-oil with peanut oil, not vegetable oil as this will spoil.

[ApexBunk]

Originally Posted by Jim34RL

I agree.

I use table salt to clean my Dutch Oven and cast iron pans over a low heat. Wipe away the salt after cleaning this may take several paper towels. Then re-oil with peanut oil, not vegetable oil as this will spoil.

Is there another oil I can use? Daughter has a nut allergy. Thanks in advance.

[Zeuster]

ApexBunk

My years as a Scout Leader taught me a few things. But, just like black tank flushing there is more than 1 way to dutch oven cook.

Season with a low fat oil like vegetable oil. High fat oils can go rancid on your pot.
Try to use an oven with a rimmed lid. They hold the top coals better.
Use the +3, -3 calculation for coals. A 10 inch oven uses 13 coals on top and 7 coals under for about 350 deg.
Replace coals when that are about 1/3 burned up.
Use a charcoal chimney to maintain a set of ready coals.
Don't skimp on quality charcoal.
Start out baking biscuits and you will learn what it takes to not burn stews and such that you try later.
Practice in your backyard before you invite the in-laws to a dutch oven thanksgiving dinner :-)
Don't be afraid to wash the thing with dish detergent just make sure you rinse it, dry it, and lightly oil it before you put it away.
YMMV but these are my habits and serve me well.

Frank

[Bama Rambler]

I agree with what Frank said above.

Don't be afraid of it. Baking biscuits is a wonderful way to start.

Contrary to popular belief, don't be afraid to wash it with soap. It won't hurt a properly seasoned vessel at all. It won't soak into the coating nor will it remove it.

[ov845]

My wife loves when I make an Apple Pie.


Happy Camping!

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[Flybob]

We love ours and cook all kinds of things in it. There are several great Dutch Oven cook books out there with all the info you need. A few suggestions.
Get a lid stand and lid removal tool Saves burned fingers.
Get a set of long tongs ( 15" or more) to move coals around.
Use charcoal. Coals from wood fires will work, but do not last long and vary a lot in temp/time, so you will need to continually generate new coals.
Most instructions will provide the number of coals on top and bottom or you can use one of several dutch oven apps for your smartphone that will provide # coals based on cooking temp.
Plan on taking your time. These are not microwave ovens, but then again that is the whole idea. I find that foods that benefit from longer cooking times ( simmering) benefit most from being done in a dutch oven. Experiment and enjoy.

[pinkstonj]

Is always a great stop if traveling by.
Lodge Cast Iron

[Forester Fred]

When I was a Scoutmaster, my first outing every fall was with the newest scouts. I would bring the dutch oven, a large can of Crisco, 4 cans/tubes of poppin fresh biscuits, a brown paper bag and a ziplock sandwich bag full of cinnamon/sugar mix.

Melt the Crisco in the dutch oven and get it hot. While the oil is heating up, open the bisquit cans, separate all the biscuits and cut them into quarters. Take the quarters and roll them into balls. When the oil is hot, CAREFULLY drop the biscuit quarters into the dutch oven and deep fry. When they're golden brown take them out and put them into the brown paper bag. Dump the cinnamon/sugar (brown sugar really works better) into the bag and give it a shake. Hot donut holes for all. Keep frying and shaking until you get them all done.

This treat accomplished a couple things. It gave the new scouts an appreciation for cooking over a campfire - there's more to campfire cooking than a hotdog on a stick. The second thing it did was really season my dutch oven.

Good recipe for a camping get together. Easy to make, very easy to eat!

And - like someone else posted - don't use soap in your cast iron cookware. If it's really rusty get some fine grit sandpaper then reseason. Otherwise get it good and hot and scrape it with a metal spatula to get all the stuck on food out then coat it with oil. It's best to coat it with oil while it's still hot. I'll put mine in the oven in the house to heat it up, oil it then back into the oven. Shut the oven off and when it's all cooled down wipe the dutch oven out with a paper towel and put away until it's needed again.

When you get good with your oven try doing a slow cook pot roast or even better Mojo Pork in it. The heavy lid makes the dutch oven into a kind of pressure cooker. When you put the top back on while cooking, give it a slight turn back and forth to make sure there's nothing under the rim that will let the goodness sneak out.

[Lloydg]

It's good to see other Scouters chiming in about Dutch oven cooking. I'm a former Scout Leader myself with over 30 years which continues today and have used this type of cooking many many times. If you google Boy Scout Dutch oven recipes you'll find more than enough to satisfy your curiosity. One I found is from Scouting magazine and might be a good way to begin. Good luck and enjoy. Dutch Oven Recipes - Scouting magazine

[Forester Fred]

That link to Scouting magazine was a good idea Lloyd. There's a link inside the magazine article that's got everything the OP is looking for: A getting-started guide to Dutch oven cooking

Just my opinion, don't get an aluminum dutch oven. Yes they're lighter than cast iron but if you're not careful you can melt them. Ask me how I know....did it when I was a 13 year old scout. When I bought my own I made sure it was a Lodge cast iron dutch oven. Beware of no name dutch ovens that you see in discount stores. Someplace on them there's probably "made in china" stamped into it. Lodge is American made and top quality. Buy a good one and you'll be handing it down to your grandchildren.

[LI Guy]

just my .02...
there is no problem using soap ,just don't let it soak..
The Truth About Cast Iron Pans: 7 Myths That Need To Go Away | Serious Eats

[stevejahr]

Dittos on the Lodge recommendation. One key difference is the fit of the lid: Lodge fits well and creates a bit of a seal. Some actually ruin this by making notches so it can breath. Not good.

My cleaning routine is to wait until I get home. Then use a scrub brush and hot water to clean the old food and junk out. Then I put the DO on a gas stove and heat it up. This drives the water out and prepares it for some cooking oil. The cooking oil thins out nicely on hot cast iron and a paper towel to spread/wipe on the inside and out works well. Then let it sit and cool before storing.

Note that you only get rancid oil problems if you leave too much on. Like wood stain you are not looking for puddles, just a nice dark gloss where you have wiped it on.

Yeah agreed with many that Scouting does more for Lodge sales than anything else. That is how I started.

Note my first cooking attempt with the DO was for cinnamon rolls out of a tube. I made the mistake of thinking they would cook slower in the DO. They did not and generally I find that my cooking times are just as fast for the actual cooking as a regular oven.

It is very hard to screw up with a DO... I have but only when I was trying to rush things.

I generally only use one full charcoal chimney for two DOs and have not needed to refresh coals.

For spectator cooking try stacking the DOs on top of each other

[Forester Fred]

Originally Posted by LI Guy

just my .02...
there is no problem using soap ,just don't let it soak..
The Truth About Cast Iron Pans: 7 Myths That Need To Go Away | Serious Eats

Good article, thanks!